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Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during a hearing on July 26, 2023. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Oregon speaks during a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight on August 3, 2022.
Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Politics

Bipartisan Senate group pushes ban on lawmaker stock trading

Senators from both parties unveiled bipartisan compromise bill that would require all members of Congress, spouses and dependent children to stop buying or selling individual stocks, saying it will help restore confidence in Congress.
Extreme Weather
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 08: A vehicle is left abandoned in floodwater on a highway after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the Texas coast late last night. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 08: A vehicle is left abandoned in floodwater on a highway after Hurricane Beryl swept through the area on July 08, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Tropical Storm Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane as it hit the Texas coast late last night. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images

1.3 million still without power in Houston after Beryl

 Houston Public Media News 88.7

More than 1.3 million CenterPoint Energy customers were still out of power on Wednesday morning, nearly two days after Hurricane Beryl knocked out power for more than 2 million.
Cory Richards

Cory Richards Cory Richards hide caption

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Cory Richards

Author Interviews

This photographer nearly died mountain climbing. His memoir details the mental toll

A former National Geographic photographer details his struggles with mental health while climbing the world’s peaks in The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within.

In 'The Color of Everything," photographer shares how being bipolar shaped his life

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Jill Ciment met her husband Arnold Mesches when she was his teenage art student.

Jill Ciment met her husband Arnold Mesches when she was his teenage art student. Random House hide caption

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Random House

Author Interviews

She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship

Ciment met her husband in the 1970s. At the time of their first kiss, he was a married father of two; she was his art student. In her memoir Consent she reconsiders the origin story of their marriage.

She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship

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Julius Rodriguez: Tiny Desk Concert

The New York-bred and Los Angeles-based pianist and multi-instrumentalist has been regarded as a young master in the jazz world.
This February 2022 photo provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows snakes in bags found hidden in a man's clothes by CBP officers at the San Ysidro, Calif., port of entry.

This February 2022 photo provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows snakes in bags found hidden in a man's clothes by CBP officers at the San Ysidro, Calif., port of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection/AP hide caption

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection/AP

World

A man is caught attempting to smuggle 100 live snakes into China in his pants

The man's bizarre smuggling attempt included many non-native species of snakes stuffed into his pants, according to China's customs authority.
The episode highlights the growing challenges posed by the influences of technology and social media on young people — and the often limited abilities of school administrators to deal with bad behavior.

The episode highlights the growing challenges posed by the influences of technology and social media on young people — and the often limited abilities of school administrators to deal with bad behavior. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

National

A school district in Pa. says students made fake TikTok accounts to target teachers

Middle school students in the town of Malvern impersonated teachers and posted crude and offensive language on fake accounts. The superintendent called the incidents a "gross misuse of social media."
Shaboozey performs during the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June 2024.

Shaboozey performs during the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June 2024. Michael Tran/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Tran/Getty Images

Music

Shaboozey's slow-burning hybrid of hip-hop and country is finally the biggest song in the land

This week, Shaboozey becomes only the second Black artist ever to top Billboard's pop and country singles charts at the same time. The first, earlier this year, was his collaborator, Beyoncé.

BILLBOARD STORY 5

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The circa 1846 daguerreotype of Dolley Madison, made by John Plumbe Jr., was purchased for $456,000 at auction last month.

The circa 1846 daguerreotype of Dolley Madison, made by John Plumbe Jr., was purchased for $456,000 at auction last month. Sotheby's hide caption

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Sotheby's

History

This portrait of Dolley Madison might be the first photo of a first lady

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., acquired the circa 1846 daguerreotype, which depicts Dolley Madison in her later years, at some point in her 70s.

The Smithsonian acquires the earliest known portrait of an American first lady

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The star cluster Omega Centauri contains millions of stars. The movement of some stars suggests that an intermediate-sized black hole lies at its center.

The star cluster Omega Centauri contains millions of stars. The movement of some stars suggests that an intermediate-sized black hole lies at its center. NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA hide caption

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NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA

Space

Astronomers spot a mysterious black hole nestled in a cluster of stars

A report from Nature shows that astronomers may have found a medium-sized black hole, a kind they've long looked for.

Astronomers spot a mysterious black hole nestled in a cluster of stars

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Xin Li, a research and development associate, works at Ascend Elementals in Westborough, Massachusetts on June 13, 2024.

Xin Li, a research and development associate, works at Ascend Elementals in Westborough, Massachusetts on June 13, 2024. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for NPR hide caption

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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for NPR

Business

The race is on to build EV battery-recycling plants in the U.S.

Federal spending is turbocharging a scramble to build more EV battery-recycling plants in the U.S. and make them more efficient and eco-friendly too.

RECYCLING EV BATTERIES

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Iranian rights activist Masih Alinejad speaks during a press conference in association with the World Liberty Congress to urge action on political prisoners around the world, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in March.

Iranian rights activist Masih Alinejad speaks during a press conference in association with the World Liberty Congress to urge action on political prisoners around the world, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in March. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Law

She was the target of an Iranian assassination plot. She now lives in its shadow

In 2022, a hitman was allegedly hired as part of a plot hatched in Iran to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a critic of the Iranian regime, in New York. Threats continue to turn her life upside down.
A macaque sits on Cayo Santiago as a rainbow stretches across the sky in February 2022.

A macaque sits on Cayo Santiago as a rainbow stretches across the sky in February 2022. Lauren Brent hide caption

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Lauren Brent

Short Wave

These monkeys were 'notoriously competitive' until Hurricane Maria wrecked their home

Rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago are known for being intolerant, hierarchical and aggressive. After 2017's Hurricane Maria destroyed their home, the monkeys' society underwent surprising changes.

Hurricane Maria and macaques

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Alaska lawyer Joshua Kindred speaks during a judicial nomination hearing at the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in Washington, U.S. December 4, 2019 .

Alaska lawyer Joshua Kindred speaks during a judicial nomination hearing at the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in Washington, U.S. December 4, 2019. U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary/via Reuters hide caption

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U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary/via Reuters

Law

Alaska federal judge resigns after investigators say he created a hostile workplace

Judge Joshua Kindred, a Trump appointee, resigned after investigators concluded he sent crude messages to employees, engaged in sexual contact with a former law clerk and lied to colleagues about it.

Federal judge resigns after investigation uncovers abusive conduct

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Palmer Luckey, 31, founder of Anduril Industries, poses for a portrait in front of the Dive-LD, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, at the Anduril headquarters.

Palmer Luckey, 31, founder of Anduril Industries, poses for a portrait in front of the Dive-LD, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, at the Anduril headquarters. Philip Cheung for NPR hide caption

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Philip Cheung for NPR

National

He created Oculus headsets as a teenager. Now he makes AI weapons for Ukraine

Palmer Luckey launched his first tech company as a teenager. He sold it to Facebook for $2 billion. Now he's making AI weapons the Pentagon is buying for itself and also sending to Ukraine.

He created Oculus headsets as a teenager. Now he makes AI weapons for Ukraine

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Molly Baker (right) poses with her unsung hero, Carla Vail, who came up with a novel way to support Baker after her husband died.

Molly Baker (right) poses with her unsung hero, Carla Vail, who came up with a novel way to support Baker after her husband died. Molly Baker hide caption

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Molly Baker

My Unsung Hero

When Molly’s husband died, a friend came up with a way to help: The ‘Calendar Girls’

Molly Baker was devastated when her husband died in a skiing accident. Then, a friend came up with a novel way to offer support.

When Molly’s husband died, a friend came up with a way to help: The ‘Calendar Girls’

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