NPR News: Posts

NPR News

VIDEO: Trump's tariffs, changing markets and what an uncertain economy means for you

undefined

Eight months into Trump's second term, it's unclear what the larger impact of these tariffs will have on the economy. Despite that, the president keeps promising to roll out new ones.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

5 takeaways from NPR's investigation into the role of distribution lines in LA fires

A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Altadena, Calif.

NPR looked into malfunctions on lines that power individual homes in one of the communities hardest hit by the LA fires in January. Here's what we found.

(Image credit: Ethan Swope)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Pressure on Democrats grows to end shutdown. And, Gaza City receives evacuation orders

A sign on the entrance to the U.S. National Arboretum is seen as it is closed due to the federal government shutdown on Oct. 1 in Washington, D.C. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal.

The White House is intensifying pressure on Democrats to end the government shutdown. And, Gaza City has been ordered to evacuate as Israel expands its ground operations.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

In Trump country, a Democrat critiques Trump — and talks of succeeding him

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear speaks during an interview with NPR

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear about his cross-party appeal in a state that has always overwhelmingly voted for Trump.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Research, curriculum and grading: new data sheds light on how professors are using AI

undefined

It's not just students, more professors are using AI in the classroom. But they say more guidance is needed on how to use the technology.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

From Madagascar to Morocco: Gen Z protests shake Africa

A protester holds a placard during a demonstration against repeated water and electricity outages in Madagascar.

Gen Z-led protests in two diverse African countries highlight frustration over years of poor governance. Fueled by social media, these youth movements are demanding accountability.

(Image credit: RIJASOLO)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Want fewer morning aches? You might have to change the way you sleep

Sleeping in an awkward position for many hours at night can cause morning aches and pains. One way to guard against them is to focus on your sleep posture, say medical experts.

Whether you're a back, side or stomach sleeper, medical professionals explain how to position your body to guard against neck cricks, shoulder aches and other body pain and soreness.

(Image credit: Meredith Miotke for NPR)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Hours before the Eaton fire, distribution lines failed and fire started in Altadena

Homes are engulfed in flames during the Eaton fire in the Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8.

Transmission lines have been linked to the start of the Eaton fire in January. But another kind of line — distribution lines that power homes — were also wreaking havoc before that fire sparked.

(Image credit: Josh Edelson)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Furloughs, closures and mass firings threats: What's next in the shutdown fight

A news crew films a segment near a sign indicating that the Capitol Visitor Center is closed due to the government shutdown on Oct. 1.

On the first day of the government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats traded blame while a small bipartisan group of senators began to negotiate.

(Image credit: Tom Williams)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

What Mississippi's infant mortality crisis says about the risks of Medicaid cuts

Kaomi Holmes, 10 days old, sleeps in her crib at her home in Greenville, Miss. She was delivered by emergency cesarian section and weighed 4.5 pounds at birth.

Mississippi recently declared a public health emergency because its infant mortality rate has surged. And with Medicaid cuts coming, experts fear the crisis may worsen in other states.

(Image credit: Jared Ragland)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Air traffic controllers helped end the last government shutdown, and may again

An air traffic control tower is seen Wednesday following the government shutdown at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas. The U.S. government has shut down after Congress failed to pass short-term funding. Nearly seven years ago, air traffic controllers may have helped play ending the last government shutdown.

A shortage of air traffic controllers may have played a role in ending the last government shutdown in 2019. U.S airlines are once again bracing for possible delays in commercial aviation.

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

How rising costs are changing the way Americans travel

Rising costs are causing a lot of Americans to think twice before booking a vacation.

Rising costs are causing a lot of Americans to think twice before booking a trip. And many who do travel are scaling back their ambitions and staying closer to home.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Anti-government protests in Morocco turn deadly, with 2 killed in a small town

A boy is detained as youth led protests calling for healthcare and education reforms turned violent, in Sale, Morocco, on Wednesday.

Youth-led anti-government demonstrators in Morocco filled the streets for a fifth straight night on Wednesday, as protests over the state of public services descended into deadly violence.

(Image credit: Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

The federal shutdown puts nutrition aid for millions of new parents at risk

Lucia Graves says her family can afford to eat healthier because of WIC benefits for her daughter and stepdaughter.

Nearly seven million pregnant women and young children depend on WIC for healthy foods. Advocates say funding could run out in about two weeks, leaving states to close the gap if their budgets allow.

(Image credit: Courtesy of Lucia Graves)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Pope Leo XIV says 'inhuman treatment of immigrants' in the U.S. isn't 'pro-life'

Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter

Pope Leo XIV weighed in on U.S. politics, saying that Catholic politicians must be judged on the full range of their policy positions and suggesting that the country's immigration policy is "inhuman."

(Image credit: Gregorio Borgia)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

A new documentary about a dastardly worm and a heroic effort by Jimmy Carter

In 2007, President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, spoke to children in Ghana about the goal of eradicating guinea worm disease. When this photo was taken, he had said "Hands up all those who have had guinea worm" — and many of the children raised their hands.

"The President and the Dragon,' premiering today, looks at Carter's momentous decision to try and wipe out a devastating and neglected disease. We spoke to writer and co-director Waleed Eltayeb.

(Image credit: Louise Gubb)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Jane Fonda calls for 'creative nonviolent noncooperation' to defend free speech

Hundreds of A-list celebrities have signed on to support the Committee for the First Amendment, an organization that was created during the Red Scare after World War II, to defend free speech.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Activists say Israel's navy has begun intercepting a Gaza-bound aid flotilla

Ships that are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza are anchored off the coast of of Sidi Bou Saïd in Tunis, Tunisia, Tuesday, Sept. 9.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, with Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson and European lawmakers aboard, includes some 50 boats and 500 activists and is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.

(Image credit: Anis Mili)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

A NPR visual series takes a look at the rhythm of cumbia

The tecnocumbia group Tierra Canela performs at the Mapogo Club, an LGBTQ bar in Quito, Ecuador, on Dec. 9, 2023. The female group, an icon of the movement, gained viral popularity across all Ecuadorian social classes with its songs and dance steps.

One of the most listened-to genres in the Americas, photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.

(Image credit: Karla Gachet)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Colombia: la cuna de la cumbia

Grupos gaiteros, bailarines y público en general, desfilan hacia el cementerio de San Jacinto, Colombia, el 14 de agosto de 2022.

Uno de los géneros más escuchados en las Américas, los fotógrafos y narradores Karla Gachet e Iván Kashinsky documentan la cumbia en Colombia, México, Ecuador, Perú, Argentina y Estados Unidos.

(Image credit: Karla Gachet)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Una serie visual de NPR explora el ritmo de la cumbia

El grupo de tecnocumbia Tierra Canela se presenta en el Mapogo Club, un bar LGBTQ en Quito, Ecuador, el 9 de diciembre de 2023. El grupo femenino, icono del movimiento, ganó popularidad viral en todas las clases sociales ecuatorianas con sus canciones y pasos de baile.

(Image credit: Karla Gachet)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Colombia: The birthplace of cumbia

Gaitero groups, dancers and the general public parade to the cemetery in San Jacinto, Colombia, on Aug. 14, 2022.

One of the most listened-to genres in the Americas, photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.

(Image credit: Karla Gachet)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Students, listen up! NPR's College Podcast Challenge is back for 2025

undefined

Our national podcasting contest for college students is now open for entries. Enter your story for a chance to win our $5,000 grand prize, and hear your podcast on NPR.

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Jane Goodall, legendary primatologist, has died at age 91

British primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall, primatologist who transformed our understanding of the lives of apes, has died, according to an announcement from the Jane Goodall Institute.

(Image credit: Bertrand Guay)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Trump freezes $18 billion in funding for NYC, home to key Democratic leaders

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both from New York City, speak to reporters outside the White House Monday after meeting with Republican Leadership and US President Donald Trump.  Trump has now frozen $18 billion in infrastructure funding for projects in New York.

On the first day of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration froze "roughly $18 billion" in infrastructure projects for New York City, home to two of Trump's Democratic congressional opponents. It's not the first time Trump has threatened city funding over politics.

(Image credit: JIM WATSON)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

When will the government reopen? Here's how long past shutdowns lasted

The federal government shut down on Wednesday for the first time since December 2018. That shutdown lasted for five weeks, until January 2019.

Government shutdowns lasting more than a few days were relatively rare — until recently. The 2018-2019 shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, stretching on for five weeks.

(Image credit: Alex Wroblewski)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

What will Congress do after the shutdown? We asked a Republican and a Democrat

American flags fly in front of the U.S. Capitol at sunrise, Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Washington.

Most of the federal government is shut down after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement. We asked two House members — a Democrat and Republican — where they think talks go from here

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

The BET Hip Hop Awards cut the cord as DEI dies

2 Chainz performs onstage during the BET Hip Hop Awards 2024 at Drai

The show's suspension comes amid broader efforts to curb diversity at the institutional level. The next attempt to canonize the movement must learn lessons from its successes — and its missteps.

(Image credit: Paras Griffin)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

Trump's controversial nominee drops bid to head vital data-gathering agency

E.J. Antoni dropped his bid to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pictured above. His nomination had attracted widespread bipartisan criticism.

Trump's pick to lead the agency tracking unemployment and inflation has withdrawn after withering criticism from across the political spectrum. The White House says a new nominee will be named soon.

(Image credit: Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR)

Continue Reading…

NPR News

What happens when the firewall between the White House and the DOJ comes down?

President Trump is pressuring the Department of Justice to pursue his political enemies, like former FBI director James Comey. Legal scholar Barbara McQuade explains how this damages the rule of law.

Continue Reading…