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Americans are confused and worried about elections. Will that impact turnout?

Voters arrive before casting their ballots at a polling location in Arlington, Va., on April 21. "This is my 22nd year [running elections]," one Colorado election official told NPR. "Absolutely, this is the most uncertain."

New polling shows many voters are concerned about the midterms. But prior elections show no clear link between voter concerns and fewer voters actually casting ballots.

(Image credit: Win McNamee)

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The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is low. Here's why you should care

In an aerial view, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage at the Bryan Mound site is seen on October 19, 2022 in Freeport, Texas.

The U.S. has tapped into its strategic oil reserve to help drive down rising gasoline prices in the wake of the war with Iran. Can oil from Venezuela help fill it back up?

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

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Years after storms, clean-up crews meticulously separate the sentimental from the wreckage

Hayden Cheek cleans debris out of the North Toe River in Western North Carolina nearly two years after Hurricane Helene hit the area.

Across the country, lost-and-found networks seek to reunite objects with disaster survivors. The work can take years. In some cases, it's impossible to pick up all the pieces.

(Image credit: Juan Diego Reyes for NPR)

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Is Switzerland's neutrality at a crossroads?

A campaign poster urges Swiss voters to reject a neutrality initiative ahead of a Sept. 27 nationwide vote on whether to enshrine permanent armed neutrality in the constitution and limit participation in military alliances and sanctions.

Switzerland is voting on whether to tighten its famous neutrality — a move that could reshape its response to Russia and future conflicts.

(Image credit: Fabrice Coffrini)

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As election enters its final stretch, some Republicans are distancing from Trump

Seen on a screen below an exit sign, President Trump speaks on the first day of the 2026 Republican convention on Sept. 9 in Dallas.

With less than six weeks until Election Day, a growing number of Republicans are breaking from Trump on key issues. It comes as the party is scrambling to hold onto a slim majority in Congress.

(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)

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American farmers are hurting -- and worried about their futures

Rick Telesz farms 700 acres in western Pennsylvania. He says he

Farmers who grow soybeans, corn, cotton and other crops are facing another year of losses as soaring fuel and fertilizer costs offset higher revenues.

(Image credit: Mike Clark's Studio)

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Trump's state dinner for Xi features sea bass and a long list of tech titans

President Donald Trump shakes hands with China

A tech-heavy guest list, the fashion choices of those on it, who sat where and what was on the menu marked the softer — often and glitzier — details of diplomacy as Donald Trump threw a Thursday night state dinner honoring China's leader Xi Jinping.

(Image credit: Alex Brandon)

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Man shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died

FILE - A campaign rally site for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is empty and littered with debris on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa.

James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 76.

(Image credit: Evan Vucci)

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Long agenda, short meeting: Trump and Xi meet

All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly talks with White House correspondent Emily Feng about the Trump/Xi summit.

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In one of their last votes before November, Senate GOP blocks effort to end Iran war

The U.S. Capitol is seen from Pennsylvania Avenue, on Aug. 30, 2026.

The vote on a war powers resolution introduced by Democrats came at a moment when some Republicans have begun to distance themselves from President Trump over the ongoing conflict.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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RFK Jr.'s ethics filing reveals book deals worth millions of dollars

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens as President Trump speaks in the Oval Office about an administration healthcare initiative last Friday.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s annual financial disclosure reveals he has received two lucrative book advances and free flights from a friend while in office.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

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Mortgage rates have just surpassed 7% for the first time in well over a year

A for sale sign sits in front of a home in Miami.

Rates have climbed more than a full percentage point since the U.S. war against Iran started.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

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The economic squeeze is pushing up poverty rates for older adults

A resident receives donated food items at Curley

Despite lower poverty overall, the rate for seniors has been steadily rising in recent years. A new AARP survey sheds light on how those over 50 are struggling in the crucial time before retirement.

(Image credit: Eva Marie Uzcategui)

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Trump and Xi strike cordial tone at summit amid underlying tensions

President Trump (L) and China

On Thursday, the two leaders will hold meetings where Trump and Xi are expected to talk about artificial intelligence, rare earths, trade and geopolitics such as Iran and Taiwan.

(Image credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

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Trump rolls out red carpet for Xi as high-stakes summit begins

(L-R) First lady of China Peng Liyuan, Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump walk on the red carpet during an arrival ceremony on September 23, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

On Thursday, the two leaders will hold meetings where Trump and Xi are expected to talk about artificial intelligence, rare earths, trade and geopolitics such as Iran and Taiwan.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

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Judge restores journalists' White House access. And, Tucker Carlson on his MAGA split

Broadcast news workspaces are seen outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23, 2026.

A judge has ordered that the Trump administration restore journalists' access to White House. And, Tucker Carlson sits down with Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep for a Newsmakers interview.

(Image credit: Alex Wroblewski)

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Needy couples got cash and a spending plan. Results were good -- and bad

Cash transfers, aimed at lifting families out of poverty, are delivered by mobile pone.

In Liberia, joint financial planning boosted cash aid's benefits. It also had an unexpected consequence for some families.

(Image credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP)

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The Education Dept. hasn't been dismantled. It's become more inefficient, staff say

"Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission," Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said.

Education staff are being scattered across several other federal agencies. Despite the Trump administration's claims, employees say it's adding bureaucracy and making it harder to serve students.

(Image credit: Mark Felix)

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Under Trump, NIH funding disruptions have evolved. Here's what the numbers show

Experts say that though the National Institutes of Health

Stories of science funding being cut, labs shutting down and scientists losing jobs have flooded the media under Trump's administration. These six graphics show how those changes have affected U.S. biomedical research.

(Image credit: Eva Revolver for NPR)

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States threaten action against company earning millions off disabled vets

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The investigations by attorneys general follow a recent bankruptcy filing in the face of civil lawsuits, falling revenues, and impending debt payments.

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eBay bans airbag sales as concerns about faulty or counterfeit parts rise

A car and its airbag are pictured after a frontal crash test with another car, without a safety belt buckled in the back seat, as part of France

eBay became the latest online retailer to ban the sale of airbags and many of their components. Aftermarket parts can be risky if they turn out to be fake or defective.

(Image credit: BERTRAND GUAY)

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Warren demands Trump officials explain removing a ban on interference in census data

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, speaks during an April hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked Trump officials to explain why the Census Bureau's parent agency cut a ban on political interference from its scientific integrity policy, as NPR first reported.

(Image credit: Cliff Owen)

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Could the White House try its press ban again? A press freedom expert explains

The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21.

A federal judge's ruling restored CNN, MS Now and Politico's access to the White House. Gabe Rottman says better procedure alone may not resolve the broader First Amendment fight.

(Image credit: Alex Wroblewski)

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For their podcast, 2 elementary school students ask adults why they chose their jobs

Kids are used to being asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Two students in Columbus, Ohio, flipped the script to ask grown-ups why they chose their careers.

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Judge orders Trump administration to restore journalists' access to White House

Broadcast news workspaces are seen outside the White House in Washington, DC, on September 23, 2026.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to temporarily restore access to the three media organizations banned from covering White House events last week by President Trump.

(Image credit: Alex Wroblewski)

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Venezuela's acting leader promises elections at the 'right moment'

Delcy Rodríguez, acting president of Venezuela, addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.

Venezuela's acting president, delivering her first address to the U.N. General Assembly since coming to power, promised elections and said the nation's people will determine the "right moment."

(Image credit: Frank Franklin II)

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OpenAI's breach of Australian health department website prompts rebuke

FILE - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addresses the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on, April 30, 2025.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was extremely concerned about OpenAI 's breach of an Australian health department website that the artificial intelligence company took too long to reveal.

(Image credit: Lukas Coch)

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Fears of return to war grow in Ethiopia's Tigray region

Members of the Tigray People

Fears are growing of a return to war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, just four years after a devastating conflict ended in a fragile peace deal.

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Hurricane Polo fuels fears of landslides in Mexico as Nolo closes in on Hawaii

This photo provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Polo strengthening in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026.

Southwestern Mexico braced for heavy rain and mudslides after Polo became a major hurricane. Forecasters warned another system headed for Hawaii could cause catastrophic flooding later in the week.

(Image credit: NOAA via AP)

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Judge considers restoring journalists' access to White House after Trump's ban

Members of the press are seen outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21.

Lawyers representing the White House and the three media outlets banned from the property sparred over the constitutional rights of journalists at a hearing in federal court Wednesday.

(Image credit: Alex Wroblewski)

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