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Opinion: The continued courage of Captain Sully

US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger prepares to testify before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Capitol Hill on Dec. 16, 2009.

Retired pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is known for safely landing an airplane on the Hudson River in 2009. This week, he announced that he has Alzheimer's disease.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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8 killed and more than 60 wounded in Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regions

This photo, released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev

Kyiv's forces are continuing their aerial campaign against energy infrastructure and military targets inside Russia, aiming to undermine Moscow's war effort.

(Image credit: Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vo)

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The 2000s called. They want their digital camera back

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Why are people who weren't born 25 years ago snapping up the digital camera of that era? Blame Taylor Swift, trend cycles, childhood nostalgia and smartphone fatigue.

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D'oh! I can't believe I did that! Graceful ways to handle awkward moments

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Yes, there is a way to gracefully address that you've been walking around with spinach in your teeth. Here are tactics to quickly defuse your most embarrassing, cringe-inducing moments.

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U.S. and Iran escalate strikes across Mideast

Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026.

The United States and Iran exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets on Saturday as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.

(Image credit: Razieh Poudat/AP Photo)

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ICE shared Medicaid data it wasn't supposed to have with Palantir

ICE agents stand guard outside a immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey in May 2026. Medicaid officials improperly shared data about millions of people with ICE, who then shared that data with the data analytics firm Palantir, according to new court filings.

The revelations came out in a federal court case brought by Democratic states challenging ICE's access to Medicaid data to aid in deportation efforts.

(Image credit: Adam Gray)

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Ex-wife says ICE agent who killed man in Maine had racist beliefs, violent tendencies

A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. The ICE officer who allegedly fatally shot a Colombian man in Maine on Monday was prone to violence and held racist beliefs, according to some of the people who were close to him.

Ashley Brouillette has identified her ex-husband, David Brouillette, as the officer who fatally shot Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday. She said she learned he was the officer responsible when he called her on Wednesday.

(Image credit: Yuki Iwamura)

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Spain could make World Cup history: The first to win men's and women's trophies back-to-back

Pedro Porro #12 of Spain celebrates after the 2-0 victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final match between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.

The Spanish Men's National Team will face Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final. The country's women's team lifted its first World Cup trophy in 2023.

(Image credit: Florencia Tan Jun)

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Move over, Super Bowl? There's an even bigger – and splashier – World Cup halftime show coming

(L-R) Brazilian former soccer player Kaka, Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans, Colombian singer Shakira and FIFA President Gianni Infantino stand on stage during a 2026 World Cup halftime show announcement in New York City on May 14, 2026.

The show, which will begin somewhere around 3:45 PM ET, will air in the U.S. on Fox, Fox One and in Spanish on Telemundo, as well as on the Fox Sports app and streaming in Spanish on Peacock. It's expected to run for about 11 minutes.

(Image credit: Charly Triballeau)

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China signals possible return of U.S. trade privileges for Hong Kong

FILE - The U.S. and Chinese flag at the Great Hall of the People prior to the state dinner of President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14, 2026, in Beijing.

The decision comes two months after President Donald Trump met with Xi Jinping, potentially warming ties ahead of Xi's expected U.S. visit.

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

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The new $1 Trump coin doesn't just buck norms. Experts say it also breaks laws

The U.S. Mint is producing a new $1 coin featuring President Trump

President Trump's face will appear on a new commemorative coin honoring the nation's 250th birthday. It's one of the many unusual places his likeness has popped up this year.

(Image credit: AP)

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Iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell linked to cyclospora outbreak in 5 states

Taco Bell announced it is removing all iceberg lettuce from its supply chain and replacing it after federal health officials linked an outbreak of cyclosporiasis to a single supplier.

Federal health officials have identified a single supplier of the produce from Mexico that was served in Taco Bell restaurants in five states.

(Image credit: Mario Tama)

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The U.S.-Iran battle over the Strait of Hormuz raises risks for global waterways

A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman, on July 14.

Recognizing Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz could set a dangerous precedent, with other countries attempting to claim important waterways, analysts say.

(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

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Wildfire smoke is like smoking 'half a pack a day.' Here's how to protect yourself

People wear masks in Chicago on Thursday to protect themselves from smoke from Canadian wildfires. City officials are encouraging people to remain inside as data shows Chicago having some of the worst air quality of any large city in the world.

As Canadian wildfires spread smoke across the U.S. the air pollution is dangerous to health. But there are ways to protect yourself. Here's what to know**.**

(Image credit: Scott Olson)

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Is smoke in your home? Here's how to make an air purifier using a box fan

Smoke from massive wildfires in Canada and Minnesota engulf the Washington, D.C. skyline on Friday morning, reducing visibility and casting a haze over the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.

Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota is sending air quality indexes to record levels, posing a hazard for millions of people. Here are tips for how to breathe easier in your home.

(Image credit: Finn Gomez)

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Pakistani forces kill 24 militants in border raids near Afghanistan

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region.

The military said Friday it used intelligence sources to target militants over the previous 24 hours. The operations were in response to attacks by militants earlier in the week.

(Image credit: AP)

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Takeaways from Trump's primetime speech. And, at least 2 dead in major Texas flooding

President Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

President Trump gave a primetime speech raising claims of voting vulnerabilities but offered no new evidence. And, at least 2 people have died in major flooding in Texas.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

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Photos: When the World Cup came to town

Nehemiah, 6, screams for Mexico during halftime at Auditorium Shores during Austin FC

NPR member station photographers captured images of World Cup watch parties outside stadium gates, on street corners and in public parks and squares as the World Cup became, for a brief period, a part of local life.

(Image credit: Patricia Lim)

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U.S. strikes bridges in Iran, Tehran targets U.S. bases in the Gulf

A tugboat guides a ship at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026. Tehran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz on July 12 and launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours, in retaliation for new US strikes following an attack by Iranian forces on a merchant vessel that was abandoned in flames by its crew.

The U.S. and Iran expanded their targets in the latest round of strikes on Friday, as fighting over the control of the Strait of Hormuz reignites fears of an all-out war.

(Image credit: AFP)

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'Superworms' help scientists with a vexing task: Cleaning animal specimens

Superworms, the larvae of <!-- raw HTML omitted -->Zophobas morio<!-- raw HTML omitted -->, are often used as animal feed. But researchers have discovered they also like to feed on animal corpses and can be used to clean specimens.

The larvae of a beetle native to South and Central America, the critters are the perfect solution to sticky problem: How to prepare an animal skeleton for scientific use.

(Image credit: MirekKijewski/iStockphoto)

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Trump's team says 'no children' died from USAID cuts. Consider these 3 cases

These three children died in the wake of the cutoff of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Their parents say that the loss of medical services supported by these funds played a role. From left: Abdullahi Ibrahim of Nigeria, age 10, suffered a fatal asthma attack. Purity Wamboi of Kenya, 16, contracted tuberculosis. Ibrahim Garba of Nigeria, 8, succumbed to typhoid.

Both Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, who led the effort to sunset the foreign aid agency, have said that no deaths have been linked to the cutting of its funding. These parents tell a different story.

(Image credit: From left: David Augustine, Lameck Nyagudi and Kazeem Olawale Nasiru for NPR)

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What will the Pentagon begin screening 'war fighters' for? The quiz knows

From left: Erica Schwartz, Sam Neill, Pete Hegseth.

Plus: Jurassic Park, U.K. politics, conspiracy theories, Pete Hegseth and numismatics.

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Kalshi says it's not a sportsbook even as World Cup bets surge

FILE - An ad for the prediction market app Kalshi is displayed on a mobile phone on April 16, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)

The betting site Kalshi emerged as a dominant sports betting platform during the World Cup. But the company avoids billions of dollars in taxes by insisting it is not a sports gambling operator.

(Image credit: Erin Hooley/AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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Republican campaigns see immigration as a winning issue for midterms

Children play on the Mexico-U.S. border wall in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico, on May 10. Border security has been a big theme for Republican ads during the 2026 midterm campaign.

Republicans are spending more money and running more ads on immigration than Democrats are ahead of the November midterm elections, according to an NPR analysis of advertisement data.

(Image credit: Joseph Prezioso)

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Federal Reserve looks for 'secret sauce' behind a successful Wisconsin tool maker

Snap-on sells custom tools to mechanics with a fleet of 3,400 rolling showrooms like this one. Its sales force visits nearly a million mechanics every week.

Business is booming for Snap-on, a Wisconsin company that has made tools for professional mechanics for more than a century. It recently got a fact-finding visit from the head of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank.

(Image credit: Scott Horsley)

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For one father and son, Alaskan blanket toss is a family tradition

A father and son discuss an old Alaskan whaling tradition known as the blanket toss.

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At the World Cup, has 'VAR' gone too far? Some fans say it's ruining the tournament

Players react to FIFA referee Said Martinez as a penalty kick is awarded to Belgium after the VAR review during the World Cup round Of 32 match between Belgium and Senegal in Seattle on July 1.

In this World Cup, VAR, or video assistant referee, has become ubiquitous (and despised by many). But there was a time when fans and teams loved it. What went wrong?

(Image credit: Alex Grimm)

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China's Xi calls for step up of global effort in AI, as US curbs squeeze China's tech access

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he arrives at the opening ceremony for the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Friday, July 17, 2026.

American-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing some of the world's most advanced technologies, spurring China's efforts to build its own know-how and intensifying the tech race between the world's two biggest economies.

(Image credit: Ng Han Guan)

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Rubio convenes countries on left-wing political violence

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, listen as President Donald Trump meets with Iraq

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday convened leaders from more than 60 countries to take part in the Trump administration's latest effort to quell what it calls "left wing" political terrorism.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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Japan revises law on royals, keeps blocking women from throne

Japan

A popular princess drives support for having a female Japanese Emperor. But the country's first female prime minister opposes it.

(Image credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi)

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