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Gaza ceasefire deal tested. And, Supreme Court hears case questioning voting rights

Israeli protesters gather at the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Oct. 14 to call for the release of all the bodies of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

Israel pressures Hamas to hand over hostage bodies more quickly, testing the ceasefire deal. And, the Supreme Court takes up a major case on that could weaken the Voting Rights Act nationwide.

(Image credit: Ahmad Gharabli)

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In rural America, scarce doctors battle misinformation as they practice medicine

Dr. Banu Symington, at her office in Rock Springs, Wyo., is one of just a few full-time oncologists practicing in the state.

Conspiracy theories about health fill a vacuum created by the lack of doctors in many rural communities. Meanwhile, doctors in these areas say patients have become increasingly distrustful and sometimes hostile.

(Image credit: Charles Paajoe Tetteh for NPR)

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Israel keeps Gaza border crossing closed while reducing aid deliveries

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip early on Oct. 15, 2025.

The ceasefire on Wednesday was largely holding, although Hamas described Israeli attacks in Gaza as violations of the agreement.

(Image credit: STR)

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U.S. charges Cambodian tycoon in massive alleged cryptocurrency scam

This file photo shows bitcoin tokens in Sandy, Utah.

In an indictment unsealed in federal court, U.S. prosecutors charge the founder of a Cambodian conglomerate in a massive cryptocurrency scam, bilking would-be investors out of billions of dollars.

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Thousands of federal employees are getting laid off. Will a judge intervene?

A woman walks past a sign indicating the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is closed as the federal government continues its shutdown on Oct. 6, 2025.

Unions representing federal employees have asked a federal judge in San Francisco to halt the Trump administration's latest round of layoffs, which are coming amid the government shutdown.

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Supreme Court hears case that questions major plank of voting rights

U.S. Supreme Court Police direct visitors from behind security barriers in front of court building, which is obscured in construction scaffolding, on the first day of the Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday hears a case that could strike down the last major part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that remains standing.

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'Broadcasting' has its roots in agriculture. Here's how it made its way into media

People gather around a large valve radio in 1940. By that point, over 80% of American households owned a radio.

The word 'broadcasting' dates back centuries, and originally described a method of sowing seeds. But it took on a new meaning with the rise of radio in the 1920s.

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How much can Tesla pay Elon Musk? Delaware's Supreme Court will decide

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pictured as he attends the start of the production at Tesla

On Wednesday, the Delaware Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit over Tesla's record-setting compensation package for Elon Musk.

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Many rural schools rely on international teachers. Trump's visa changes threaten that

President Trump, accompanied by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaks on Sept. 19 after signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House. Trump signed two executive orders, establishing the "Trump Gold Card" and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.

The Trump administration announced a $100k fine to accompany each H1-B visa, the fine could wreak havoc on rural school districts who rely on them to bring in teachers.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

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Scientists are modifying wildlife DNA. Should these species be released into nature?

Warming ocean temperatures are threatening coral reefs globally. Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify corals to be more resilient to hotter temperatures.

Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify plants and animals to be more resistant to threats like climate change. The IUCN is voting on whether those species should be allowed in nature.

(Image credit: Greg Torda)

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Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones' appeal of Sandy Hook shooting defamation judgment

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seen taking the witness stand to testify at the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., Sept. 22, 2022.

The Supreme Court Tuesday rejected an appeal from Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment against him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax.

(Image credit: Tyler Sizemore/Pool Hearst Connecticut Media)

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Pennsylvania man pleads guilty in arson attack at governor's mansion

Cody Balmer, accused of setting a fire at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Under a plea deal, Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if the case went to trial. He declined to address the judge about the crime.

(Image credit: Matt Slocum)

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With new cuts at CDC, some fear there's 'nobody to answer the phone'

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff and supporters protested cuts to the agency outside its headquarters in August. Over this past weekend, hundreds more employees were fired.

More than 1,300 staffers at the health agency got notices they were fired — but more than half were reinstated. The cuts will hobble some divisions, employees say.

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Trump awards the Medal of Freedom posthumously to Charlie Kirk

Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally for now-President Trump in Glendale, Ariz., in August 2024.

President Trump presented the award to Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday.

(Image credit: Rebecca Noble)

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In new memoir, John T. Edge explores Southern identity and a troubled family history

John T. Edge, at home in Oxford, Miss., has written extensively about the South and its food culture. Now he has turned his pen to his family

Writer John T. Edge has spent much of his career telling stories about a changing American South filtered through the lens of food and culture. Now he's talking about his troubled family's history.

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Afghan earthquake triggers contradictory Taliban tactics on rescuing women

Afghan women and their children at Mazar Dara village after a 6-magnitude earthquake on August 31. More than 800 people have died and over 2,700 were injured in eastern Afghanistan from the quake and aftershocks.

The Taliban responded with contradictory stances in the effort to rescue women and girls who were wounded and left homeless. That's a reflection of tensions between hardliners and pragmatists.

(Image credit: Wakil Kohsar/AFP)

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Military seizes power in Madagascar following anti-government protests

CAPSAT military unit commander Col. Michael Randrianirina, center, reads a statement saying that the armed forces are taking control of the country from the steps of the Presidency in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025.

The army in Madagascar seized power on Tuesday, days after the president fled the African island nation saying he feared for his life after several weeks of massive anti-government protests.

(Image credit: Brian Inganga)

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Israel and Hamas' ceasefire appears to hold after Gaza hostage and detainee exchanges

A person pastes a heart-shaped sticker on a banner with pictures of Israeli hostages during a a gathering at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday.

The tenuous ceasefire in the two-year Israel-Hamas war appears to be holding even as complex issues remained ahead.

(Image credit: Oded Balilty)

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What's next for Gaza. And, ICE tactics are reportedly becoming more violent

One of the Palestinian prisoners released under the prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas gestures as he and others disembark from their bus upon arrival at Ramallah Cultural Centre in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on Oct. 13, 2025, coming from Ofer military prison in the Israel-occupied Palestinian territories. The initial phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal includes the release of 47 Israeli hostages, living and deceased, taken on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans held by Israel since the outbreak of the war.

With the first phase of a ceasefire holding, eyes are on what is next for Gaza. And, ICE agents are ramping up arrest operations in several cities and raising concerns about their tactics.

(Image credit: Mosab Shawer)

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Maine Gov. Janet Mills enters crowded Democratic race to unseat Susan Collins

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. Mills has announced a run to unseat Susan Collins in the U.S. Senate.

Mills was reportedly recruited by Democratic Senate leaders after her high-profile confrontation with President Donald Trump in February, in which she told the president she'd "see you in court."

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A Nobel Prize for explaining when technology leads to growth

From left: A screen shows photos of American-Israeli Joel Mokyr, France

The 2025 Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt.

(Image credit: Jonathan Nackstrand)

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GOP 'afraid to do anything' unless Trump approves, says Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine

Sen. Tim Kaine,D-VA, leaves a Senate Democratic meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on October 3 in Washington.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia says shutdown can end if Trump engages more earnestly in negotiations.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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Data centers are booming. But there are big energy and environmental risks

Volunteers hand out yard signs in June against a data center complex in West Virginia.

How tech companies and government officials handle local impacts will shape the industry's future in the U.S.

(Image credit: ULYSSE BELLIER/AFP via Getty Images)

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In reading, the nation's students are still stuck in a pandemic slump

A student raises their hand in a classroom at Tussahaw Elementary School in 2021 in McDonough, Ga.

New 2025 testing data shows third- through eighth-graders scored far below 2019 levels in reading. In math, some grades have made gains, but all are lagging compared to before the pandemic.

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Opinion: Why I'm handing in my Pentagon press pass

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L), accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (R), speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in June in Arlington, Va.

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scenes and not accepting wholesale what any government or administration says.

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Move over James Bond: A new service lets anyone share secrets with Britain

A view of the headquarters of Britain

Afraid to sneak into a British embassy? MI6's new dark web portal Silent Courier lets you share secrets online.

(Image credit: Kin Cheung)

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Death toll from torrential rains in Mexico rises to 64 as search expands

A rescue worker, part of the volunteer brigade known as the Topos, works near a car hanging over a fence by a damaged house in Poza Rica, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, after torrential rains.

Mexico has deployed some 10,000 troops in addition to civilian rescue teams. Helicopters have ferried food and water to the 200 some communities that remained cut off by ground.

(Image credit: Felix Marquez)

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SpaceX launches 11th test flight of its mega Starship rocket

SpaceX

Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, thundered into the evening sky from the southern tip of Texas.

(Image credit: Eric Gay)

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Madagascar's president flees country in fear for his life after military rebellion

President Andry Rajoelina addresses a state ceremony, Sept. 2, 2025, in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina called for dialogue "to find a way out of this situation" and said the constitution should be respected.

(Image credit: Alexander Joe)

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In Marc Maron's last 'WTF' podcast episode, Obama offers advice on closing chapters

Marc Maron attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Apple TV+ New Series "Stick" at AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles, Calif. on May 29.

In the final episode, Marc Maron and former President Barack Obama spoke about the legacy of the podcast, politics and moving on.

(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

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