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Trump withdraws Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, as his nominee to lead ICE

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Gastonia Municipal Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Gastonia, N.C.

The White House says it is withdrawing its nomination of Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead ICE, ensuring that an agency at the forefront of President Trump's domestic agenda will remain without a Senate-confirmed leader for at least a while longer.

(Image credit: Matt Kelley)

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ICE agent appears in Minnesota court to face charges in the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant

ICE agent Christian Castro gets in a vehicle surrounded by journalists after leaving the Cameron County Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas.

Christian Castro, a federal immigration officer, made his first court appearance in Minnesota since he was booked Wednesday into a local jail. Castro faces multiple state and federal charges in connection with a shooting during the immigration surge in Minnesota.

(Image credit: Michael Gonzalez)

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Retired Olympic superstar Jessie Diggins wins her first-ever 100 mile trail race

Gold medal-winning Olympian and Minnesotan Jessie Diggins crosses the finish line during the Superior 100 Mile Trail Race Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at Caribou Highlands Lodge in Lutsen, Minn.

This spring Jessie Diggins retired as one of America's most successful winter Olympic athletes at age 34. She's relaxing by entering 100-mile trail running races and navigating what comes next.

(Image credit: Erica Dischino)

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Can an AI chatbot save lives by answering texts about pregnancy?

An AI-powered chatbot in Kenya answers questions about pregnancy and new babies to cut the country

Many questions come up during pregnancy. Is swelling normal? Are avocados safe to eat? For folks in Kenya who don't have a search engine at their fingertips, a chatbot is offering a lifeline.

(Image credit: Donwilson Odhiambo/SOPA Images/LightRocket)

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A year ago, President Trump pledged to lower Medicaid drug prices. Has that happened?

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla joined President Trump at the White House last year on Sept. 30 to announce a voluntary agrreement to reduce some prescription drug prices. One element aimed to lower prices in the taxpayer-funded Medicaid program, but the program is still being built, and details about which drugs will be discounted remain under wraps.

The Trump administration's efforts to lower drug prices included promised changes to Medicaid. But it's still unclear which drugs will be affected. And each state has to opt in.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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'American Scoundrel' traces Roy Cohn's playbook from McCarthyism to Trump

In Kai Bird's biography of Cohn, he looks at how the lawyer taught Trump how to deny, delay, attack, sue and countersue, never admit defeat, side-step paying bills and avoid a paper trail.

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Greetings from Beijing, where baozi are worth the wait in line

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The popular fluffy steamed buns are filled with pork, vegetables, tofu — and in one trendy Beijing shop, chocolate and red beans.

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U.N.-backed experts cite possible U.S. war crimes in Iran, including a school attack

A man reacts to the camera while driving past a monument depicting the clenched fist of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, and a missile at the Islamic Revolution square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday.

Human rights experts commissioned by the U.N. say they have found "reasonable grounds" to believe the U.S. committed war crimes in Iran, including a strike on a school in the southern city of Minab.

(Image credit: Vahid Salemi)

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The Fed raises interest rates. And, EU proposes Canada become an 'associate member'

Canada

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates for the first time in years. And, the European Union has proposed that Canada become its first-ever "associate member."

(Image credit: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen)

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Pressure on global chokepoints drives Asia's increased use of Arctic Trade Routes

The container ship "Panstar Acro" is anchored to load containers at Busan New Port in Busan on August 22, 2026, as the vessel is scheduled to sail to Europe via the Arctic to test the commercial viability of the shipping route opened by melting ice. South Korea was set on August 22, to send its first trial container through the Arctic, as the Middle East war rattles global shipping, while environmental groups warned the route could accelerate polar ice melt.

Asian nations began pilot voyages over a decade ago to find routes to Europe and the Middle East that were faster and less vulnerable to chokepoints. The ongoing war has added impetus to those efforts.

(Image credit: Jung Yeon-Je)

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Why reshaping memories may hold the key to raising self-esteem

One way to boost self-esteem is to update a troubling memory about yourself, says psychologist Marisa Franco. As your current self, go back in time and give your younger self the reassurance you needed to hear back then. It can give your current self a sense of catharsis.

In a new book, psychologist Marisa Franco explains why it's good to feel good about yourself — and shares a helpful memory technique that we've turned into a printable worksheet.

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D.C. airspace is complicated. Experts say Trump's arch would add one more risk

A passenger plane flies over the location of Trump

The Trump administration wants to build its 250-foot arch near one of the country's busiest runways. The FAA will determine whether that poses a hazard. But independent experts already have concerns.

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Big questions - and key logistical details - loom ahead of China-U.S. summit

President  Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing in May.

Despite the lingering questions, China remains optimistic about the summit.

(Image credit: Evan Vucci)

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Pediatricians raise the alarm on the effect of Trump's immigration crackdown on kids

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The Trump administration has been pursuing a quiet immigration crackdown strategy: limiting access to health care and public services. The American Academy of Pediatrics is sounding the alarm about the impact on children.

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A Sikh truck driver is stabbed amid a rise in anti-South Asian rhetoric

Freight trucks travel northbound on Interstate 5 Highway in September 2025, in Tracy, Calif.

The driver said he was shaken by a violent encounter at a rest stop, which he described as unprovoked.

(Image credit: Godofredo A. Vásquez)

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People's houses are collapsing into the ocean. FEMA gives them no other option

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Waterfront homes are collapsing along the coast. Homeowners generally have plenty of warning before their house buckles. So why aren't most houses removed, or at least emptied, before they fall?

(Image credit: Ryan Kellman)

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Head Start got her out of homelessness. Trump proposal threatens that help for others

TaNisha Thomas found herself and her young son homeless after she lost her job a few years ago. Head Start provided childcare that allowed her the space and time to find a new job and go to college.

A Trump administration proposal would change access to Head Start for children experiencing homelessness and the kind of care they would receive if they do get in.

(Image credit: Center for Transforming Lives)

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Morning news brief

The Fed raises interest rates for the first time in three years, protests over rising gas prices are being held around the world, Canada's prime minister speaks to European Parliament.

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OpenAI flags new concerning AI behavior, to track model misalignment regularly

FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cell phone in front of an image generated by ChatGPT

OpenAI has disclosed six reports on unexpected or concerning behavior in artificial-intelligence models. This includes models acting without authorization or evading oversight.

(Image credit: Michael Dwyer)

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Here's why an Arizona medical examiner is working to track heat-related deaths

Pima County Medical Examiner Greg Hess at his office in Tucson, Ariz. Hess and another Arizona-based medical examiner are rethinking how to catalog and count heat-related deaths, a major step toward understanding the growing impacts of heat.

No one across the U.S. is consistently tracking climate-fueled deaths. One medical examiner has a new protocol on heat-deaths.

(Image credit: Cassidy Araiza for NPR)

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House passes Russia sanctions, sending bill named for Lindsey Graham to Trump's desk

The U.S Capitol is photographed Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

The legislation was named for the late South Carolina Republican. It gives the president authority to impose tariffs on top importers of oil and natural gas from Russia, such as China and India.

(Image credit: Mariam Zuhaib)

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You'd expect homeowners to save their stuff. Federal policy pays them to leave it

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NPR dug into the upside-down world of FEMA flood insurance in coastal areas, and found many homeowners have no financial choice but to let their homes collapse.

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House holds billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress

The House of Representatives has held billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he refused to provide additional information on his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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House holds billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress

Leon Black, left, a billionaire who was close with Jeffrey Epstein, walks out of the Rayburn House Office Building at the Capitol after his interview about Epstein with the House Oversight Committee, in Washington, Friday, June 26, 2026.

Billionaire investor Leon Black refused to appear before the committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for a deposition. Now it's up to the Department of Justice whether to pursue criminal charges.

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

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Trump administration plans ideological warning signs for Smithsonian

The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

The Interior Secretary says the move is necessary to combat what he calls ideological bias.

(Image credit: Allison Robbert)

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The 'burnerverse' exploiting young women in college

Wired reporter EJ Dickson speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about an online community that targets and harasses young women with their own nonconsensual, sexually explicit images.

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EU rolls out red carpet to Canada as first 'associate member'

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney listens to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her annual State of the Union address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Sept. 16, 2026. Von der Leyen proposed opening the door for Canada to become the EU

The EU's top official backs Carney's push for Canada to become the bloc's first "associate member," as Brussels seeks to deepen ties amid pressure from the US

(Image credit: Jean-Christophe-Verhaegen)

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Congress is under pressure to act on AI — here's what that could look like

Open AI CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress earlier this year.

Lawmakers are expressing broader willingness to regulate AI development, but the path forward may not be a quick one.

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)

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DOJ charges Russian agents with plotting attacks, including in US

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche delivers remarks during a press briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House on Sept. 15, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

The indictment says the defendants belong to a network that "is one arm of the Russian Federation's apparatus used to carry out external attacks" worldwide.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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A tumultuous congressional primary season closes with record departures and defeats

The U.S. Capitol is pictured on Monday.

Already, close to 100 lawmakers who started this Congress will not be around for the next one, according to an NPR analysis, driven by record-setting retirements and primary defeats.

(Image credit: Allison Robbert)

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