NPR - Breaking News, Analysis, Music, Arts & Podcasts Top stories in the U.S. and world news, politics, health, science, business, music, arts and culture. Nonprofit journalism with a mission. This is NPR.

At nearly 400 feet tall, Starship is the largest rocket to ever fly. SpaceX hopes it can become a vehicle for interplanetary travel. SpaceX hide caption

toggle caption
SpaceX

SpaceX prepares to launch its mammoth rocket 'Starship'

Starship is the largest rocket ever built. The company hopes it will one day take people to the moon and Mars. But first it has to fly.

SpaceX prepares to launch its mammoth rocket 'Starship'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1169734535/1170293955" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Smoke is seen rising from a neighborhood in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 15, 2023. Fierce clashes between Sudan's military and the country's powerful paramilitary erupted in the capital and elsewhere in the African nation after weeks of escalating tensions between the two forces. The fighting raised fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-stricken nation. Marwan Ali/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Marwan Ali/AP

Battles in Sudan have stretched into a second day, leaving dozens of civilians dead

Sudan's military and a powerful paramilitary force battled fiercely in the capital and other areas, dealing a new blow to hopes for a transition to democracy and raising fears of a wider conflict.

Dr. David King will be running the Boston Marathon for the 14th time. In 2013, he ran the race and then went to work at MGH, performing surgeries on people injured by the bombs at the finish line. Jacob Garcia/WBUR hide caption

toggle caption
Jacob Garcia/WBUR

A trauma surgeon reflects on the Boston Marathon, the bombings and the survivors

WBUR

"I think about 2013 every time I go for a run and put on running shoes," says Dr. David King, a trauma surgeon from Massachusetts General Hospital. "Sometimes I reflect on just how tragic the entire thing is. Other times I'm just very thankful for the ability to run."

Tetiana Lytvynenko and her 9-year-old daughter Darina, seen at the Ukrainian Museum in New York City, are living rent-free with a family in Brooklyn, where they cook borsht and crepes for their hosts. Jon Kalish hide caption

toggle caption
Jon Kalish

In New York, a nonprofit helps Ukrainian refugees make a home

One of the more daunting tasks facing Ukrainian refugees who come to New York is finding a place to live. A Manhattan real estate executive has been helping to find them apartments at reduced rents.

In New York, a nonprofit helps Ukrainian refugees make a home

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1170150647/1170293967" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tesla cars sit on a lot in Chicago on March 28, 2022. A $7,500 tax credit for purchasers of new electric vehicles is changing again after the U.S. unveiled new guidelines that will impact the list of car models that qualify. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Scott Olson/Getty Images

A $7,500 tax credit for electric cars changed, again. These are the models impacted

Starting on Tuesday, fewer vehicles will qualify for a full $7,500 tax credit, but many popular vehicles will still get a substantial discount. Here's what automakers have confirmed so far.

The New York Times resumed publication of its series of articles based on the secret Pentagon Papers in its July 1, 1971 edition, after it was given the green light by the U.S. Supreme Court. Jim Wells/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Jim Wells/AP

The latest saga of revealed U.S. secrets stirs memories of past legendary leaks

Call them whistleblowers or traitors, call their actions conscientious or unconscionable, the people who decide on their own to share classified material have often altered the course of events.

Journalist Evan Gershkovich, seen here on July 24, 2021, is scheduled to face trial on alleged espionage charges in Russia in May. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

Journalist Evan Gershkovich tells his family he's 'not losing hope' in Russian detention

The family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich received a handwritten letter from him on Friday — the first direct contact with them since his arrest in March.

The charging station at Pearson International Airport, one of the busiest transportation hubs in Canada. Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

Need to charge your phone in public? Think twice — 'juice jackers' might come for you

"Juice Jacking" has become so prevalent that the FBI and the FCC are now warning the public about it. The practice seems to be on the rise with increased travel.

Need to charge your phone? Think twice — 'juice jackers' might come for you

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1169462974/1169944257" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Love in the Library, a children's book written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Yas Imamura, is a love story about finding hope in a dire setting: an internment camp where the U.S. detained Japanese Americans during World War II. Candlewick Press hide caption

toggle caption
Candlewick Press

Scholastic wanted to license her children's book — if she cut a part about 'racism'

Maggie Tokuda-Hall was thrilled when the publishing powerhouse approached her to feature her book about a love story set in an internment camp during World War 2. Then she read what the deal would involve.

John Riddle as Raoul (left), Ben Crawford as The Phantom and Emilie Kouatchou as Christine at Broadway's 34th anniversary performance of The Phantom of the Opera. The last performance of the long-running hit musical will be on Sunday, April 16. Avery Brunkus hide caption

toggle caption
Avery Brunkus

'Phantom of the Opera' takes a final Broadway bow after 13,981 performances

On Sunday night the curtain will fall on the longest-running show in Broadway history: Andrew Lloyd Webber's mega hit ran for more than 35 years. "I got the gig of a lifetime," says one cast member.

'Phantom of the Opera' takes a final Broadway bow after 13,981 performances

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1169698583/1170246299" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The three American sailors were expected to stop in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico's Baja California before returning to the United States. Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican navy are searching for 3 missing American sailors

The U.S. Coast Guard said three sailors identified as Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien and William Gross were last heard from on April 4. They were aboard a 44-foot boat due to stop in Cabo San Lucas.

Lady Gaga performs during President Biden's inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021. She'll co-chair Biden's arts advisory committee. Saul Loeb/Pool/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Saul Loeb/Pool/Getty Images

Biden taps Lady Gaga to co-chair an arts advisory committee that dissolved under Trump

The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities will advise the president on cultural policy, and members were chosen due to their "serious commitment to the arts and humanities."

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees workers prepare to distribute non-food items to women at UNHCR office in Kandahar on March 8, 2022. The Taliban has demanded that Afghan women no longer work for the UN or NGOs. Javed Tanveer/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Javed Tanveer/AFP via Getty Images

The Taliban again bans Afghan women aid workers. Here's how the U.N. responded

The Taliban has banned Afghan women working for the U.N. or other aid agencies. The repercussions could be devastating for programs in which women play a vital role.

PM Images/Getty Images

4 tips for saying goodbye to someone you love

Saying goodbye can be tough, especially if you're parting ways for good. But grief counselor and patient advocate Isabel Stenzel Byrnes says the art of saying goodbye to loved ones can be learned and practiced.

4 tips for saying goodbye to someone you love

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1168641456/1168765145" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A flag bearing the Treasury Department's seal flies at the Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington. The average refund for U.S. taxpayers is $2,910 — a 9.8% drop from 2022, the IRS says. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The tax deadline is days away. So far, refunds are 10% smaller than last year

Have you filed your tax return? The 2023 deadline is Tuesday, April 18. Most taxpayers are getting hundreds of dollars less in refunds than they did last year.

Police and media surround the area where Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot in front of the Motilal Nehru medical college in, Prayagraj, India, Saturday, April 15, 2023. Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP

A former Indian politician and his brother were shot dead live on TV

A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and facing murder and assault charges was shot dead along with his brother in a dramatic attack that was caught live on TV.

A sketch depicts Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood (from left), Lori Vallow Daybell and defense attorney Jim Archibald during opening statements of Vallow Daybell's murder trial in Boise, Idaho, on Monday. Lisa C. Cheney/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Lisa C. Cheney/AP

Lori Vallow Daybell's 'zombie' murder trial has brought a string of notable moments

The jury has heard testimony from Vallow Daybell's close friend, along with relatives and investigators, in the long-awaited "zombie" murder trial.

A student cries after the 2019 attack on a public school in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The attack, by two former students, resulted in 10 deaths, including the attackers, who turned their weapons on themselves. It was one of the deadliest school attacks in the country's history. Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images

Attacks on Brazil's schools — often by former students — spur a search for solutions

The numbers are far less than in the U.S. but school attacks are definitely on the increase, prompting soul-searching — and a national debate over strategies to prevent future tragedies.

more from