News
Inflation cools slightly in November as worries about affordability grip Americans
The cost of living in November was up 2.7% from a year ago, according to a report Thursday from the Labor Department. That's a smaller annual increase than for the 12 months ending in September.
New York has a new Archbishop. His background looks a lot like Pope Leo’s
Like Pope Leo, Bishop Ronald Hicks is an Illinois native with deep experience in Latin America.
Could international troops be sent to Gaza? Here’s why Trump’s plan hinges on it
President Trump's peace plan for Gaza hinges on international troops in Gaza, but Israel is skeptical and no country has yet agreed to send their soldiers.
RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz to announce moves to ban gender-affirming care for young people
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce a package of measures that would together ban gender-affirming care for minors. A press conference is set for 11 a.m. Thursday.
A new ‘Avatar,’ a marital stand-up story and a gut-wrenching drama are in theaters
A new drama uses the real, gut-wrenching recordings of a call for help from Gaza to tell a harrowing and profound story.
20 years later, Waveland’s letters to Santa tell stories of recovery from Hurricane Katrina
More than a thousand letters were written and answered after the hurricane. They’re now housed in an exhibit at the Ground Zero Hurricane Katrina Museum.
Where we went: NPR’s U.S. travel guide for the curious
NPR's staff traveled a lot in 2025. From a Mardi Gras workshop to a festival celebrating the mythical Mothman, here are some places and events we thought you might want to check out, too.
These federal workers proudly served the American people. Then came Trump’s upheaval
Mass firings, buyouts and heightened uncertainty led to an exodus of federal workers in 2025. More than 300,000 employees will be out of the government by the end of December.
ICE is reopening shuttered prisons as detention centers. Many have a troubled past
In its push for more immigrant detention space, the Trump administration is reopening shuttered prisons in several states. Many of these facilities, closed amid allegations of abuse and mismanagement.
Venezuelans brace for hardship as Trump threatens oil blockade
After years of shortages and economic collapse, Venezuelans face fresh uncertainty as Trump threatens an oil blockade — but many say they're too exhausted to do anything but endure.
Lone FCC Democrat warns of political pressure on media if agency loses independence
The only Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission says chairman Brendan Carr's belief that the FCC isn't independent leaves news media vulnerable to political pressure.
Mourners grieve 10-year-old slain in Bondi mass shooting as Australia’s leader pledges new hate laws
Hundreds of mourners bearing bright bouquets and clutching each other in grief gathered at a funeral in Sydney on Thursday for a 10-year-old girl who was gunned down in an antisemitic massacre during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
US announces massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion
The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, a move that is sure to infuriate China.
Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Peter Arnett has died
Peter Arnett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who spent decades dodging bullets and bombs to bring the world eyewitness accounts of war from Vietnam to Iraq, has died. He was 91.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he will step down in January
Bongino's tenure was at times tumultuous, including a clash with Justice Department leadership over the Epstein files. But it also involved the arrest of a suspect in the Jan. 6 pipe bomber case.
Federal court says troops can stay in D.C., and hints at prolonged deployment
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that National Guard troops can remain in the city for now. That decision comes after a different federal appeals court ruled that troops must leave Los Angeles earlier this week.
Jack Smith defends his prosecutions of Trump in closed-door session in Congress
The former Justice Department special counsel told the House Judiciary Committee that his team developed "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that Trump took part in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election.
A Chinese man who filmed secret footage in Xinjiang risks deportation from the U.S.
Guan Heng sailed to the U.S. by boat from the Bahamas after publishing footage he filmed of purported detention camps in China. He has been held in immigration detention since August.
A photographer discovers miles of dinosaur tracks near Italy’s Winter Olympic venues
A nature photographer stumbled upon thousands of 210-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in Italy's central Alps, near where some Olympic skiing and snowboarding events will be held in February.
Senate passes $901 billion defense bill that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video
The Senate has given final passage to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which raises troop pay by 3.8%. It also pressures Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela.
Why I volunteered to be infected with dengue fever
The U.S. has registered over half a million clinical trials since 2000. Here's a look at the business and ethics of human medical experimentation through the eyes of a volunteer.
Former Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron ends campaign for Alabama lieutenant governor
McCarron, who led the University of Alabama to back-to-back championships and played for the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, announced in October that he was running in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.
More than 10% of Congress won’t return to their seats after 2026
NPR is tracking the record number of congressional lawmakers – now more than one in ten current members – who have announced plans to retire or run for a different office in 2026.
Greetings from Chiloé Island, Chile, where the fast-moving tides are part of local lore
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
GOP House Rep. says it’s ‘unacceptable’ to allow ACA subsidies to expire
Rep. Mike Lawler says House Speaker Mike Johnson is correct in saying the health care system isn't working, but allowing ACA subsidies to expire without a plan to address rising costs is "idiotic."
Trump’s BBC lawsuit: A botched report, BritBox, and porn
President Trump's lawsuit alleges that the BBC's fall 2024 documentary was "a brazen attempt" to harm his re-election. The BBC has apologized but rejects his claim.
Recent attacks have been ‘inspired’ by Islamic State. What does that mean?
A decade ago, the self-proclaimed Islamic State group held vast swaths of territory across Iraq and Syria, but President Trump declared it destroyed in 2019.
How the long-running Obamacare fight came to thwart enhanced subsidies in Congress
Congress is poised to leave for a scheduled holiday recess without a solution for addressing the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans.
Thousands of guns are found at crime scenes. What do they tell us?
A report from the advocacy group Everytown For Gun Safety analyzed data from local police departments on nearly 350,000 guns used in crimes from 2020 to 2024, including where they came from.
Trump’s economic approval hits a new low at 36%, poll finds
A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds 70% of Americans say things have become too unaffordable and have a dim outlook on the economy and President Trump's handling of it.
From bird droppings to holiday kisses: How we ended up under the mistletoe
The etymology of mistletoe — a plant with small, oval evergreen leaves and waxy white berries — may strike some as repugnant.
Beware the Christmas coronary. How to spot signs of holiday heart trouble
There's lots of data to show cardiac troubles spike during the holidays amid the mix of merrymaking, travel and stress. But there are ways to spot the signs of trouble before it's too late.
