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Construction workers prepare steel for a crane at the site of JPMorgan Chase's new headquarters in New York City on May 18, 2023. Builders added jobs this month despite the headwinds from higher interest rates. It was another indication of the country's strong job market. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Amazingly, the U.S. job market continues to roar. Here are the 5 things to know

Employers added a whopping 339,000 jobs last month, a stunningly strong number. Here are some of the key takeaways of the country's red-hot labor market.

Amazingly, the U.S. job market continues to roar. Here are the 5 things to know

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Annaleigh Ashford, left, and Josh Groban star in Broadway's current revival of Sweeney Todd. Ashford says it's rare for musicals to have this large of an orchestra. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Sweeney Todd hide caption

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Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Sweeney Todd

After years of ever-shrinking orchestras, some Broadway musicals are going big

Producers have been saying for years that large Broadway orchestras are not financially feasible. In fact, the issue led to a strike 20 years ago. So why are some shows bringing them back?

After years of ever-shrinking orchestras, some Broadway musicals are going big

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Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Florida director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, says the law's E-Verify mandate will likely have a significant impact on Florida's agriculture, construction and hospitality sectors. Marta Lavandier/AP hide caption

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Marta Lavandier/AP

Why Florida's new immigration law is troubling businesses and workers alike

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the penalties for companies that violate new employment requirements will help the state prosper. But businesses and immigrant activists alike say it'll do more harm than good.

High tides have destroyed roads and structures in Vietnam as rising sea levels threaten farmland in the country's Mekong River Delta. Linh Pham/Getty Images hide caption

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Linh Pham/Getty Images

Vietnam faces criticism for arresting climate activist as it closes clean energy deal

Hoang Hong, founder of the environmental group CHANGE VN, was arrested Wednesday on tax charges, the United Nations says. Human rights experts say Vietnamese officials use the law to target civil society.

Mountaineers make their way to the summit of Mount Everest, as they ascend on the south face from Nepal on May 17, 2018. Phunjo Lama/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Phunjo Lama/AFP via Getty Images

A lifesaving moment at Mount Everest

Against a backdrop of another deadly climbing season on Mount Everest, NPR's Scott Simon contemplates one story of sacrifice and heroism.

Opinion: A lifesaving moment at Mount Everest

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Tykee James, president of the DC Audubon Society, and Erin Connelly, holding her 10-month-old son, Louis, search in the treetops in Fort Slocum Park in Washington, D.C. Melissa Block/NPR hide caption

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Melissa Block/NPR

Heads up! Stunning birds are all around us, even in dense cities

If you pay attention, you can see or hear a wide variety of birds, especially in migration season.

Heads up! Stunning birds are all around us, even in dense cities

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Mage #8, ridden by jockey Javier Castellano crosses the finish line to win the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 06, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. Michael Reaves/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Reaves/Getty Images

National

Churchill Downs has temporarily suspended races following a dozen horse deaths

Louisville Public Media

Churchill Downs will move horse races to Ellis Park starting June 10, to make sure the track's surface itself hasn't played a role in injuring horses.

In this handout image supplied by the European Space Agency on July 16, 2008, the Echus Chasma, one of the largest water source regions on Mars, is pictured from ESA's Mars Express. ESA/Getty Images hide caption

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ESA/Getty Images

Here is the first livestream from Mars — a rare, almost real-time look into space

On Friday afternoon, spectators had a chance to see the most current images of Mars possible — which take 3 to 22 minutes to reach Earth — courtesy of the European Space Agency.

Student loan borrowers gather near The White House in May 2020. On Thursday, the Senate voted to repeal President Biden's plan to offer up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt relief. Paul Morigi/Getty Images hide caption

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Paul Morigi/Getty Images

The Senate passes a GOP-led resolution to block Biden's student loan relief plan

With President Biden pledging a veto, the resolution amounts to a mostly symbolic show of congressional disapproval on a plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III smiles as he speaks during the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum in Singapore, Saturday, June 3, 2023. Vincent Thian/AP hide caption

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Vincent Thian/AP

Defense Secretary Austin says U.S. won't stand for 'coercion and bullying' from China

Speaking at the so-called Shangri-La Dialogue, Austin also assured Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and would prefer dialogue over conflict.

The reporter's kids, Sasha and Noa, both love falling asleep to lullabies. This is a sleeping self-portrait by Sasha, age 4. With great attention to detail, she has drawn the unicorns on her comforter. Sasha Ladly hide caption

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Sasha Ladly

A lullaby really can work magic. Science tells us why and how

Sometimes the right lullaby sends my kids off to dreamland so fast it makes me feel like I have a parenting superpower. Turns out the wonder of lullabies is confirmed by scientific research.

A lullaby really can work magic. Science tells us why and how

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Jaqueline Benitez pushes her cart down an aisle as she shops for groceries at a supermarket in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher, depends on California's SNAP benefits to help pay for food. Allison Dinner/AP hide caption

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Allison Dinner/AP

Congress created changes to food assistance. Here's what they mean

In an effort to avoid defaulting on the nation's loans, lawmakers created updates to SNAP, the nation's largest food assistance safety net. There are new work requirements as well as exemptions.

Congress created changes to food assistance. Here's what they mean

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Poll: Americans say teachers are underpaid, about half of Republicans oppose book bans

Are parents, teachers and the public feeling as divided as the headlines make it seem? A pair of new NPR/Ipsos polls reveals division, to be sure, but also surprising consensus.

Poll: Americans say teachers are underpaid, about half of Republicans oppose book bans

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An illustration for Backstory Serial, the Substack home for Mary Trump, E. Jean Carroll and Jennifer Taub's romance project The Italian Lesson. James Lake hide caption

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James Lake

Mary Trump, E. Jean Carroll and Jennifer Taub launch romance novel on Substack

Love works in mysterious ways. The unlikely trio has teamed up on a story called The Italian Lesson. "An American woman goes to a hill town in Tuscany, opens a café, meets this hunk," Trump says.

Mary Trump, E. Jean Carroll and Jennifer Taub launch romance novel on Substack

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This Aug 25, 2020 image captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows the planet Jupiter and one of its moons, Europa, at left, when the planet was 406 million miles from Earth. AP hide caption

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AP

NASA is sending an Ada Limón poem to Jupiter's moon Europa — and maybe your name too?

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón has written a poem that will fly on NASA's Europa Clipper, which will explore one of Jupiter's moons. And you can add your name to the poem.

NASA is sending an Ada Limón poem to Jupiter's moon Europa — and maybe your name too?

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South Korean esports players compete in a match during the Esports Championships East Asia in Seoul in 2021. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images

South Korean pop culture is a hit worldwide. Now, video games are next

From the country that brought you your favorite boy band, drama series, fermented food, and more.

South Korean pop culture is a hit worldwide. Now, video games are next

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Marie C. Bolden made national headlines when she turned in a flawless performance at a spelling bee in Cleveland. Her competitors included white students from segregated school districts in the South. Courtesy the Brown Family hide caption

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Courtesy the Brown Family

When she won the first national spelling bee, Marie C. Bolden dealt a blow to racism

Her victory made national news, upending stereotypes about race less than 50 years after the end of slavery. It also sparked racist fury.

Three days before her gender-affirming surgery, Chedino Martin poses for the camera in the home she shares with her fiancé, Keagan, and his deaf parents, Maria and Keith, in the Hanover Park neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa, in 2017. Julia Gunther hide caption

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Julia Gunther

Miss Trans Africa's long wait for freedom

Chedino Martin was 23 years old when she realized she was a transgender woman. She was determined to follow her dream, but had no idea how much luck, patience and strength she would need to get there.

Clifford Walters, a Hawaii man, plead guilty to disturbing wildlife after he tried to help a stranded bison calf reunite with its herd. Hellen Jack/National Park Service hide caption

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Hellen Jack/National Park Service

A tourist pleads guilty for handling a Yellowstone bison calf, leading to its death

The Hawaii resident was charged with one count of intentionally disturbing wildlife after he tried to help a baby bison return to its herd. Park rangers later had to euthanize the abandoned animal.

Foot soldier Paulette Roby stands in Birmingham's Kelly Ingram Park, one of the sites where students peacefully marched in the Spring of 1963 demanding equal rights. Debbie Elliot/NPR hide caption

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Debbie Elliot/NPR

60 years since 'The Children's Crusade' changed Birmingham and the nation

The Birmingham movement in 1963 was a turning point when children joined the struggle for equal rights. The brutal response from white segregationists galvanized support for the Civil Rights Act.

60 years since 'The Children's Crusade' changed Birmingham and the nation

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Floodwater surrounds a house on Sept. 1, 2021, in Jean Lafitte, La. Hurricane Ida made landfall as a powerful Category 4 causing flooding and wind damage along the Gulf Coast. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images

10 states and scores of local governments sue FEMA over higher flood insurance rates

The states — from the Gulf Coast, the West and Midwest — along with dozens of municipalities are trying to block rate hikes under the National Flood Insurance Program.

While it's not unusual for candidates to go through several rounds of job interviews, more companies appear to be stretching that process out. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

It's not just you: Many jobs are requiring more interviews. Here's how to stand out

A recruiter and a dating coach weigh in on the stress of multiple rounds of interviews before a candidate gets an offer, and share tips for navigating the process.

It's not just you: Many jobs are requiring more interviews. Here's how to stand out

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Edith Kanakaʻole chants in the koa forest of Kīpukapuaulu in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park in 1977. She titled the photo "The Growth of Love is the Essence Within the Soul." Franco Salmoiraghi/Hawaii hide caption

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Franco Salmoiraghi/Hawaii

Edith Kanaka'ole is the first Hawaiian woman to grace a U.S. quarter

"Aunty Edith," as she was known, helped revive the Hawaiian language, hula and chant.

Edith Kanaka'ole is the first Hawaiian woman to grace a U.S. quarter

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Residents listen as Sound Impact musicians play during the final performance of their three-day residency at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center in Alexandria, Va. Shuran Huang For NPR hide caption

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Shuran Huang For NPR

Incarcerated teens find escape in music and poems composed with artists

Teens in jail in Virginia collaborate with musicians to compose songs, write poetry and find their voices after run-ins with the law.

Incarcerated teens find escape in music and poems composed with artists

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Rock 'n' roll legend Little Richard is the subject of a new PBS American Masters documentary. He's shown above rehearsing at London's Wembley Stadium in 1972. Tim Graham/Evening Standard/Getty Images hide caption

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Tim Graham/Evening Standard/Getty Images

A Little Richard documentary celebrates the talent — and mystery — of a legend

Fresh Air

A new PBS American Masters documentary showcases the influence of Little Richard, a dynamo performer who never let himself be defined for long by any one musical category or sexual identity.

Ben Folds' first solo album in 15 years, What Matters Most, is on our shortlist of the best releases out on June 2. Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artist

New Music Friday: The best releases out on June 2

Hear the powerfully poetic Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? from McKinley Dixon, a scorcher from Bully, Aisha Badru's Learning to Love Again, the first new solo album in 15 years from Ben Folds and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on June 2

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