Accessibility links
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

Monday

Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage in Asheville, N.C.

Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage in Asheville, N.C. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Climate

FAQ: Your house flooded. Now what?

Experts say the first thing is to make sure it's safe to go back inside. Then you need to dry things out as fast as possible.

FLOODED HOMES

Listen · 2:43
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5133829/nx-s1-98a3b61f-2c9b-436d-bfd3-54debc74461b" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
President Joe Biden speaks about student loan relief at Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 8.

President Joe Biden speaks about student loan relief at Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 8. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
 hide caption

toggle caption
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

Education

Two major student loan grace periods are set to expire this week. Here's what to know

Two federal programs that helped federal student loan borrowers ease back into payments are ending. It will have the biggest impact on borrowers with defaulted loans or borrowers who miss payments moving forward.

Hurricane Helene dropped more than 2 feet of rain on Spruce Pine, N.C. The town is home to one of the world's only sources of high purity quartz, which is used to manufacture silicon chips

Hurricane Helene dropped more than 2 feet of rain on Spruce Pine, N.C. The town is home to one of the world's only sources of high-purity quartz, which is used to manufacture silicon chips and solar panels. Spencer Bost hide caption

toggle caption
Spencer Bost

A tiny town just got slammed by Helene. It could massively disrupt the tech industry

Spruce Pine is a major global supplier of high-purity quartz. It's an essential ingredient for microchips and solar panels.

Spruce Pine Flooding

Listen · 2:23
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5133462/nx-s1-f223b218-c04b-4f3a-92a9-8925d6fc3d14" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
This image taken from a video shows Ryan Routh speaking during an interview at a rally in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 27, 2022. Routh is accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course on Sept. 15.

This image taken from a video shows Ryan Routh speaking during an interview at a rally in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 27, 2022. Routh is accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course on Sept. 15. AFPTV/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
AFPTV/AFP/Getty Images

News

Ryan Routh pleads not guilty to attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump

Shackled and dressed in khaki prison garb at a hearing in West Palm Beach, Fla., Routh also requested a jury trial. He faces four other charges, such as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Israeli soldiers are deployed in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Sunday.

Israeli soldiers are deployed in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Sunday. Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

Israel launches a 'limited' ground offensive in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military has launched what it called a "limited, localized" ground offensive in southern Lebanon against the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

San Francisco police officers keep an eye on city workers as they sweep unsanctioned tents and belongings from a street in the Tenderloin

San Francisco police officers keep an eye on city workers as they sweep unsanctioned tents and belongings from a street in the Tenderloin. Martin Kaste/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Martin Kaste/NPR

San Francisco ramps up policing of homeless camps, with the Supreme Court's blessing

There are fewer tents on San Francisco sidewalks. The city has ramped up enforcement of anti-camping laws, and police are playing a bigger role.

HOMELESSNESS POLICE CRACKDOWNS 

Listen · 4:59
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5094930/nx-s1-5188447-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Sunday in Erie, Pennsylvania. Trump continues to campaign in battleground swing states ahead of the final day of voting on November 5, Election Day.

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Sunday in Erie, Pennsylvania. Trump continues to campaign in battleground swing states ahead of the final day of voting on November 5, Election Day. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Elections

Trump turns to darker rhetoric as voting begins

In a pair of weekend events in key swing states, Trump claimed Harris is "mentally disabled" and went on to suggest police violence could curb crime.

Illustration showing an intricate maze formed in the shape of a white speech bubble on a yellow background. The speech bubble maze symbolizes getting to the source of and combatting misinformation with loved ones.
Ricardo Tomás for NPR

Life Kit

To combat misinformation, start with connection, not correction

People trust information more when it comes from sources or contexts they're familiar with. Help counter misinformation in your community by having conversations with your friends and family.

How to talk to your loved ones about misinformation

Listen · 15:49
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-24711/g-s1-25068" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

A van is partially submerged in the Swannanoa River in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sunday in Asheville, N.C.

A van is partially submerged in the Swannanoa River in the Biltmore Village area of Asheville, N.C., on Sunday, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

The death toll rises as rescue crews respond to Hurricane Helene's devastation

Power was out for more than 2 million customers across the Southeast and southern Appalachia on Sunday. Residents in hard-hit western North Carolina and Georgia faced water outages.

Saturday

The World Flight crew at Sand Point, Washington in 1924, before the start of their round-the-world journey. Staff Sgt. Henry Ogden (promoted to Lt. during the journey) is second to left.

The World Flight crew at Sand Point, Washington in 1924, before the start of their round-the-world journey. Staff Sgt. Henry Ogden (promoted to Lt. during the journey) is second to left. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution hide caption

toggle caption
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

‘Best kept secret’ in aviation history gets a once-in-a-century celebration in Seattle

The aviation world celebrates the 100-year anniversary when in 1924 six U.S. Army Air Corps pilots completed the first flight around the globe

‘Best kept secret’ in aviation history gets a once-in-a-century celebration in Seattle

Listen · 3:39
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5119937/nx-s1-86d6d944-cd44-4227-9a52-d792cdf01025" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Butch Wilmore, far left, and Suni Williams, far right, welcome Nick Hague, front left in blue, and Alexander Gorbunov, front right in blue, on Sunday. Behind them, from left in black, are NASA's Jeanette Epps, Russia's Alexander Grebenkin, NASA's Mike Barratt and NASA's Matthew Dominick. From left, in red, are Russia's Ivan Vagner, NASA's Don Pettit and Russia's Alexei Ovchinin.

Butch Wilmore, far left, and Suni Williams, far right, welcome Nick Hague, front left in blue, and Alexander Gorbunov, front right in blue, on Sunday. Behind them, from left in black, are NASA's Jeanette Epps, Russia's Alexander Grebenkin, NASA's Mike Barratt and NASA's Matthew Dominick. From left, in red, are Russia's Ivan Vagner, NASA's Don Pettit and Russia's Alexei Ovchinin. NASA/AP hide caption

toggle caption
NASA/AP

Space

SpaceX crew arrives at the ISS, with plans to bring back 2 stranded astronauts

Two astronauts were launched on a five-month mission that also hopes to rescue two NASA astronauts left behind on the ISS. The four are expected to return to Earth in February.

David Hester inspects damages of his house on Saturday after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Fla.

David Hester inspects damages of his house on Saturday after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Fla. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Death toll from Hurricane Helene mounts as aftermath assessment begins

More than 60 people were reported dead across the southeastern U.S. and millions were without power. Widespread flooding and landslides and cellular outages in western North Carolina impeded rescues.