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Advice for 2026 commencement speakers: Don't bring up AI

Real estate executive Gloria Caulfield (left) was the graduation speaker at University of Central Florida and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta spoke at Middle Tennessee State University

Commencement speakers who bring up the sweeping changes that artificial intelligence is driving are facing boos from the Class of 2026.

(Image credit: University of Central Florida and Middle Tennessee State University via Storyful)

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Elon Musk's SpaceX files paperwork for what's likely to be the biggest IPO in history

A SpaceX rocket is getting prepared for another attempt to liftoff at NASA

The company is on track to pull off the largest IPO in history — making CEO Elon Musk even wealthier.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

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Supreme Court voting rights ruling could play a big role at the local level

The Supreme Court's recent ruling threatens the power of racial-minority voters in Voting Rights Act cases about not just Congress, but also at least 17 state and local governments, NPR finds.

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How to help children cope after shootings like the San Diego mosque killings

People hold hands near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday.

Children closest to an incident of gun violence have the most risk of lasting psychological effects. Here's what all parents should know about how to buffer trauma.

(Image credit: Gregory Bull)

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The U.S. threatens to revoke the Palestinian U.N. ambassador's visa

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour pats his heart during the Kuwait crown prince

A leaked State Department memo shows the U.S. threatened to revoke Palestinian visas if they pushed for a senior United Nations post.

(Image credit: Angelina Katsanis)

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Meta slashes 8,000 jobs as it pivots towards AI

A Meta logo is shown on a video screen at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in Menlo Park, Calif., April 29, 2025.

Facebook and Instagram's parent company has been investing huge sums of money in AI, but it lags behind competitors.

(Image credit: Jeff Chiu)

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After the Kars4Kids ad is banned in California, we check in on nostalgic jingles past

Kars4Kids advertisements, like this TV commercial on a hot-pink set, feature children turning the charity

A California judge has given Kars4Kids 30 days to either take its ads off the air or update them to disclose its affiliations to a Jewish charity based in the Northeast.

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U.S. grand jury indicts Raul Castro, ex-Cuban president

Former Cuban President Raul Castro speaks during the National Assembly in 2018 in Havana, Cuba, after the country was led by the first non-Castro Cuban president since 1976.

The 94-year-old former leader of Cuba faces several charges, including four counts of murder for an attack on a humanitarian group more than 30 years ago.

(Image credit: Alexandre Meneghini)

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Bipartisan home affordability bill passes the House

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Rep. Maxine Waters, D-CA., and Chair French Hill, R-AR., listen to a hearing on Capitol Hill on June 24, 2025.

The bill is meant to encourage home construction, and would ban corporate investors from buying up more homes to rent out.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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The Justice Department gives Trump an unprecedented settlement

D.O.J. gave Trump and his family immunity from tax audits and set up a $1.8 billion fund for victims of "government weaponization." Former government lawyer Andrew Weissmann explains the settlement.

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The San Diego mosque shooting victims remembered as 'heroes' for protecting children

From left to right, Mansour Kaziha, Amin Abdullah and Nadir Awad.

Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha distracted and delayed two gunmen at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Their actions saved the many children and staff inside the mosque and cost them their lives.

(Image credit: The Islamic Center of San Diego)

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Greetings from Bali, where a kecak dance shows the triumph of good over evil

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The kecak dance involves a retelling of one of the stories in the Ramayana, the Hindu epic poem. At the story's climax, there is an eruption of fire as tufts of dried coconut husks are set aflame.

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How contagious is Ebola? And how worried should you be about the current outbreak?

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This outbreak is being called "the perfect storm." How did it start, what are the characteristics of the strain that's causing it and how much of a threat is it to global health?

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Barney Frank, former congressman and gay-rights pioneer, dies at 86

US Rep. Barney Frank,D-MA, chairman of the US House Financial Services Committee conducts hearings on "Financial Market Regulatory Restructuring." July 10, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

The former congressman was politically engaged until the end. As GBH reports, Even in hospice, Frank was actively working to spread the message of his forthcoming book, "The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy."

(Image credit: KAREN BLEIER)

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How one Oregon city has raised a billion dollars for climate change

The PDX Community Solar project is funded by a more than $4 million grant from the Portland Clean Energy Fund. It provides power to qualified low-income residents in Portland, Oregon

The Portland Clean Energy Fund has raised a billion dollars for climate change action via a retail tax on large corporations in the city. Other cities are starting to shape similar funds.

(Image credit: Monica Samayoa)

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Takeaways from Tuesday's primaries. And, victims of mosque shooting revealed

Empty voting booths are seen shortly after a polling place opens at Meyzeek Middle School on May 19, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Trump-backed Ed Gallrein ousted Congressman Thomas Massie in Kentucky's Republican House primary. And, police have identified the victims in California's mosque shooting.

(Image credit: Jon Cherry)

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Former Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero is under investigation

Spain

A Spanish court is investigating former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling and other possible crimes tied to a government airline bailout.

(Image credit: Juan Karita)

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Bees have coexisted with us for over a millennia. Their name remains a mystery

Bees in a hive in San Diego, Calif. Beekeeping has been a practice for thousands of years.

Its name is short — like its size —but bees are one of Earth's most important and busy creatures.

(Image credit: Alan Nakkash for NPR)

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4 takeaways from Tuesday's primary night in half a dozen states

An attendee wears party colors at a primary election night party for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson on May 19 in Atlanta.

While Trump continues to rack up victories on his vengeance tour, general-election opponents are waiting in swing districts and swing states. Can frontline GOP candidates navigate these choppy waters?

(Image credit: Brynn Anderson)

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Denver has a plan to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels. It involves … sewage?

Denver plans to heat and cool a cluster of downtown buildings with a system using water, geothermal energy and even heat from ... sewage.

Like many cities, Denver's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is its buildings. Heating and cooling skyscrapers requires a lot of fossil fuels. Now, the city is trying a surprising solution.

(Image credit: Aaron Ontiveroz)

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4 takeaways from Tuesday's primary night in half a dozen states

An attendee wears party colors at a primary election night party for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson on Tuesday in Atlanta.

While Trump continues to rack up victories on his vengeance tour, general election opponents are waiting in swing districts and swing states. Can front-line GOP candidates navigate these choppy waters?

(Image credit: Brynn Anderson)

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Gun rights groups see 'golden age' under Trump administration

A detailed view of a hat that reads, God Guns and Trump is seen at a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, a Republican from Louisiana, at Bourne

New gun rules and lawsuits against states signal how this Trump administration is using its powers to align itself with the wishes of the gun rights movement.

(Image credit: Tyler Kaufman)

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Overworked and understaffed: Special ed teachers turn to AI for help

Mary Acebu, a special education teacher at Riverview Middle School in Bay Point, Calif., works with a student during a math lesson. She says using AI to help with the paperwork part of her job allows her to spend more time interacting with her students in a meaningful way.

A fast-growingnumber of special educators nationwide are using AI to create customized education plans. Despite the risks, some research shows it could improve the quality of teachers' work.

(Image credit: Talia Herman for NPR)

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Morning news brief

A look at primary results from around the country, Trump and Vance share conflicting messages on state of Iran war, shooting at San Diego mosque being investigated as possible "hate crime."

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Montana could soon ease restrictions on mining precious metals

Restrictions on mining for precious metals like gold in Montana that were put in place 30 years ago could soon be relaxed as the mining industry makes a comeback in the U.S.

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This year's list of endangered historic places focuses on equality and erasure

Stonewall National Monument in New York City is the first and only national monument to LGBTQ+ history in the U.S. It is on the National Trust

Eleven historically significant sites across the country will receive $25,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to commemorate the country's 250th anniversary.

(Image credit: Whitney Browne, National Parks Conservation Association)

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Shirtless fans cheer at MLB stadiums as "Tarps Off" trend sweeps baseball world

Tampa Bay Rays fans cheer on the team during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Monday, May 18, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

At ballparks all across the country, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the trend: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head.

(Image credit: Chris O'Meara)

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Bolivia's capital under siege as protests deepen crisis for President Paz

Demonstrators run across a street during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026.

Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz faces a deepening crisis as widespread protests and blockades leave the political capital under siege less than six months after he took office.

(Image credit: Freddy Barragan)

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WHO chief concerned over 'scale and speed' of Ebola outbreak

People in protective masks wait in the corridor of a hospital in Bunia, Congo, Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

The World Health Organization top official has expressed concern over the rapid spread of a rare type of Ebola in Congo. Authorities have reported at least 134 suspected deaths and over 500 cases.

(Image credit: Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)

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Xi and Putin meet to reaffirm China-Russia ties days after Trump's visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday in a meeting meant to reaffirm ties and that takes place only days after a visit by President Donald Trump.

(Image credit: Maxim Shemetov)

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