Where patients live matters for access to gene therapy

Dustin Vidrine stands outside his house in Lafayette, La.

Gene therapies have the potential to cure some diseases, but they are extraordinarily expensive. Location can also be a big hurdle for patients seeking this specialized care.

(Image credit: Annie Flanagan for NPR)

NPR News1 day, 15 hours ago

DOJ hides Trump-related Epstein files. And, what to know for the State of the Union

This photo illustration shows redacted documents from the Epstein Library files released by the US Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Feb.18, 2026.

An NPR investigation found that the DOJ withheld some Epstein files related to abuse allegations against Trump. And, what you need to know ahead of the president's State of the Union address tonight.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

NPR News1 day, 15 hours ago

Democrats tap Spanberger and Padilla to respond to State of the Union

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks after being sworn into office at the Virginia State Capitol on Jan. 17 in Richmond. Spanberger is the first woman elected to the Commonwealth of Virginia

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver Democrats' response on Tuesday following President Trump's State of the Union address.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

NPR News1 day, 15 hours ago

Is the YIMBY movement doomed?

Construction workers build new houses

For decades, rising home prices have been an engine for middle-class wealth. Now a growing movement wants to slow — or even reverse — that trend. Are the politics around new housing development inherently stacked against them?

(Image credit: Matt Cardy)

NPR News1 day, 16 hours ago

A U.S. veteran adopted an orphan from Iran. Decades later, ICE is trying to deport her

An adoptee brought to the United States by her American parents from Iran as a young child stands for a portrait in California on Feb. 21.

The woman has no criminal record and is unsure what prompted the threat of removal. She fears being deported to Iran given her father's military service and her Christian faith.

(Image credit: Stella Kalinina for NPR)

NPR News1 day, 16 hours ago

What you need to know about tonight's State of the Union address

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The primetime address is a chance for the president to tout his record ahead of this year's midterm elections. But it comes at a moment when Trump has seen his agenda complicated on multiple fronts.

(Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski)

NPR News1 day, 16 hours ago

What you need to know as Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine enters its 5th year

A woman with a bouquet of flowers walks past a high-rise residential building heavily damaged by a Russian drone strike in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 25, 2025.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, and the fighting continues. Here's a look at where the war stands today.

(Image credit: Vitalii Nosach)

NPR News1 day, 16 hours ago

'Fear of Flying Clinic' helps anxious travelers back into the skies

Participants in the Fear of Flying Clinic walk up the boarding stairs and into a 787 as part of a four-day course to help ease their anxiety around air travel. Getting exposed to the sights and sounds of airplanes is one piece of that training.

For 50 years, a San Francisco-based group has created a space where fearful flyers can get supported exposure to air travel.

(Image credit: Evan Roberts)

NPR News1 day, 17 hours ago

Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump

An NPR investigation finds the Justice Department has removed or withheld Epstein files related to President Trump.

An NPR investigation finds the public database of Epstein files is missing dozens of pages related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump.

(Image credit: Department of Justice and Getty Images/Collage by Danielle A. Scruggs/NPR)

NPR News1 day, 17 hours ago

These small business owners are owed tariff refunds. Will they ever get them?

ASM Games, based in California, makes family card games such as "Do you really know your family." Its owner Alfred Mai has paid tens of thousands of dollars in tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court.

Anyone who paid the taxes should get reimbursed, but the high court did not address how. Business owners wonder if they'll need lawyers, brokers, money — or luck.

(Image credit: ASM Games)

NPR News1 day, 17 hours ago

Why Gavin Newsom refuses to be a "bystander" in this political moment

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What does the Democratic leader see for himself in the years to come?

NPR News1 day, 17 hours ago

Morning news brief

Trump to deliver first State of the Union address of his second term, what's next for Mexico after killing of cartel leader, NPR investigation finds DOJ withheld some Epstein files related to Trump.

NPR News1 day, 20 hours ago

FBI director invites fresh scrutiny over travels with appearance at US men's hockey team celebration

FILE - FBI director Kash Patel arrives before President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington.

When the American men's hockey team retreated to their locker room to celebrate their Winter Olympics gold medal win, they were joined by a special guest from the United States: FBI Director Kash Patel.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

NPR News1 day, 20 hours ago

France moves to bar US Ambassador Charles Kushner from direct government access

FILE - U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner gives a news conference marking the 250th birthday of the U.S. in 2026, in Paris, Dec. 4, 2025.

France's top diplomat has requested that U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government. Kushner skipped a meeting Monday to discuss comments by the Trump administration over the beating death of a far-right activist.

(Image credit: Christophe Ena)

NPR NewsFeb 24, 2026, 12:28 AM

GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales faces pressure from party over affair allegations

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, is seen here at a news conference on border security outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on November 14, 2023.

The Texas Republican is facing calls from fellow House Republicans to resign, following allegations of an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

NPR NewsFeb 24, 2026, 12:00 AM

In pictures: Winter storm slams the east coast

A collection of snow sport enthusiasts brave blowing snow and 20-degree temperatures to ski Horsebarn Hill in Mansfield, Ct. on Monday afternoon as the snow squalls pass from a storm that dropped more than a foot of snow across the state on Feb. 23.

Photos of cities in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts as they cope with a powerful winter storm.

(Image credit: Mark Mirko)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 8:57 PM

The FDA creates a quicker path for gene therapies

The Food and Drug Administration will consider approving treatments for rare diseases based on evidence they have a plausible mechanism.

The Food and Drug Administration aims to evaluate treatments for rare diseases based on plausible evidence that they would work — without requiring a clinical trial first.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 8:18 PM

BAFTAs apologize after guest with Tourette syndrome uses racial slur during ceremony

John Davidson attends the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards on February 22, 2026 in London, England.

A man with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial slur and other offensive remarks during the BAFTA awards ceremony Sunday. The BBC did not edit out his outbursts in its delayed broadcast.

(Image credit: Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 7:29 PM

'Everything was in pieces:' Lindsey Vonn describes grueling surgery on broken leg

Lindsey Vonn of Team USA was rescued by helicopter after she crashed during the Women

In a recent video, the Olympic skier credits her surgeon with saving her leg from potential amputation.

(Image credit: Al Bello/Getty Images Europe)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 7:17 PM

A new lawsuit alleges DHS illegally tracked and intimidated observers

An observer films ICE agents this month in Minneapolis. A new lawsuit alleges federal agents are unconstitutionally retaliating against people who are lawfully observing and recording federal immigration enforcement operations by gathering their personal information and labeling them as domestic terrorists

Observers watching federal immigration enforcement in Maine who were told by agents they were "domestic terrorists" and would be added to a "database" or "watchlist" are now part of a new federal class action lawsuit.

(Image credit: Stephen Maturen)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 6:16 PM

A powerful winter storm is roiling travel across the northeastern U.S.

Pedestrians cross 42nd Street near Bryant Park on Monday during a snow storm in New York.

Forecasters called travel conditions "extremely treacherous" and "nearly impossible" in areas hit hardest by the storm, and air and train traffic is at a standstill in many parts of the region.

(Image credit: Seth Wenig)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 6:11 PM

U.K. arrests ex-ambassador to the U.S. on suspicion of misconduct over Epstein ties

Former U.K. Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson drives away from his residence in central London on Feb. 14.

Police have arrested Peter Mandelson, a veteran Labour Party politician who served as British ambassador to the U.S., as part of an investigation into his ties with Jeffrey Epstein.

(Image credit: Justin Tallis)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 3:41 PM

What NPR reporters will remember most about these Winter Olympics

The Olympic cauldron at the Arco della Pace in Milan on Sunday.

NPR's reporters on the ground in Italy reflect on a far-flung, jam-packed Winter Olympics.

(Image credit: Maja Hitij)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 1:25 PM

In the shadow of the Olympics, migrants search for a welcome in Milan

Outreach team members of an International Rescue Committee (IRC), an international humanitarian group, stand outside Milano Centrale railway station at night. The station remains a critical hub for migrants and homeless individuals seeking temporary refuge from the winter cold.

As Italy cracks down on migration, Milan takes a different path — offering shelter and integration to asylum seekers even as the central government tightens borders and funds deterrence abroad.

(Image credit: Valerio Muscella for NPR)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 12:30 PM

Trump to raise global tariffs. And, most say the state of the union is weak, poll says

President Trump speaks during the National Governors Association Evening Dinner and Reception in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is hosting the governors in Washington for the annual National Governors Association meetings.

President Trump says he is raising global tariffs to 15%. And ahead of the president's address tomorrow, most Americans say the state of the union is not strong, according to an NPR poll.

(Image credit: Al Drago)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 11:40 AM

Lawyer in SCOTUS case against Trump's tariffs says his clients want a refund

(L-R) Allison Riggs, chief counsel of voting rights at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, Kathay Feng, national redistricting director at Common Cause, and Attorney Neal Katyal talk to reporters outside the U.S. Supreme Court after they attended oral arguments in the Moore v. Harper case December 7, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Neal Katyal, one of the lawyers who defended U.S. businesses in the SCOTUS case against Trump's tariffs, argues that the federal government must refund them with interest.

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 10:30 AM

U.S. has a quarter fewer immigration judges than it did a year ago. Here's why

The front lobby of the Miami Immigration Court seen on Jan. 28, 2026 in Miami, Florida.

The continued drain of personnel from the already strained immigration court system has contributed to depleted staff morale, mounting case backlogs — and floundering due process.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 10:00 AM

Poll: Most say the state of the union is not strong and the U.S. is worse off

President Trump holds a press briefing held at the White House on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against his use of emergency powers to implement international trade tariffs.

Ahead of the State of the Union address on Tuesday, evidence continues to mount that President Trump is facing political headwinds.

(Image credit: Alex Wong)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 10:00 AM

Influencers are promoting peptides for better health. What's the science say?

vaccination syringe and bottle on a colored background. close up, copy space

The latest wellness craze involves injecting these molecules for athletic performance, longevity and more. Scientists say the research isn't keeping pace with the health claims.

(Image credit: iloliloli/iStockphoto)

NPR NewsFeb 23, 2026, 10:00 AM

The owners want to close this Colorado coal plant. The Trump administration says no

The Craig Station power complex in northwest Colorado has three coal-fired units. Its operators planned to retire one unit at the end of 2025, and built wind and solar farms to replace it. But the Trump administration has ordered the unit to stay open and available for now.

The Trump administration has ordered several coal plants to keep operating past their planned retirement, part of a larger effort to boost the coal industry. Two Colorado utilities are pushing back.

(Image credit: Hart Van Denburg)