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A 99 Cents Only store is seen in Los Angeles, on Friday. A day ago, the City of Commerce discount chain with some 14,000 employees announced that it will close all 371 of its stores in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

99 Cents stores to close down all 371 locations

The discount chain is winding down operations at its stores across California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada, as dollar stores nationwide buckle under inflation, shoplifting and other factors.

RV traffic sits at a standstill along a two-lane road near Madras, Ore., a few days before the 2017 total solar eclipse. Experts say traffic could be heavy, but eclipse watchers shouldn't necessarily be deterred. AFP Contributor/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

Thinking of taking a last-minute drive to see the eclipse? Here's what to know

Experts say you should gas up before you go, and plan to stay for a while afterward.

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El Laberinto del Coco: Tiny Desk x globalFEST 2024

A five-song set from a genre-bending collective built around the folklore and rhythmic styles of bomba.

As deepfake generation technology improves and leaves ever-fewer telltale signs that humans can rely on, computational methods for detection are becoming the norm. But technological solutions are no silver bullet for the problem of detecting AI-generated voices. Aaron Marin for NPR hide caption

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Aaron Marin for NPR

Using AI to detect AI-generated deepfakes can work for audio — but not always

Now that people can easily create real-sounding voices with artificial intelligence, detection technologies are racing to catch deepfake audio, but it's a tough game of whack-a-mole.

Beyoncé accepts the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 1. Her new album is "Carter Country" and it features a banjo on the hit song "Texas Hold 'Em." At right: a gourd banjo was an early American incarnation of an instrument that originated in Africa and was played by African Americans. Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images; Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images; Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images

The banjo is a star of Beyoncé's new album. Turns out it has African roots

In "Texas Hold 'Em," the singer is accompanied by a banjo. It's often thought of as a quintessential Americana instrument. But the history of the banjo tells a different story.

Activists from Extinction Rebellion, left and center, protest during a performance of An Enemy of the People on Broadway, starring Jeremy Strong, right. Extinction Rebellion NYC hide caption

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Extinction Rebellion NYC

'We want to help': Why climate activists are trying something new

A recent disruption at An Enemy of the People on Broadway by Extinction Rebellion shows a new approach to climate change activism.

'We want to help': Why climate activists are trying something new

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The Northridge Meadows apartments in Los Angeles fared poorly in the 1994 earthquake. U.S. Geological Survey hide caption

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U.S. Geological Survey

From LAist

How would LA's buildings hold up in an earthquake like Taiwan's? Many still need retrofitting

LAist 89.3

Like Taiwan, L.A. has retrofit programs in place, but more than 4,000 of these types of buildings still need to be fixed across the city, according to the Department of Building and Safety. It could be decades before they are.

From left: didn't stop, can't stop, won't stop Leon Neal/Getty Images; Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images; David Becker/Getty Images hide caption

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Leon Neal/Getty Images; Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images; David Becker/Getty Images

How much money do you need to earn to buy a house these days? Find out in the quiz

This week, the April 8 total solar eclipse inspired Barbie-level coverage mania at NPR. But it turns out other things happened too! Were you paying attention?

Luis Har, shown here in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 27, was taken hostage during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and freed by an Israeli special forces operation in February. In captivity, he says, "Every time we fell into depression, we overcame it with stories. We started to say, where are we going to travel to today in our minds?" Tamir Kalifa for NPR hide caption

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Tamir Kalifa for NPR

129 days: How one Israeli hostage in Gaza told stories to endure captivity

Luis Har, 71, was taken hostage on Oct. 7 with his family. The accountant, actor and dancer drew on a lifetime of memories to help comfort them in captivity in Gaza. He was freed in an Israeli raid.

129 days: How one Israeli hostage in Gaza told stories to endure captivity

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Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who says legalization has increased incentives for unlicensed cannabis farms and associated violent crime. Martin Kaste/NPR hide caption

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Martin Kaste/NPR

A black market for cannabis thrives in California despite legalization

Marijuana legalization was expected to bring the industry out of the shadows. But in some states, the black market is alive and well.

Black market cannabis thrives in California despite legalization

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Hiring accelerated in the U.S. in March, adding 303,000 jobs, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate dipped to 3.8%, staying under 4% for more than two full years. People walk past a Home Depot in San Rafael, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A construction boom helps fuel hiring as the U.S. adds 303,000 jobs

The unemployment rate dipped to 3.8% in March. Construction companies added 39,000 jobs, despite high interest rates.

Bret Hartman / TED

Anne Lamott reflects on life, death, and 'learning to endure the beams of love'

Anne Lamott has always been honest about the messiest parts of her life, from addiction to parenthood. Now, in her 20th book, she reflects on the beautiful—and complicated—realities of love.

Anne Lamott reflects on life, death, and 'learning to endure the beams of love'

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Jeremy Kimbrell has worked at the Mercedes plant in Vance, Ala., since 1999. Having been involved in several failed union drives, he says this latest one feels different. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Seeking to defy history, the UAW is coming closer to unionizing in the South

Autoworkers at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., will vote in mid-April on whether to join the United Auto Workers union. Mercedes workers in Tuscaloosa County, Ala., will soon follow.

The Nkamira Transit Center in western Rwanda is home to more than 6,000 refugees who fled violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Jacques Nkinzingabo for NPR hide caption

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Jacques Nkinzingabo for NPR

Violence in eastern Congo has displaced millions. Some end up at this camp

The Nkamira Transit Center is home to thousands of refugees who fled violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The decades-long conflict is a legacy of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Violence in eastern Congo has displaced millions. Some end up at this camp

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Meirav Eilon Shahr, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of the Israel to the UN, observes the vote on a resolution regarding the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, during the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday. Salvatore Di Nofi/AP hide caption

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Salvatore Di Nofi/AP

A U.N. human rights body calls for a halt to weapons shipments to Israel

While non-binding, the resolution passed Friday is bound to raise international pressure on Israel as a sign of widespread concern about its military campaign in Gaza.

Political divisions among Democrats over the Israel-Hamas war are at the center of several upcoming primaries against liberal members who oppose the war. Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption

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Anadolu/Anadolu via Getty Images

U.S.-Israel politics is set to roil Democratic primaries

Republican donors and pro-Israel Democrats are working to defeat some of the most liberal members of the House for their criticism of Israel in its handling of the ongoing war with Hamas.

In this photo made by Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, an Afghan boy flies his kite on a hill overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan, May 13, 2013. Anja Niedringhaus/AP hide caption

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Anja Niedringhaus/AP

The work and legacy of photographer Anja Niedringhaus endure 10 years after her death

A new exhibition and book honor the memory of the Pulitzer Prize-winning German photojournalist who was killed on April 4, 2014, while on assignment for The Associated Press in Afghanistan.

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