Will Trump's latest beef plan make your hamburger cheaper? Not much, experts say

An order of ground beef is prepared for a customer at Deep Cuts butcher shop in Dallas on Oct. 21, 2025.

The proposal comes weeks before the midterm elections, when food prices and the cost of living are expected to be major issues on voters' minds.

(Image credit: Tony Gutierrez)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 1:46 PM

Dolly Parton didn't just write hits — she created an American songbook

Dolly Parton in 1979.

Parton, who died at 80 on Tuesday, had charm, depth, beauty, wit and radiant goodness. She was also a songwriter whose work told the story not just of country music but of the country itself.

(Image credit: Richard E. Aaron)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 1:33 PM

California says states, Meta agree to $17 billion settlement in child safety trial

California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters at a press conference after opening arguments took place in the Meta trial over a lawsuit brought by US states about social media addiction at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Oakland, California, on August 18, 2026.

The social media giant also agreed to make sweeping changes to Instagram and Facebook.

(Image credit: GODOFREDO A. VASQUEZ)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 12:27 PM

At least 75 killed and hundreds missing after flash floods in Nepal and China

Rescuers use an earthmover to carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal

The disaster is linked to climate change, with experts noting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather.

(Image credit: Niranjan Shrestha)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 12:27 PM

8 dead, hundreds missing as Nepal avalanche triggers flash floods

Damaged houses stand precariously near the swollen, debris-choked banks of the Trishuli River after flash floods in Nepal

The disaster is linked to climate change, with experts noting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather.

(Image credit: Niranjan Shrestha)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 11:05 AM

Canada to hit U.S. with retaliatory tariffs. And, remembering music legend Dolly Parton

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (R) and Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne (L) depart at the end of a press conference at the West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on April 14, 2026.

Canada has announced it plans to hit the U.S. with countertariffs that mirror its actions "dollar for dollar." And, remembering the legacy of country star and icon Dolly Parton, who died at 80.

(Image credit: Andrej Ivanov)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 9:02 AM

COMIC: 7 lifestyle habits that may boost your chances of getting pregnant

undefined

This illustrated guide has evidence-backed advice on how to support fertility for both men and women, including which foods to eat and which activities to avoid.

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 9:01 AM

Soaring summer power bills spark protests -- and even disconnections

Raelynn McMurchy, left, with her husband Tucker and daughter Ella, launched an online petition over high power bills. Her last bill topped $1,370, including a $598 deposit following previous late payments.

The price of electricity is soaring in the summer heat, when fans and air conditioners are working nonstop. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, people are having their power cut when they can't pay their bills.

(Image credit: Raelynn McMurchy)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 9:00 AM

Hollywood's summer box office is glowing, but the numbers come with startling caveats

Clockwise from top left: Toy Story 5, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey and Backrooms.

Theaters have had something for everyone this summer, and fans are paying top dollar for premium formats like IMAX. There are also fewer moviegoers, fewer movies, and fewer screens than there were pre-COVID.

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 7:34 AM

Hospital nursery fire kills 14 newborns in Pakistan's capital, officials order immediate inquiry

Relatives of the children who died in a hospital fire, gather at the hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.

A fire erupted early Wednesday in a nursery for newborns at a major government hospital in Pakistan's capital, killing 14 babies, according to hospital officials and the government.

(Image credit: M. Yousaf)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 7:30 AM

Test your global economic knowledge with this quick Planet Money quiz!

undefined

Every country tells a different economic story. It's time to test your knowledge of the big ideas we've collected on our World Tour. Eight questions stand between you and your Summer School diploma.

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 5:45 AM

Target faces renewed backlash for Halloween costume with 'minstrel show features'

FILE - The Target logo displayed on a sign outside a store, Nov. 18, 2025, in Salem, N.H.

Retailer Target pulled a children's Halloween costume from its shelves after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.

(Image credit: Charles Krupa)

NPR NewsAug 26, 2026, 5:45 AM

More than 50 kidnapped as violent gang attack in Haiti leaves 47 dead

Women cry at the site where their relatives were killed in a gang attack in the Kenscoff neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.

It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

(Image credit: Odelyn Joseph)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 10:50 PM

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, testifies in defense of Meta in child safety trial

Adam Mosseri (C), head of Instagram, arrives at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building & United States Courthouse as Meta is on trial over social media addiction in Oakland, California, on August 25, 2026.

The social media giant is being sued by four states who allege it designed Facebook and Instagram to hook kids — and lied to the public about the risks.

(Image credit: KARL MONDON)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 8:47 PM

South Carolina U.S. senate runoff election will test Trump's endorsement

U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) (C) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) during a campaign rally for Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) on August 21, 2026 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. President Trump traveled to South Carolina to join Republican Senate candidate Darline Graham for a campaign rally ahead of Tuesday

The primary runoff in South Carolina between Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman is another test of President Trump's influence. He's backing Darline, sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 6:17 PM

Dolly Parton, one of country music's most singular performers, has died at age 80

In her songs, stage banter and interviews, Parton always presented herself as a humble, yet audacious mountain dreamer made good.

The artist was a star performer in country music, and went on to become one of the genre's most recognizable and universally adored ambassadors to broader popular culture.

(Image credit: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 6:15 PM

DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on voter rolls were inflated

A voter casts a ballot at a vote center set up in a tent in Las Vegas on June 9.

The Trump administration claimed to have found 250,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls in four states. But the agency's communications with states since then indicate that data was preliminary.

(Image credit: Jae C. Hong)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 3:20 PM

Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. as the countries' trade fight deepens

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada, on Monday.

The measures come after President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods and threatened more after trade talks broke down on Friday.

(Image credit: Andrej Ivanov)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 2:59 PM

'Forget about going back': 9 years on, Rohingya crisis enters dangerous phase

View of Rohingya refugee camps in Cox

The world largely moved on from the Rohingya crisis. But the exodus has not stopped, aid is shrinking and a generation of refugees is growing up with little prospect of going home.

(Image credit: Valeria Mongelli)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 2:40 PM

Several states will decide voter ID ballot measures this year

A voter walks past a sign requiring a photo ID at a polling location in Mount Holly, N.C., on March 5, 2024. North Carolina is one state deciding a voter ID ballot measure this year.

Voters in at least six states will soon decide ballot measures related to voter ID — the largest number of voter ID measures in a single year. The tally includes three prominent swing states.

(Image credit: Chris Carlson)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 11:09 AM

Trump calls leaders to isolate Iran. And, SCOTUS backs Trump for now on mail-in voting

President Trump speaks during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

President Trump is calling on world leaders to join his economic war against Iran. And, the Supreme Court is backing the president for now on his order to restrict mail-in voting.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 10:30 AM

How the AIDS crisis helped create a multibillion-dollar death-speculation market

Scott Page, pictured in the 1990s.

Investors will buy your life insurance policy today — and collect the payout when you die.

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:07 AM

Can Trump's economic war against Iran do what airstrikes and negotiations couldn't?

Vehicles drive past a billboard with an illustration showing the Strait of Hormuz and the sewn lips of President Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 2.

What a new round of U.S. sanctions could mean after nearly six months of war with Iran — and years of economic pressure on the country.

(Image credit: Vahid Salemi)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:00 AM

DHS conducted far-reaching surveillance during Minnesota ICE surge, court documents show

Rev. Steve Sylvester, interim Pastor of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville, Minn., recently told his congregation that the Department of Homeland Security had surveilled their church during the federal immigration enforcement surge that happened in the state last winter.

DHS allegedly went undercover at community meetings, subpoenaed the financial records of labor unions, and created dossiers on people at a church gathering, according to court filings.

(Image credit: Jaida Grey Eagle for NPR)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:00 AM

How to understand this heat wave (as told by NPR's senior climate editor)

A woman walks in the shade in downtown Houston, Texas, on July 30, 2026, during a regional heat wave.

As the senior climate editor at NPR, when extreme weather impacts us, I often send out guidance to the newsroom to help everyone understand the role of climate change. Here's what I tell them.

(Image credit: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:00 AM

When is suspending students discrimination? Education Dept. renews an old fight

undefined

President Trump's Education Department is telling schools to stop considering race when it comes to school discipline.

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:00 AM

Kids with brain injuries thrive at this camp. But federal research funding is in flux

Camp Cranium counselor Anvitha Tharra (right) helps participant Angelica Zander learn to use a bow and arrow. The weeklong event in Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania summer camp helps children who have survived brain injuries. But the future of federal funding for brain injury research, as well as grants to states to help such patients, is in limbo.

(Image credit: Sarah Hofius Hall)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:00 AM

At least 25% of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, study finds

While professional football and the degenerative brain disease known as CTE have long been linked, true prevalence has remained an open question. A new study finds that, among former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021, at least a quarter had CTE.

Playing football has long been linked to the brain disease known as CTE, but how prevalent it is is still unknown. A new study of former NFL players who died recently found that at least 25% had CTE.

(Image credit: Patrick Smith)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 9:00 AM

Spokane wildfire evacuees return home, but it's 'still a hazmat situation'

Melissa and Christopher Matthews in front of the remains of their home in Spokane on August 14, 2026. The Spokane Complex fires torched more than 900 structures.

Most evacuees have been allowed to return to their homes near burn zones in Spokane, despite concerns about lingering toxins.

(Image credit: Margaret Albaugh for NPR)

NPR NewsAug 25, 2026, 8:44 AM

Morning news brief

A look at the new round of U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, Iran vows to retaliate, SCOTUS hands President Trump a temporary win on his efforts to restrict voting by mail.