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Kentucky state Sen. Karen Berg, who lost her transgender son to suicide in 2022, is consoled by former state legislator Patti Minter, left, and Rep. Tina Bojanowski after SB 150 passed the Senate on Feb. 16, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky. Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS via Getty Images hide caption

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Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/TNS via Getty Images

Grief and tangled politics were at the heart of Kentucky's fight over new trans law

Louisville Public Media

This week, GOP lawmakers overruled Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's veto and passed a sweeping law limiting the rights of transgender youth across the state, both at school and in their personal lives.

Grief and tangled politics were at the heart of Kentucky's fight over new trans law

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Amazon Labor Union leader Chris Smalls speaks next to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders during a rally outside an Amazon facility on Staten Island, New York City, on April 24, 2022. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Labor's labors lost? A year after stunning victory at Amazon, unions are stalled

Labor organizing surged last year, led by Amazon and Starbucks. A Gallup poll found 71% of Americans approve of unions. Yet only 10% of workers belong to a union, as employers continue to fight back.

Labor's labors lost? A year after stunning victory at Amazon, unions are stalled

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People walk past the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, where victims were taken after a shooting at the Covenant School. John Amis/AP hide caption

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John Amis/AP

At a Nashville hospital, the agony of not being able to help school shooting victims

A pediatric surgeon and his colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center had prepared for a mass casualty event, but the victims of Monday's shooting had already died by the time they arrived.

At a Nashville hospital, the agony of not being able to help school shooting victims

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Pictures of the victims killed in a mass shooting on Monday at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., are fixed to a memorial by Noah Reich (left) and David Maldonado, from the nonprofit Classroom of Compassion, near the school on Wednesday. Seth Herald/Getty Images hide caption

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Seth Herald/Getty Images

America's shameful obsession with guns

NPR's Scott Simon looks at just how prevalent guns have become in American society, compared to smartphones and cars.

Opinion: America's shameful obsession with guns

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The rapper T-Pain poses with his 2023 album, On Top of the Covers. Giles Williams /Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Giles Williams /Courtesy of the artist

Rapper T-Pain has a simple message for people who think he can't sing: Shut up

On his new covers album titled On Top of the Covers, T-Pain shows off the power of his natural singing voice.

Rapper T-Pain has a simple message for people who think he can't sing – shut up

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Iowa's Caitlin Clark reacts after a 3-pointer during the second half of an NCAA Women's Final Four semifinals basketball game against South Carolina on Friday in Dallas. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

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Darron Cummings/AP

Led by Caitlin Clark, Iowa ends South Carolina's perfect season in women's Final Four

In the biggest matchup of her life, Iowa's dazzling point guard poured in 41 points to set a NCAA Tournament semifinal scoring record and put her Hawkeyes into the championship game against LSU.

"This is the continuation of a long process to heal the deep wounds in this city," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters Friday. Liam James Doyle for MPR News hide caption

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Liam James Doyle for MPR News

National

Nearly 3 years after George Floyd's murder, Minneapolis leaders approve police overhaul

MPR News

Changes laid out in the 140-page agreement include limits on the use of Tasers and other nonlethal weapons, restrictions on when officers can conduct traffic stops and changes to how officer use of force is defined and categorized.

In this image from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M. Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office via AP, File hide caption

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Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office via AP, File

Alec Baldwin codefendant gets 6 months' probation on gun charge in 'Rust' case

Safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls also must pay a $500 fine, complete a gun-safety course and community service after agreeing to the conviction related to a death on a movie set.

A Social Security trust fund is expected to run short of cash by 2033, according to new estimates, which would potentially reduce benefits to millions of Americans who depend on the program. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Social Security is now expected to run short of cash by 2033

Policymakers will need to patch the Social Security program by 2033 to avoid draconian cuts in benefits, a year earlier than had been predicted. A trust fund for Medicare will run out of cash by 2031.

Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman," screams "freedom" inside the U.S. Senate chamber after the U.S. Capitol was breached by a mob during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

U.S. Capitol rioter the 'QAnon Shaman' is released early from federal prison

Jacob Chansley recieved one of the longest sentences handed down to a U.S. Capitol rioter. He has been freed from prison and sent to a reentry center until late May.

In an aerial view, Tesla cars recharge at a Tesla charger station in Corte Madera, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2023. The Biden administration wants to boost sales of electric cars, but it also wants to incentivize U.S.-based production. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The $7,500 tax credit to buy an electric car is about to change yet again

Tax credits for electric car purchases are getting even more complicated. It will likely mean fewer vehicles will qualify — but we don't know which.

A female cockroach considers accepting a sugary offering from a male cockroach. Ayako Wada-Katsumata hide caption

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Ayako Wada-Katsumata

These cockroaches tweaked their mating rituals after adapting to pest control

The German cockroach evolved to live only in human environments. This roach is very good at adapting to pest control methods — even if it means changing its mating rituals.

These cockroaches tweaked their mating rituals after adapting to pest control

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A homeless encampment along a street in Skid Row on Dec. 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Two days earlier, LA Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness in the city, where an estimated 40,000 residents are unhoused. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

When homelessness and mental illness overlap, is forced treatment compassionate?

Kaiser Health News

Democratic leaders in California and Oregon are becoming more open to using involuntary psychiatric commitment to combat homelessness, drug abuse and untreated mental illness.

When homelessness and mental illness overlap, is forced treatment compassionate?

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