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Drones like this one are now temporarily prohibited from flying over parts of New Jersey. The Federal Aviation Administration is barring drone flights over critical infrastructure at 22 locations in the state following a rash of sightings.

Drones like this one are now temporarily prohibited from flying over parts of New Jersey. The Federal Aviation Administration is barring drone flights over critical infrastructure at 22 locations in the state following a rash of sightings. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption

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Seth Wenig/AP

National

Federal regulators prohibit drone flights in dozens of locations across New Jersey

The Federal Aviation Administration is temporarily barring drone flights over critical infrastructure at 22 locations in New Jersey amid mounting concerns about a flurry of reported drone sightings.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the Georgia election interference case on March 1 in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the Georgia election interference case on March 1 in Atlanta. Alex Slitz/Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Slitz/Pool/Getty Images

Law

A Georgia appeals court blocks Fulton County DA Willis from Trump's election interference case

 WABE 90.1

A court ruled that Fulton County DA Fani Willis and her office can't continue prosecuting the Georgia election interference case involving Donald Trump — the last active prosecution against Trump.
This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in March shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (in yellow). The CDC says the first severe case of bird flu detected in a human during the current U.S. outbreak.

This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in March shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (in yellow). The CDC says the first severe case of bird flu detected in a human during the current U.S. outbreak. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AP hide caption

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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AP

Health

Bird flu update: California declares an emergency and the U.S. sees its 1st severe human case

A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized after being exposed to sick and dead birds. Meanwhile, California has declared an emergency over its growing outbreak in cattle.

WATCH

Sesame Street: Tiny Desk Concert

Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Elmo, Grover, Rosita, Count von Count, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and other surprise guests gather at NPR's headquarters to celebrate 50 years of love, learning and joy.
Gisèle Pelicot arrives at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on Thursday, in advance of the verdict being read out from the trial of her ex-husband and more than four dozen other men 50 who were found guilty of aggravated rape against her.

Gisèle Pelicot arrives at the courthouse in Avignon, France, on Thursday, in advance of the verdict being read out from the trial of her ex-husband and more than four dozen other men 50 who were found guilty of aggravated rape against her. Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images

Europe

Dozens of men are found guilty in mass rape case of French woman drugged by her husband

A French court found dozens of men guilty of raping Gisèle Pelicot, whose then-husband repeatedly drugged her unconscious over the course of a decade. Her ex-husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Dozens of men found guilty of raping a woman in France who was drugged to sleep

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Candles and flowers are placed outside of Abundant Life Christian School on Tuesday, the day after a fatal shooting at the Madison, Wis., school.

Candles and flowers are placed outside of Abundant Life Christian School the day after a fatal shooting Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR Angela Major/Wisconsin Public Radio hide caption

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Angela Major/Wisconsin Public Radio

The dead in the Wisconsin school shooting were a freshman girl and a substitute teacher

 Wisconsin Public Radio

Erin M. West, 42, and Rubi P. Vergara, 14, were killed by another student on Monday, who police say then killed herself. An obituary for Vergara said she loved reading, art, and singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.
A community based screening motivator extracts blood from a woman for an HIV test during the "walk to end AIDS" event to mark World Aids Day in Manila on December 2, 2023. HIV infections are soaring in the Philippines, with experts blaming online dating, poor sex education and conservative attitudes in the deeply religious country for fuelling the spread of the virus.

A woman in Manila has her blood drawn for an HIV test. HIV infections are soaring in the Philippines, with experts blaming poor sex education and conservative attitudes in the deeply religious country for fueling the spread of the virus. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

HIV is spiking in new hot spots. Here's what's being done to control it

As the new cases and related deaths fall in sub-Saharan Africa, the virus is rearing its head elsewhere. What's the cause? And the solution?
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX's billionaire owner, Elon Musk, a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America

Politics

Sen. Warren urges Trump to hold Musk accountable for conflicts of interest

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wants incoming presidential advisor Elon Musk to sign an ethics pledge. She speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about what she says are Musk's conflicts of interest.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren discusses Elon Musk's conflicts of interest

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Minn Gov. Tim Walz answers reporters’ questions Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 after a ceremony marking the completion of Xcel Energy’s Sherco Solar 1 project northwest of Becker, Minn. The project is expected to provide power for as many as 150,000 homes.

Minn Gov. Tim Walz answers reporters' questions Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 after a ceremony marking the completion of Xcel Energy's Sherco Solar 1 project northwest of Becker, Minn. The project is expected to provide power for as many as 150,000 homes. Kimm Anderson for MPR News hide caption

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Kimm Anderson for MPR News

Politics

After losing his VP bid, Walz searches for a role in pushing back against Trump

MPR News

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz saw his national profile skyrocket when he became Vice President Harris' running mate. Now, he's back home figuring out when he will push back or work with Republicans.

After losing VP bid, Walz searches for role in pushing back against Trump

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ATD.jpg
Jackie Lay

Seeking Common Ground

'They don't live where we live': How communities hear each other in a divided country

NPR spoke with 30 small groups of people around the country about what they'd want other people to understand about their community — and what they want to understand about others

'They don't live where we live': How communities hear each other in a divided country

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During his first administration in 2019, President Donald Trump announced rules mandating transparency in health care prices. Some employers are lobbying to enshrine those into law.

During his first administration in 2019, President Donald Trump announced rules mandating transparency in health care prices. Some employers are lobbying to enshrine those into law. Zach Gibson/Getty Images hide caption

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Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Health

Employers lobby to keep health care prices transparent in hopes of containing costs

 KFF Health News

Donald Trump's first administration advanced rules forcing hospitals and insurers to reveal prices for medical services. Employers don't want to risk backtracking during Trump's second administration.
A photo illustration with a black and white photograph of the exterior of a prison in the background with red rectangles overlaying it. In the middle is a semi-circle with the typewritten text from several phrases, including “tortured for 18 hours with an..” and “I began to feel a sharp pain on the left side of my chest.” Below the text is a photo of an officer's hands on the wrist of a man in handcuffs.

A photo illustration with a black and white photograph of the exterior of a prison in the background with red rectangles overlaying it. In the middle is a semi-circle with the typewritten text from several phrases, including "tortured for 18 hours with an.." and "I began to feel a sharp pain on the left side of my chest." Below the text is a photo of an officer's hands on the wrist of a man in handcuffs. Valerie Chiang for the Marshall Project hide caption

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Valerie Chiang for the Marshall Project

News

Dozens of prisoners allege a culture of violence by guards at a federal facility in Virginia

At a federal prison in rural Virginia, more than 50 prisoners say they've been abused. But when they try to file a complaint — they're stopped, often by the same guards they say are abusing them.

USP LEE

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Julianne Moore (left) plays Ingrid and Tilda Swinton plays Martha in Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door

Julianne Moore (left) plays Ingrid and Tilda Swinton plays Martha in Pedro Almodóvar's The Room Next Door Iglesias Más/© El Deseo. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Iglesias Más/© El Deseo. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Movie Interviews

Pedro Almodóvar meditates on death in his first English feature, 'The Room Next Door'

Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language film, The Room Next Door, is a meditation on death. Writing and making movies "is a way of running away from death," the Spanish director says.

Pedro Almodóvar meditates on death in first English feature 'The Room Next Door'

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Long Beach, CA - October 01: Shelly Moore, executive director of Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research uses a stereo scope to examine a sediment sample to identify microplastics within the sample, sort them out, analyze them for polymer type, measure and identify what kind of particle they are in Long Beach on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.

Long Beach, CA - October 01: Shelly Moore, executive director of Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research uses a stereo scope to examine a sediment sample to identify microplastics within the sample, sort them out, analyze them for polymer type, measure and identify what kind of particle they are in Long Beach on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images hide caption

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Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images

Your Health

Scientists know our bodies are full of microplastics. What are they doing to us?

Plastic particles are found in our organs, blood and even semen. But do they stay in us forever? What damage are they doing? Here are six questions scientists are trying to answer.
The Biden administration says some efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions won’t go away after President-elect Trump takes office. Renewable energy projects, like the Block Island Wind Farm off the Rhode Island coast, will continue to operate and others in the development pipeline now will continue to be built.

The Biden administration says some efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions won't go away after President-elect Trump takes office. Renewable energy projects, like the Block Island Wind Farm off the Rhode Island coast, will continue to operate and others in the development pipeline now will continue to be built. Julia Nikhinson/AP hide caption

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Julia Nikhinson/AP

Climate

Biden set an ambitious new climate goal. Will it still matter under Trump?

The Biden administration set a new climate goal for the U.S. The White House argues states, cities and corporations will continue the work, even as Trump plans to exit the Paris climate agreement.
An unidentified person in a dark parka and holding boxes walks across a snowy road between cars in Omaha, Neb., in 2009.

An unidentified person braves the weather to do last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve, in Omaha, Neb., on Dec. 24, 2009. That year, a powerful storm spread snow, sleet and rain across the nation's midsection. Nati Harnik/AP hide caption

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Nati Harnik/AP

National

Dreaming of a white Christmas? There's hope, depending on where you live

A few parts of the country may get a white Christmas in 2024, but the majority will not. And in the future, shifts in weather patterns driven by global warming may make them even less likely.
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