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President Trump meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office on April 14.

President Trump meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office on April 14. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Law

Judge demands to know if White House is helping return wrongly deported Maryland man

The hearing is the first about Abrego Garcia's case since El Salvador's president told reporters he is not going to "smuggle a terrorist into the United States."

Judge demands to know if White House is helping return wrongly deported Maryland man

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A tower on one of the Harvard University buildings on Tuesday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Trump administration task force announced Monday that it would block Harvard University from receiving $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts after the Ivy League school defied demands to adopt new policies on student and faculty conduct and admissions. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

A tower on one of the Harvard University buildings on Tuesday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Trump administration task force announced Monday that it would block Harvard University from receiving $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts after the Ivy League school defied demands to adopt new policies on student and faculty conduct and admissions. Scott Eisen/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Education

Higher ed war heats up as Trump threatens Harvard's tax-exempt status

The president's comments came after the administration froze $2 billion in federal grants for Harvard after the university rejected what it saw as illegal government demands.

Nadworny-Colleges React to Harvard

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Amy Cupp hugs her daughter, G, for a portrait in her home in northern Indiana. G is 12 and has multiple disabilities. Cupp has filed a federal complaint over G’s treatment in school, but says the process stalled after Trump’s cuts to the Education Department.

Amy Cupp hugs her daughter, G, for a portrait in her home in northern Indiana. G is 12 and has multiple disabilities. Cupp has filed a federal complaint over G's treatment in school, but says the process stalled after Trump's cuts to the Education Department. Kaiti Sullivan for NPR hide caption

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Kaiti Sullivan for NPR

Education

Families say school civil rights investigations have stalled after federal cuts

 WFYI Public Media

The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights investigates discrimination in schools. It recently lost more than 40% of its staff.

WATCH

Panda Bear: Tiny Desk Concert

Panda Bear's wondrous music comes to life with the help of four additional friends who provide sweet, multi-layered harmonies.
A health worker, right, administers polio drops to a child on the first day of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign, in Karachi on February 3, 2025. A Pakistan police officer travelling to guard polio vaccinators was shot dead on February 3, police said, on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.

A health worker, right, administers polio drops to a child on the first day of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign, in Karachi on February 3, 2025. A Pakistan police officer travelling to guard polio vaccinators was shot dead on February 3, police said, on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases. Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Could polio be poised for a comeback?

Cases have been rising in Afghanistan and Pakistan — and global health specialists are worried that this year's U.S. foreign aid cuts could usher in a wider resurgence.
China is the world's leading producer of toys, including many of those sold in the United States. President-elect Trump threatened during the campaign to impose a 60% tariff on all imports from China.

China is the world's leading producer of toys, including many of those sold in the United States. President-elect Trump threatened during the campaign to impose a 60% tariff on all imports from China. STR/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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STR/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

World

China reports 5.4% GDP growth in 1st quarter, but analysts say tariffs will bite soon

Growth was driven partly by strong industrial activity and exports, before President Trump's punishing tariffs. Experts say these levies will hurt China's growth this year.
Raluca collects butterflies for the Worldwide Painted Lady Migration Project. As drought scorches Europe, Painted Lady butterflies find blooming flowers in the moist air near melting glaciers in Switzerland.

Raluca collects butterflies for the Worldwide Painted Lady Migration Project. As drought scorches Europe, Painted Lady butterflies find blooming flowers in the moist air near melting glaciers in Switzerland. Lucas Foglia/Fredericks & Freiser Gallery hide caption

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Lucas Foglia/Fredericks & Freiser Gallery

The Picture Show

Photos: Scientists trace a butterfly migration route that is millions of years old

Scientists have recently mapped the painted lady butterfly's annual flight from equatorial Africa to northern Europe and back, the world's longest butterfly migration. In Constant Bloom, photographer Lucas Foglia documents the journey.
Prescription drugs are displayed on shelves at NYC Discount Pharmacy in New York City.

Medicare negotiations on drug prices can happen sooner for pills than many drugs that are injected. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Policy-ish

Trump signs executive action to lower drug prices

The action is intended to build upon the existing program for Medicare drug price negotiations, which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration.

Trump signs executive action to lower drug prices

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(L-R) President/CEO of National Public Radio (NPR) Katherine Maher and President/CEO of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Paula Kerger testify during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(L-R) President/CEO of National Public Radio (NPR) Katherine Maher and President/CEO of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Paula Kerger testify during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images

Media

Trump plans order to cut funding for NPR and PBS

Trump and GOP members of Congress accuse the public broadcasters of biased and "woke" programming. Trump plans a rescission, giving Congress 45 days to approve it or allow funding to be restored.
Doge_Spot_01.png
Charlotte Gomez for NPR

Technology

5 takeaways about NPR's reporting on the whistleblower report about DOGE at the NLRB

Here's a summary of NPR's findings about the report that a whistleblower filed to Congress about how DOGE violated security protocols and could have removed sensitive labor data.

5 takeaways about NPR’s reporting on the whistleblower report about DOGE at the NLRB

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Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, Montana is the state's only psychiatric hospital for adults. It lost federal funding in 2022 due to patient deaths. Mental health advocates say it's too hard to get someone committed to the hospital, and patients are discharged too soon, without a long-term treatment plan — which means they often end up homeless again.

Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, Montana is the state's only psychiatric hospital for adults. It lost federal funding in 2022 due to patient deaths. Mental health advocates say it's too hard to get someone committed to the hospital, and patients are discharged too soon, without a long-term treatment plan — which means they often end up homeless again. Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio hide caption

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Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio

Public Health

How psychiatric patients get caught in a cycle of homelessness and spotty care

 Montana Public Radio

Montana is investing $300 million to help those with severe mental illness from cycling through ERs, state psychiatric facilities, jails and homelessness. Advocates say they also need stable housing.
Chicken is processed differently in the U.S. than the EU and U.K., causing Europeans to be skeptical of American "chlorinated chicken."

Chicken is processed differently in the U.S. than the EU and U.K., causing Europeans to be skeptical of American "chlorinated chicken." Krug Studios/Corbis RF Stills/Getty Images hide caption

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Krug Studios/Corbis RF Stills/Getty Images

Public Health

Europe deplores America's 'chlorinated chicken.' How safe is our poultry?

President Trump wants European countries to start buying U.S. chicken and eggs. But the U.K. and EU think American poultry is gross and chemically washed. Turns out, chlorine isn't really the issue.

European regulations on chicken processing hamper U.S. exports

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An asylum seeker reacts while waiting for news on her appointment with U.S. authorities before crossing through El Chaparral port in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Jan. 20, 2025.

An asylum seeker reacts while waiting for news on her appointment with U.S. authorities before crossing through El Chaparral port in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Jan. 20, 2025. Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

Law

Trump moves to speed up asylum cases without court hearings

The memo could result in immigration judges deciding someone is not eligible for asylum without a hearing, and based solely on a lengthy and complex asylum request form.
Elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, Calif., quickly formed an "alert circle" to protect their young following Monday's 5.2 magnitude earthquake.

Elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, Calif., quickly formed an "alert circle" to protect their young following Monday's 5.2 magnitude earthquake. Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Safari Park hide caption

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Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Animals

When an earthquake struck San Diego, these elephants formed an 'alert circle'

When a 5.2 earthquake hit near San Diego, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park caught its elephants on video taking action to protect their young, forming what experts call an "alert circle."

When an earthquake struck San Diego, these elephants formed a protective ‘circle of life’

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Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announce Arkansas' effort to ban candy and soda from SNAP eligibility in an event in Little Rock on April 15, 2025.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announce Arkansas' effort to ban candy and soda from SNAP eligibility in an event in Little Rock on April 15, 2025. Maggie Ryan/Little Rock Public Radio hide caption

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Maggie Ryan/Little Rock Public Radio

Arkansas moves to ban candy, soda from SNAP eligibility

 KUAR

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is asking the federal government to ban sugar and soda sales for her state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, recipients.
"To know right now in the United States that my two beautiful little granddaughters will have fewer rights than I had growing up, that just doesn't make any sense to me," says Melinda French Gates. "... It makes my work all the more pressing."

"To know right now in the United States that my two beautiful little granddaughters will have fewer rights than I had growing up, that just doesn't make any sense to me," says Melinda French Gates. "... It makes my work all the more pressing." Jason Bell/Flatiron Books hide caption

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Jason Bell/Flatiron Books

Goats and Soda

Melinda French Gates on what billionaires with 'absurd' wealth owe back to society

 Fresh Air

In a new memoir, French Gates writes about the end of her marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and her ongoing philanthropic work, directing funds and attention to women's health initiatives.

Melinda French Gates on what billionaires with 'absurd' wealth owe back to society

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) (left), and Ken Cuccinelli (background), former attorney general of Virginia, hold a news conference on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol to introduce the "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act," which would mandate proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration in federal elections, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) (left), and Ken Cuccinelli (background), former attorney general of Virginia, hold a news conference on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol to introduce the "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act," which would mandate proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration in federal elections, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/via Getty Images hide caption

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Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/via Getty Images

National

What the SAVE Act could mean for millions of voters, according to a Brennan Center expert

The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship to be able to register to vote. NPR's Michel Martin asks Sean Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center for Justice what that could mean for voters.

What passage of the SAVE Act could mean for voters

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Ashley Blas

Ashley Blas Ashley Blas hide caption

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Ashley Blas

My Unsung Hero

A stranger helps a grieving daughter clean her mother's grass-covered gravestone

Ashley Blas visited her mother's grave for the first time since the funeral. The driver who took her noticed grass covering part of the stone. In a full suit, he knelt down and cleaned the gravestone.

UNSUNG HERO - Ashley Blas

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Cult singer-songwriter Ethel Cain (left), rapper BigXthaPlug (middle) and singer-songwriter Alex Warren (right) all break into the Top 10 of Billboard's charts this week for the first time.

Cult singer-songwriter Ethel Cain (left), rapper BigXthaPlug (middle) and singer-songwriter Alex Warren (right) all break into the Top 10 of Billboard's charts this week for the first time. Joseph Okpako/WireImage; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella; C Brandon/Redferns hide caption

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Joseph Okpako/WireImage; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella; C Brandon/Redferns

Music

Three wildly different artists crack the top 10 for the first time

Surprises nevertheless abound in the top 10, as a vinyl reissue lands cult singer-songwriter Ethel Cain on the Billboard 200 for the first time ever and two artists — Alex Warren and BigXthaPlug — experience their first-ever top 10 singles.
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