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Jury trial of Ryan Routh, man accused of trying to kill Trump, begins in Florida

Opening statements began Thursday in the trial of Ryan Routh, who was charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year at his West Palm Beach course in Florida. Routh

Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. A conviction carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Routh, who is not a lawyer, is representing himself in this case.

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Home mortgage demand surges as rates drop to 6.35%

There has been a spike in mortgage applications as interest rates have dropped to the lowest level since October 2024. Here, a home for sale in Alhambra, Calif., last month.

Rates saw the biggest one-week drop in a year, spurring a spike in new purchase and refinance applications.

(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown)

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NSA leaker Reality Winner is rebuilding her life -- and looking back at her past

Former military linguist Reality Winner, shown here in November 2022.

Winner was working at the NSA in 2017 when she leaked a classified document to the press. Soon after, the FBI showed up at her door. Winner's new memoir is I Am Not Your Enemy.

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The killing of Charlie Kirk adds to a time of political upheaval and violence

Charlie Kirk is shown at the Republican National Convention in downtown Milwaukee, Wisc., on July 17, 2024.

The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk Wednesday at a college in Utah is the latest in a series of politically motivated violent acts just in recent months.

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TB is the #1 killer among infectious diseases. A new study says its toll could mount

Vietnamese doctor Truong Duc Thai and a colleague check the X-ray film of a drug-resistant tuberculosis patient at National Lung Hospital in Hanoi. TB kills more people than any other infectious disease. A new study projects that U.S. aid cuts will worsen its toll.

New research estimates that as many as 2.2 million more people could die of tuberculosis if U.S. cuts to foreign aid become permanent.

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Inflation climbs in August as grocery and gas prices jump

Grocery prices jumped 0.6% in August, fueling a sharper-than-expected jump in inflation last month.

Inflation accelerated in August as Americans paid more for gasoline and groceries. Over the last 12 months, consumer prices have risen 2.9%.

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NPR's next news chief built an international career at CNN

Thomas Evans came to NPR a year ago to launch its editorial review desk. He will lead the newsroom starting in October.

NPR has promoted Thomas Evans, its editorial review chief, to lead the newsroom through a period of change, following Congress' decision to end federal funding of public media.

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The U.K. fires its U.S. ambassador over his emails to Jeffrey Epstein

Britain

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired the U.K. ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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South Koreans arrested in U.S. immigration raid being sent home

People watch a TV screen showing the live broadcast of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung

U.S. immigration authorities are preparing to send more than 300 South Korean workers home on a chartered flight from Atlanta, a week after detaining them for allegedly working illegally.

(Image credit: Ahn Young-joon)

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Scientists link hundreds of severe heat waves to fossil fuel producers' pollution

A new study found that more than 200 heat waves, including the Pacific Northwest heat dome in 2021, were substantially more likely and intense because of the activity of major fossil fuel producers.

A new study finds dozens of heat waves would be "virtually impossible" without the activity of major fossil fuel producers, including oil companies.

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Love, drugs and condoms: Couples with different HIV status face a new reality

Robert Ochweda and Millicent Akoth is HIV positive — she caught the virus from her former husband. She is now married to Robert Ochweda, a fisherman who is HIV negative. After the two of them fell in love, he says he was afraid to marry her lest he contract the virus. "I have been able to stay safe by using condoms and PrEP," Ochweda explains, referring to a pill that prevents infection. In the wake of U.S. foreign aid cuts, they say it

They're called "serodiscordant" couples. One is HIV positive, the other negative. Aid from the U.S. enabled them to obtain medicines and condoms for protection — until this year.

(Image credit: Julia Gunther for NPR)

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The latest on the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist and Trump ally, died after a shooting at an outdoor speaking event in Utah on Wednesday. Officials are still looking for the shooter. NPR reports on the latest.

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Charlie Kirk shooter remains at large. And, 9/11 families still seek justice

Charlie Kirk speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has died at 31. He was shot at a college campus speaking event. And, two people who lost their fathers during 9/11 share differing views on seeking justice.

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What we know about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk speaks during a town hall meeting in March in Wisconsin.

Kirk was killed Wednesday while speaking at a campus event in Utah. There is no suspect in custody.

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Lab results confusing? Some patients use AI to interpret them, for better or worse

People are turning to Chatbots like Claude to get help interpreting their lab test results.

While patients wait to hear back from their doctors about test results, many turn to AI assistants for answers. There are issues with privacy and accuracy.

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After 10 years of black hole science, Stephen Hawking proven right

When two black holes merge, they release gravitational waves. These waves can be picked up by detectors on Earth, allowing scientists to better understand them.

Researchers have spent ten years improving the massive detectors they use to catch shockwaves from colliding black holes, and now the science is precise enough to test one of Stephen Hawking's key ideas.

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Israel has hunted its top enemies around the Middle East. What has it achieved?

A billboard displays portraits of Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh with the word "assassinated" in Hebrew, in Tel Aviv, Aug. 2, 2024.

Israel's surprise attack in Qatar on Tuesday targeting Hamas' top political leaders was the latest in a campaign aimed at hunting down Israel's top enemies since the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

(Image credit: Oren Ziv)

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Inside the lab working to identify the remains of 9/11 victims

Kevin McKenna (left) and Kathleen Wang look over notes at the Charles S. Hirsch Center for Forensic Sciences Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City. They are part of a team working to identify the remains of people who died on Sept. 11, 2001.

1,100 people killed on 9/11 in New York City have not had any of their remains identified by authorities. The medical examiner's office is using new technology to identify more people.

(Image credit: José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR)

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Male tarantulas are moving and wooing their way across Colorado

A male tarantula looks for a mate on the plains near La Junta, Colo., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.

These hairy spiders spend almost all of their lives underground. But when it's time to mate, they must brave the great outdoors before they perish.

(Image credit: Thomas Peipert)

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The broke college student's guide to managing money

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For college students who don't have a lot of money, it can be tough to wrap your head around student loans, credit cards and a tight budget. A financial educator offers advice for first-year students.

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A trail run with blackberries and late summer flowers on Oregon's Sauvie Island

Blackberry brambles decorate the trail on Sauvie Island in Oregon. The trail leads past farm fields through forest to a wild stretch of beach along the Columbia River.

A late summer run for NPR's Brian Mann featured an abundance of ripe, wild berries and a dip in the river.

(Image credit: Brian Mann)

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High-speed train from California to Las Vegas tries to slow rising costs

For most of its 218-mile route, Brightline West plans to build in the median of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Southern California to help keep costs down.

Brightline West is betting it can build the first true high-speed rail line in the U.S. But the company says costs are rising, despite its best efforts to keep them down.

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Bound by loss, split on justice: 9/11 families reflect 24 years later

Left: Elizabeth Miller was 6 years old when her father, a firefighter, died in the Sept. 11 attacks. Right: Brett Eagleson, son of Sept. 11 victim Bruce Eagleson sits in a memorial garden at South Fire District in Middletown, Conn., in 2021.

Elizabeth Miller and Brett Eagleson both lost their fathers on September 11, 2001. On the 24th anniversary of the day, they remain divided on how justice should be done.

(Image credit: Bryan Anselm/The New York Times/Redux and Jessica Hill/AP)

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U.S. marks 24th anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks

Flags and flowers are placed in the inscribed names at the National September 11 Memorial in New York on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.

Many loved ones of the nearly 3,000 people killed will join dignitaries and politicians at commemorations Thursday in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

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Trump blames rhetoric from the left for political violence after Charlie Kirk murder

Well-wishers pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at the national headquarters of Turning Point USA in Phoenix after the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the organization, during a Utah college event Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.

In a video statement, Trump said Kirk's death was a direct consequence of people demonizing those they disagree, and then turned his ire to the political left.

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Charlie Kirk, a Trump ally and voice for young conservatives, is shot down at age 31

Charlie Kirk stands in the Oval Office on May 28. The Turning Point USA founder played a pivotal role in rallying support for President Trump among young voters in last year

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was arguably the most influential voice in young conservatism, and played a pivotal role in President Trump's return to the White House.

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In 2024, COVID dropped from the list of top 10 causes of death in U.S.

Activists gather during a vigil in Lafayette Park for nurses who died during the COVID-19 pandemic on January 13, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

For the first time since 2020, COVID is not one of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP)

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Trump says right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has died after shooting

U.S. conservative political activist Charlie Kirk speaks at University of Nevada in Reno on Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by / AFP) (Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/)

"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," President Trump wrote in a Truth Social Post. Kirk was shot during an outdoor speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

(Image credit: Andri Tambunan)

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Israel's attacks on Hamas in Qatar stun the Gulf and dash chances for a Gaza ceasefire

Qatar

Qatar slams Israeli attacks on Hamas leaders in Doha as "state terrorism" after the bombardment rocks the tiny U.S. ally and dashes hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza

(Image credit: Karim Jaafar)

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What we know about the shooting at the Charlie Kirk event

Charlie Kirk, CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot Wednesday at an outdoor rally at a Utah college.

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