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Inflation tops 4% for the first time in 3 years on spike in gasoline prices

Energy costs accounted for more than 60% of the monthly rise in the consumer price index in May.

Inflation has surged to its highest level in more than three years since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, triggering a surge in gasoline prices.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

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July 1 brings big student loan changes. Here's what you need to know

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A popular (and generous) repayment plan ends, two new plans begin and many borrowers will see new loan limits.

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U.S. and Iran exchange strikes. And, House passes ICE and Border Patrol funding

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stand guard holding less-lethal weapons as protesters gather outside Delaney Hall, which is being used as an ICE detention center, in Newark, New Jersey on June 6, 2026.

The U.S. and Iran have exchanged strikes after a helicopter was downed Monday near the Strait of Hormuz. And, House Republicans have passed a bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through Trump's term.

(Image credit: Ryan Murphy)

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China re‑centers North Korea ties as nuclear silence reshapes balance

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Chinese President Xi Jinping (center left) shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center right) during a welcome ceremony in Pyongyang on Monday.

Xi's silence on North Korea's nuclear program came as Kim tried to convince the world of the irreversibility of his country's status as a nuclear power.

(Image credit: 朝鮮通信社)

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ICE denies having a protester database. But a letter to Congress sheds more light

Demonstrators attend an anti-ICE rally in Lewiston, Maine on January 24, 2026. Federal officials have acknowledged collecting information on some protesters, even as they deny maintaining a database tracking U.S. citizens.

In a previously unpublicized letter to Congress, the newly-departed head of ICE said the agency collects data on people suspected of potentially unlawful activity, which could include protesters.

(Image credit: Joseph Prezioso)

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The World Cup is starting. Here's what to know and how to watch

Workers work from a crane at Los Angeles Stadium (temporarily renamed from SoFi Stadium) on June 7, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

This summer, 48 men's national teams will compete in the World Cup's biggest tournament ever. Here are a few of the basics to get you started.

(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

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Bill Gates to appear before Congress over Epstein involvement

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates talks during a Gates Foundation event in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 22. Gates

Gates will sit for a closed-door interview before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

(Image credit: Stefan Jerrevang)

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San Francisco immigration court shuts down, striking at heart of historic advocacy

Elin, who immigrated seeking asylum from Nicaragua, is currently awaiting his final asylum hearing in San Francisco, and now will likely need to navigate the challenge of transport to the court in Concord, Calif., which is hours away from his home in San Francisco.

The main San Francisco court was one of the busiest in the country, hearing thousands of cases a year. It was also one of the courts most likely to grant an immigrants' asylum application.

(Image credit: Brian L. Frank for NPR)

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Morning news brief

U.S. and Iran exchange strikes after Apache helicopter is downed, takeaways from Tuesday's primaries in four states, House Republicans approve a bill to fund ICE for the remainder of Trump's term.

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Israeli leader who pulled out of Lebanon warns against getting stuck again

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak talks with an Israeli soldier who just pulled out of Lebanon on May 24, 2000. Barak met soldiers in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, just across the border from Lebanon. The withdrawal ended an 18-year occupation that was a source of major debate in Israel. Today, Israeli troops are again in southern Lebanon fighting Hezbollah.

Ehud Barak withdrew Israeli forces from Lebanon in 2000, ending an occupation that lasted nearly two decades. He says that was a quagmire Israel shouldn't repeat.

(Image credit: Israeli Government Press Office via Getty Images)

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U.K. leaders call for calm as protests break out after Belfast street stabbing

People watch as firemen arrive to put out vehicle that was set alight during a protest in East Belfast following a stabbing incident in Belfast, Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

U.K. leaders called for calm Tuesday after the arrest of a Sudanese man accused of trying to kill a man in a vicious stabbing on a Belfast street sparked fiery anti-immigration protests.

(Image credit: Peter Morrison)

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In Nevada, Trump's policies are making things tough for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo

Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, left, will face Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, right, in Nevada

In one of the most competitive races for governor this year, Nevada Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford will challenge Republican Gov. Joe Lomardo for his office in November.

(Image credit: Charles Krupa/AP, Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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After years of declines, young students show gains in reading and math

Average reading and math scores for 9-year-old students rose from 2022 to 2025, according to the newest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Unscathed by pandemic-era school closures, the nation's 9-year-olds showed progress in math and reading. It's a different story for 13-year-olds, however.

(Image credit: Olivier Touron)

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Evette, backed by Trump, and Wilson, a Trump supporter, head to S.C. governor runoff

President Trump, then former President Donald Trump, gestures to supporters at an election night watch party at the State Fairgrounds on February 24, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. Also pictured is Republican South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who is running for governor in 2026.

In South Carolina, both Republican candidates for governor are MAGA devotees, but Trump only endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, not Attorney General Alan Wilson. The two are headed to a GOP runoff.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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House approves labor-friendly bill with support from 20 Republicans

The U.S. Capitol Building at dusk on May 12, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

The House has approved a bill to slash the time it takes for newly unionized workers to get a first contract. The measure allows for government intervention if a deal is not reached within 90 days.

(Image credit: Graeme Sloan)

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Three judges, three scandals and new scrutiny of judicial accountability

The Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta in 2023.  A Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment Tuesday against an Atlanta judge.

Three judges are facing misconduct allegations in three different states, putting pressure on the federal judiciary's system for policing bad behavior in its own ranks.

(Image credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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House passes bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of Trump's term

The U.S. Capitol is seen on June 2, 2026.

The bill provides roughly $70 billion for immigration enforcement and highlights a GOP caucus continuing to endorse Trump's immigration agenda as Democrats warn Congress has ceded its oversight role.

(Image credit: Mariam Zuhaib)

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A warm World Cup welcome? U.S. immigration policies have chilling effect

Media members tour the locker rooms at Kansas City Stadium ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 8 in Kansas City, Mo.

As the World Cup begins later this week, match officials and team members have faced enhanced immigration scrutiny when trying to enter the United States. A FIFA referee from Somalia was turned away.

(Image credit: Jay Biggerstaff)

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Why there's a debate over the new quarantine center for Americans at risk of Ebola

Protesters carry a mock coffin as they march during a demonstration against a U.S.-built Ebola quarantine center in Kenya for Americans at high risk of exposure to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, epicenter of the outbreak.

Opinions are divided about the new facility in Kenya. The U.S. defends it. Kenyans are protesting it. Doctors who were on the ground in the 2014 Ebola outbreak voice criticism as well.

(Image credit: Luis Tato/AFP)

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NASA names 4 astronauts on the 'highly complex' Artemis III lunar training mission

NASA introduced the four astronauts scheduled to fly on next year

The crew of four — NASA astronaut and commander Randy Bresnik, European Space Agency pilot Luca Parmitano, NASA mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas — are scheduled to launch next year.

(Image credit: Ronaldo Schemidt)

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To find the World Cup's Cinderellas, we have to start with the group stage

A general view of exterior FIFA World Cup 2026 signage at Kansas City Stadium on June 08, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao are making their World Cup debut. Meanwhile, Scotland, South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand (just to name a few) have never made it past the group stage.

(Image credit: Jay Biggerstaff)

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Trump confirms Iran shot down helicopter, says U.S. 'must' respond

President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One prior to departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York.

Trump also confirmed the two pilots were unharmed and safe.

(Image credit: SAUL LOEB)

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Why ultra-processed foods could become the new war on tobacco

Ultra-processed foods often have added sugar and artificial flavorings, similar to how cigarettes were developed.

Research published in the American Journal of Public Health details the connection between ultra-processed foods and the tobacco industry when it comes to production, strategy and marketing.

(Image credit: Shana Novak)

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Social Security funds could run short by 2032, program's Trustees warn

Social Security is expected to run short of cash in less than seven years. Lawmakers need to adjust benefits or taxes before that to avoid an automatic cut in monthly benefits.

A trust fund that helps to finance Social Security benefits is expected to run out of money in less than seven years — unless Congress acts to patch the system before that.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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Are we ready to host the FIFA World Cup, and who can afford to go?

The biggest World Cup ever starts this week. Laura Williamson, editor in chief of The Athletic, describes how sky-high prices, travel restrictions, politics and the Ebola outbreak are impacting fans.

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4 states head to the polls. And, global conflicts are on the rise, new report says

People vote at a polling location at the Metro Headquarters Building during California

Voters in four states head to the polls today for their primaries. Here are the races to watch. And, global conflicts are at their highest level since World War II, data shows.

(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown)

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The Supreme Court is in its final stretch this term. Here are the major cases left

The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in April.

The Supreme Court is heading into its crunch time, the part of the year when the justices are racing to finish decisions and dissents in the cases that remain undecided. Here's what's left.

(Image credit: Tyrone Turner)

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GLP-1s appear to protect against cancer. Researchers are trying to figure out how

GLP-1 medications are sold under several different brand names and treat diabetes, obesity and sleep apnea. The drugs

Recent studies suggest GLP-1s, the weight loss and diabetes drugs, may both prevent cancer and slow its progression. While weight loss is known to curb cancer risks, GLP-1s may act on other brain and metabolic pathways to prevent cancer.

(Image credit: Michael Siluk)

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More Americans survive cancer. But the psychological impacts can persist for years

Morgan Newman, a survivor of cervical cancer, at the Des Moines Public Library last December.

Due to advancements in treatment and screening, more Americans are surviving cancer. But many are left with lingering mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.

(Image credit: Natalie Krebs)

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Maine's Senate race and much more. Here are the primary contests to watch today

Voting stickers are displayed on a table at a polling place inside City Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Republican incumbents are facing tough challenges in Maine and Nevada. In South Carolina, a crowded field of MAGA-devoted Republicans are facing off to be the next governor.

(Image credit: John Locher)

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