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Afghan Health Minister: Health Care Is 'On The Verge Of Collapse' But 'I'm Optimistic'

A newly opened COVID-19 hospital in Kabul. Dr. Wahid Majrooh, the acting minister of public health in Afghanistan, must address the pandemic's toll at a time when the Taliban takeover has triggered a freeze in hundreds of millions of dollars in health-care aid from outside groups. Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima hide caption

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Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima

Goats and Soda

Afghan Health Minister Says Health Care Is On The Verge Of Collapse But He's Optimistic

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The Learning Curve Of Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X attends the BET Awards 2021 at Microsoft Theater on June 27, 2021 in Los Angeles. Rich Fury/Getty Images hide caption

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Rich Fury/Getty Images

Music Interviews

Lil Nas X Wants You To Know He's Not Here To Make You — Or Your Children — Comfortable

Lil Nas X is breaking Billboard records and barriers through his music — the pop-rap star joins All Things Considered to discuss his debut album Montero.

The Learning Curve Of Lil Nas X

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Students Are Damaging School Bathrooms For Attention On TikTok

School administrators and police are warning parents about a trend where students destroy objects in school bathrooms for attention on social media. Jon Cherry/Getty Images hide caption

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Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Education

Students Have Been Stealing Soap Dispensers And Clogging Toilets For A TikTok Trend

Soap dispensers and mirrors ripped from walls; damaged sinks, partitions and ceiling panels; clogged toilets: Students record themselves vandalizing their schools for social media notoriety.
A New Housing Regulator Could Make The American Dream More Accessible For Millions

Home ownership is the most powerful way most Americans build wealth over their lifetimes. Amanda Voisard for The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Amanda Voisard for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Your Money

A New Housing Regulator Could Make The American Dream More Accessible For Millions

Sources tell NPR the Biden administration is close to announcing its pick to run the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the $11 trillion mortgage market.

A New Housing Regulator Could Make The American Dream More Accessible For Millions

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Pentagon Reverses Itself And Now Says A Deadly Kabul Drone Strike Was An Error

The Pentagon has retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month. Gen. Frank McKenzie (shown here on screen in August as he speaks from MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, Fla.), head of U.S. Central Command, called the strike a "tragic mistake." Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption

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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

National Security

The Pentagon Reverses Itself And Now Says A Deadly Drone Strike In Kabul Was An Error

The Pentagon initially asserted that the drone strike last month — which resulted in multiple civilian deaths — had killed an Islamic State extremist and was conducted correctly.
A Colorado School Shooter Is Sentenced To Life In Prison

Devon Erickson appears in court at the Douglas County Courthouse in Castle Rock, Colo., on May 15, 2019. The former high school student was convicted of first degree murder and other charges for a 2019 shooting attack inside a suburban Denver high school that killed one student and injured eight others. Joe Amon/The Denver Post via AP, Pool, File hide caption

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Joe Amon/The Denver Post via AP, Pool, File

National

A Colorado School Shooter Is Sentenced To Life In Prison

Devon Erickson was convicted of first degree murder and other charges for a 2019 shooting attack inside a suburban Denver high school that killed one student and injured eight others.
An FDA Panel Says Only High-Risk Americans And Those 65+ Should Get COVID Boosters

A health care worker prepares Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for third doses at a senior living facility in Worcester, Penn., in late August. Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

An FDA Panel Says Only High-Risk Americans And Those 65+ Should Get COVID Boosters

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration supported boosters of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for a smaller group of people after they voted against recommending it for anyone 16 and older.
Yes, We're Calling It Hispanic Heritage Month And We Know It Makes Some Of You Cringe

As the nation begins its annual celebration of Latino history, culture and other achievements, it's not too late to ask why we lump together roughly 62 million people with complex identities under a single umbrella. Peter Pencil/Getty Images hide caption

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Peter Pencil/Getty Images

Hispanic Heritage Month

Yes, We're Calling It Hispanic Heritage Month, And We Know It Makes Some Of You Cringe

Opinions around the word Hispanic versus Latino or the newer Latinx are rooted in personal experiences. Here's a look at how more than 62 million people in the U.S. fall under the Hispanic umbrella.
France Recalls Ambassadors To The U.S. And Australia Over Snubbed Sub Deal

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks in Weimar, Germany on Sept. 10, 2021. France said Sept. 17 it was immediately recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia after Australia scrapped a big French conventional submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology. Jens Schlueter/AP hide caption

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Jens Schlueter/AP

Europe

France Recalls Its Ambassadors To The U.S. And Australia Over A Canceled Submarine Deal

The French foreign minister said it was "unacceptable" for Australia to drop a big contract to buy French conventional submarines in favor of nuclear-powered subs built with U.S. technology.
This Prison Teaches Inmates How To Grow Their Own Food

Residents Julio Orsini and Jesse Mackin share a meal together with staff during lunch break in the garden at the Mountain View Correctional Faciltiy in Charleston Maine in August of 2021. Kevin Bennett hide caption

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Kevin Bennett

National

This Prison Teaches Inmates How To Grow Their Own Food

 Maine Public

Inmates at Maine's Mountain View Correctional Facility are growing their own food. Advocates say the alternative to "mystery meat" means healthier inmates who are learning valuable skills.
Justice Clarence Thomas Says The Supreme Court Is Flawed But Still Works

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas listens during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 26, 2020. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Politics

Justice Clarence Thomas Says The Supreme Court Is Flawed But Still Works

Justice Thomas defended the Supreme Court's independence, arguing that despite disagreements about the court's role, "it works. It may work sort of like a car with three wheels, but it still works."
Here's Why The Arc De Triomphe Was Just Wrapped In Fabric

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is seen wrapped in fabric, in a posthumous art project that is an homage to the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude . Julien Mattia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

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Julien Mattia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Arts & Life

Here's Why The Arc De Triomphe Was Just Wrapped In Fabric

It is "a sensual, popular and monumental gesture," says Carine Rolland, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of culture. The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude came up with the idea before they died.
The U.K. Left The EU, And Now It's Inching Away From The Metric System Too

A uniformed member of staff wearing a face covering sorts through fresh produce in British supermarket chain Morrisons last month in Leeds, United Kingdom. Daniel Harvey Gonzalez/In Pictures via Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Harvey Gonzalez/In Pictures via Getty Images

Europe

The U.K. Left The EU, And Now It's Inching Away From The Metric System Too

Boris Johnson's government is eyeing a move to allow shop stalls and supermarkets to use only imperial units in all transactions, ditching a metric requirement from when the U.K. was in the EU.
N.C. Judges Strike Down A Voter ID Law They Say Discriminates Against Black Voters

GOP legislative leaders in North Carolina have tried for a decade to require photo IDs to cast ballots. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, is shown here gaveling in a session in April 2020. Gerry Broome/AP hide caption

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Gerry Broome/AP

Politics

Judges Strike Down North Carolina's Latest Voter ID Law They Say Discriminates Against Black People

The law "was motivated at least in part by an unconstitutional intent to target African American voters," two judges wrote in their opinion.
With Vaccines Now Mandated For Workplaces, Will A Travel Mandate Be Next?

A Delta Air Lines plane lands near a COVID-19 testing sign at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Aug. 25. Delta is increasing health insurance premiums for employees who are unvaccinated by $200 per month to cover higher costs of COVID-related care. The airline industry hasn't come out against a government-imposed vaccine mandate for domestic travel. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

National

The Next Battlefield For Vaccine Mandates? Traveling Inside The U.S.

Public health officials and infectious disease experts say requiring vaccination for domestic air and rail travel would help slow COVID-19's spread, but the travel industry opposes a vaccine mandate.

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