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Laurel Wamsley Laurel Wamsley is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She reports breaking news for NPR's digital coverage, newscasts, and news magazines, as well as occasional features.
Laurel Wamsley at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., November 7, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
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Laurel Wamsley

An amusement park Haunted Mansion delivers summer screams and lifelong memories

Randy Curry, a mechanic who's part of the family that owns Funland, has been working at the park since 1972. Laurel Wamsley/ NPR hide caption

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Laurel Wamsley/ NPR

National

An amusement park Haunted Mansion delivers summer screams and lifelong memories

At an old-school amusement park in Rehoboth Beach, Del., called Funland, a generation of thrillseekers who grew up screaming in the park's Haunted Mansion now brings their kids to do the same.

An amusement park Haunted Mansion delivers summer screams and lifelong memories

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National

Counselors in Uvalde try to help the community heal

Following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, counselors are helping people deal with grief and anger. Uvalde counselors and their counterparts in Newtown, Conn., talk about the mental health journey ahead.

Counselors in Uvalde try to help the community heal

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In Uvalde, a woman in clown colors makes kids smile

Dunbar hands cotton candy to Israel on Tuesday. Laurel Wamsley/NPR hide caption

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Uvalde elementary school shooting

In Uvalde, a woman in clown colors makes kids smile

A few yards from the central memorial for the shooting victims, a clown hands out snow cones and toys for free to all. She says it's her way to give back — and she wants the gun violence to stop.

In Uvalde, a woman in clown colors makes kids smile

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The U.S. is uniquely terrible at protecting children from gun violence

A memorial is seen outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, following the attack there this week in which 19 students and two adults were killed. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Uvalde elementary school shooting

The U.S. is uniquely terrible at protecting children from gun violence

The massacre in Uvalde, Texas, was yet another grim reminder that in the U.S., children are more likely to die from gun violence than in any other wealthy nation. And it's getting worse.

The Buffalo shooting is a reminder that millions don't live near a grocery store

A cyclist pauses outside the site of the supermarket shooting in Buffalo, N.Y. With the Tops store closed for the foreseeable future, the community around it has been left without easy access to healthy and affordable food. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

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Matt Rourke/AP

Health

The Buffalo shooting is a reminder that millions don't live near a grocery store

Grocery stores provide healthy foods, create jobs and offer a place for community connection. "We started calling them front-line and essential workers for a reason," says one food access advocate.

Mariupol has fallen to Russia. Here's what that means for Ukraine

A Russian serviceman patrols the destroyed part of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Ukraine's port city of Mariupol on Wednesday. Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Mariupol has fallen to Russia. Here's what that means for Ukraine

After months of fighting and shelling, Ukraine has ended its combat mission in Mariupol, and its remaining soldiers have been evacuated to Russian-held territory.

How medication abortion works and what the end of Roe v. Wade could mean for it

Containers of mifepristone and misoprostol — medications used to end a pregnancy — sit on a table inside of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights, Ill. Jeff Roberson/AP hide caption

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Jeff Roberson/AP

Reproductive rights in America

How medication abortion works and what the end of Roe v. Wade could mean for it

More people seeking abortions are turning to abortion pills rather than surgical abortion. Here's what to know about the pills, which will likely be at the center of the abortion battles ahead.

Rape has reportedly become a weapon in Ukraine. Finding justice may be difficult

A woman representing a rape victim leads protesters in Berlin demonstrating in an April 16 march against Russian military aggression in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Syria. Adam Berry/Getty Images hide caption

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Adam Berry/Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Rape has reportedly become a weapon in Ukraine. Finding justice may be difficult

Widespread allegations of rape at the hands of Russian soldiers have been coming out of Ukraine. Experts say rape in conflict is often used to pursue strategic aims.

What Brittney Griner's detention in Russia tells us about basketball's gender pay gap

Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury appears during pregame warmups at Footprint Center in Phoenix last fall. Mike Mattina/Getty Images hide caption

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Sports

What Brittney Griner's detention in Russia tells us about basketball's gender pay gap

"The reality is, she's over there because of a gender issue ― pay inequity," the head of the WNBA's players union said this week about the basketball star who's been detained in Russia since February.

Putin's daughters were just sanctioned. Here's what we know about them

Vladimir Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova speaks via video link during a panel session last year at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — Russia's version of Davos. Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Putin's daughters were just sanctioned. Here's what we know about them

Details about Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova have long been shrouded in secrecy. The U.S. says Putin's two daughters — one a doctor, the other a tech executive — may be hiding his assets.

After the Sacramento shooting, the state with the most gun laws may soon get more

A Sacramento city police officer stands near a field of evidence markers after a mass shooting that left six people dead over the weekend. Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption

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Rich Pedroncelli/AP

National

After the Sacramento shooting, the state with the most gun laws may soon get more

The shooting in Sacramento that left six people dead over the weekend has prompted urgent calls across the state for more gun control. The question is, how much further can California go?

The U.S. is ending its pandemic border rules. It could mean a surge in migration

Customs and Border Protection agents apprehend a group of Brazilian migrants in Otay Mesa, Calif., in August 2021. Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

National

The U.S. is ending its pandemic border rules. It could mean a surge in migration

The Biden administration is moving to end sweeping pandemic border restrictions known as Title 42 on May 23. The controversial public health order was used to quickly expel migrants at the border.