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Friday

Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa, in Los Angeles, Calif. in 1986.

Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa, in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1986. Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Culture

Gene Hackman's pacemaker activity suggests he died several days before he was found

Hackman's pacemaker was last active on Feb. 17, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. He said Friday it is "a very good assumption" that was his death date.

Thornetta Davis, 61, also known as “Detroit's Queen of Blues” performed as Bessie Smith for “Sky Covington’s Satin Doll Revue” produced by jazz vocalist and Preservation of Jazz founder Sky Covington celebrating iconic sounds of jazz at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe in Detroit, Mich. on Feb. 24, 2025. “I’ve had people tell me I've lifted their spirits when they weren't feeling right,” Davis said. “That's what I'm here to do and pass on the legacy, too.”

Thornetta Davis, also known as "Detroit's Queen of Blues," performed as Bessie Smith for Sky Covington's "Satin Doll Revue," produced by Covington, a jazz vocalist and Preservation of Jazz founder. The event celebrated iconic the sounds of jazz at Aretha's Jazz Café in Detroit, Mich., on Monday. Sylvia Jarrus/for NPR hide caption

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Sylvia Jarrus/for NPR

The Picture Show

Detroit closes out Black History Month by honoring iconic legends of jazz and blues

The iconic voices of female jazz & blues legends Billie Holiday, Phyllis Hyman, Nancy Wilson and Bessie Smith were honored at Aretha's Jazz Café in Detroit for Black History Month

Nuns pray for Pope Francis on Saturday in front of Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where the Pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb.14.

Nuns pray for Pope Francis on Saturday in front of Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, where the Pontiff has been hospitalized since Feb.14. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP hide caption

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Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Europe

Pope Francis is in stable condition after a respiratory relapse, the Vatican says

The Vatican says Pope Francis's condition has stabilized after a breathing crisis in hospital on Friday — two weeks after he was first admitted to hospital in Rome with bronchitis.

Price of Palestinian prisoner release, and gridlock hell in Lagos

Eyad Abu Shkheidem in his family's home in Hebron. Daniel Estrin/NPR hide caption

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Daniel Estrin/NPR

State of the World from NPR

Price of Palestinian prisoner release, and gridlock hell in Lagos

A Palestinian man serving 18 life sentences for a pair of bus bombings in 2004 speaks to NPR days after his release. And, the average person in Lagos, Nigeria, spends over 6 hours of their day in traffic - have new Chinese-backed railways made a difference?

Price of Palestinian prisoner release, and gridlock hell in Lagos

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The Skype logo is pictured at Skype headquarters in Luxembourg on May 10, 2011.

The Skype logo is pictured at Skype headquarters in Luxembourg on May 10, 2011. Microsoft says the free video calling service will end in May. Anonymous/AP hide caption

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Anonymous/AP

Technology

Microsoft will end Skype in May, leaving some users upset

Microsoft says it will wind down the pioneering and once ubiquitous free video calling service so it can streamline its consumer communications offerings, such as Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft will end Skype in May, leaving some users upset

The Black Gospel Archive houses records, cassettes and other artifacts from the “golden era of gospel.” The archive, inside Baylor University’s Moody Memorial Library, also holds an online collection that can be accessed by anyone.

The Black Gospel Archive houses records, cassettes and other artifacts from the "golden era of gospel." The archive, inside Baylor University's Moody Memorial Library, also holds an online collection that can be accessed by anyone. Molly-Jo Tilton/KWBU hide caption

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Molly-Jo Tilton/KWBU

Music

Black Gospel Archive fills gaps in gospel music history

The Black Gospel Archive at Baylor University is the world's largest digital collection of gospel music. Now, it wants to collect oral histories around its rare recordings.

BLACK GOSPEL ARCHIVE

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Thieves have targeted trains known to be carrying valuables like electronics and high-end footwear.

Thieves have targeted trains known to be carrying valuables like electronics and high-end footwear. Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America

National

Daring train thieves target BNSF Railway, stealing $2M worth of Nike and other goods

Train heists aren't just a thing of the Old West. A series of brazen train robberies has emerged across the western United States and authorities say the thieves focus on high-value containers.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

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Matt Rourke/AP

National

Trump took down police misconduct database, but states can still share background check info

In the flurry of first-day executive orders, President Trump revoked a 2022 police accountability package, including a system to flag misconduct.

Trump took down police misconduct database, but states can still share info

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In this photo taken in the Oval Office, President Trump sits on a yellow upholstered chair on the right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits on a similar chair on the left. Trump is wearing a blue suit with a red tie, and Zelenskyy is wearing black pants and a long-sleeved black shirt. Behind them is a fireplace.

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Zelenskyy leaves the White House early after Trump meeting gets heated

A meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy grew contentious, with Trump telling Zelenskyy, "You're not acting at all thankful" for U.S. support.

Several conservative commentators and activists hold up white binders outside the White House.

(From L) Political commentator Rogan O'Handley, aka DC Draino, TikToker Chaya Raichik, conservative activist Scott Presler, commentator Liz Wheeler and conservative political commentator Chad Prather carry binders containing Jeffrey Epstein files out of the White House on Thursday. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

What to know about the Epstein files release, from redactions to 'Rickrolling'

The Trump administration touted the release of files in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, on Thursday. But the documents contained no new revelations.

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, center, and other tech leaders attend the inauguration of President Trump on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, center, shown at the inauguration ceremony of President Trump at the U.S. Capitol in January. Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

The 'Washington Post' in crisis

Bezos' changes at 'Washington Post' lead to mass subscription cancellations — again

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos's changes to the opinion pages have led subscribers to cancel in droves. It's the third wave of mass cancellations at the Post in just a few months.

Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands during their meeting at Trump Tower, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York.

Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands during their meeting at Trump Tower, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP hide caption

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Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Ukraine invasion — explained

Meeting Trump at White House, Zelenskyy hopes for continued aid in war with Russia

The meeting comes about a week after Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator and repeated Kremlin talking points, including suggesting that Ukraine started the war with Russia.