An image captured from a SpaceX livestream shows the European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft preparing to lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday. SpaceX/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
U.S. News and National Top Stories NPR coverage of national news, U.S. politics, elections, business, arts, culture, health and science, and technology. Subscribe to the NPR Nation RSS feed.
National
Debris seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30, in Asheville, N.C. Mike Stewart/AP hide caption
The new Supreme Court term started Monday, but it also declined to intervene several controversial cases. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images hide caption
Workers place sheets of wood over windows and glass doors to protect them from the strong winds expected with the arrival of Hurricane Milton in the hotel zone of Cancun, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, on Monday. Hurricane Milton exploded in strength Monday to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, the second ferocious storm to hit the region in as many weeks. Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
In Swannanoa, N.C., neighbors didn't wait for government assistance before jumping in to help each other after flooding and landslides. Some critics point to the high number of grassroots efforts as proof the government has abandoned Helene victims. Gerard Albert III/BPR hide caption
In many instances the disaster response to Helene has been politicized
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump addresses a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds on Sunday in Butler, Pa. This was the first time that Trump has returned to Butler since he was injured during an attempted assassination on July 13. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption
Trump and his faithful followers return to Butler, Pa., to energize the flock
Chelsea Andrews (white hat), president and executive director of Montgomery County's Housing Opportunities Commission, adjusts Maryland State Delegate Lorig Charkoudian's hardhat during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hillandale Gateway housing development in Silver Spring, Md. The HOC says it owns more than 9,400 apartment, townhome and single-family home rental properties and provides subsidized housing for more than 9,300 households. Alyssa Schukar/for NPR hide caption
Samantha and Ariane Buck have struggled with medical debt for years, making it difficult at times to provide for their children. A ballot measure in their state of Arizona to cap interest rates on medical debt passed overwhelmingly, fueled by support from Democrats and Republicans. Ash Ponders for KFF Health News hide caption
Corey Widmer says strangers jumped in to help when his car stalled. The experience has made him think more about how he can help others. Corey Widmer hide caption
The U.S. Supreme Court begins a new term this week, with public opinion of the court at near record lows. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption
A Trump and Harris sign side-by-side in a neighborhood on Oct. 3, 2024 in Hillsdale, Mich. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption
An aerial view shows flood damage left by Hurricane Helene along the Nolichucky River in norteastern Tennessee on Sept. 28. ecovery has been slow in the mountainous area of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. George Walker IV/AP hide caption
Latino farm workers impacted by floods in Tennessee find support from the community
Luis Beltran sells ice cream at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. Wendy Correa for NPR hide caption
Customers check mostly empty bread shelves at a shopping warehouse in Kissimmee, Florida on Sunday. Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A Duke Energy lineman works on a line the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28 in Asheville, N.C. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption
Nibi, shown above, was found on the side of a road when she was just a baby. Efforts to familiarize her with other beavers were not successful and she preferred to be near humans, according to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue. Newhouse Wildlife Rescue hide caption
Lyle Menendez (second from left) and his brother, Erik are flanked by their attorneys Gerald Chaleff (left) and Robert Shapiro, in Beverly Hills Municipal Court in 1990. Nick Ut/AP hide caption
The Kansas Legislature, seen here opening its lawmaking session in January, 2020, is one of 20 states where Republicans have a "supermajority" that allows them to override vetoes by the governor. Kansas Democrats hope to break the supermajority in the November election. Orlin Wagner/AP hide caption
Smokestacks at the San Juan Generating station in New Mexico fall in an explosive demolition on Aug. 24. Benjamin Hunter/Ecoflight hide caption
The office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, pictured here, sued a crypto scam company known as SpireBit and seized its assets. The proceeds have now been handed back to victims of the scheme. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption
Volunteers for the Walworth County Democrats fold pamphlets for canvassers ahead of this year's presidential election. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
In states where votes are close, organizers are aiming to 'lose by less.' Why?
Lance Wallnau preaches to attendees at the Courage Tour inside the Monroeville Convention Center on September 28, 2024 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/for NPR hide caption
Pro-Trump Christian nationalists are on tour to recruit election workers
A member of the New York Police Department patrols in front of the synagogue Congregation Bais Yaakov Nechamia Dsatmar on Oct. 13, 2023 in the Williamsburg neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images hide caption
A view of the U.S. Supreme Court building Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption