Accessibility links

Must Reads : The Two-Way Some stories are just too weird, too funny or too sad to ignore. They may not be "serious news," but are so fascinating you must read them. NPR correspondents are on the watch for such tales. We pass along the best, from NPR and other news outlets.

The Two-Way

Must Reads

Friday March 30, 2018

Pope To World: Hell Does Exist

Pope Francis celebrates the Chrism Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on Holy Thursday in Vatican City. Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis/Getty Images

Must Reads

Pope To World: Hell Does Exist

March 30, 2018 • An article by an avowed atheist quoted the pontiff allegedly saying, "Hell does not exist." That set social media aflame and now the Vatican is reminding believers that bad people go to a bad place.

Thursday March 29, 2018

Opening Day: Baseball Is Longer Than Ever, But MLB Is Trying To Change That

Groundskeepers prepare the infield before an opening-day baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday in Baltimore. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Patrick Semansky/AP

Must Reads

Opening Day: Baseball Is Longer Than Ever, But MLB Is Trying To Change That

March 29, 2018 • Winter is over, and the game is going to look slightly different than last year. The league is trying to speed up the pace of play with rule changes.

Must Reads

VIDEO: What Would You Do If A Cheetah Jumped Into Your Car For 10 Minutes?

March 29, 2018 • Wildlife photographer Peter Heistein kept calm and shot video as a cheetah checked out the interior of his vehicle on a safari in Tanzania.

Gonorrhea Strain Thwarts 2 Main Drugs, Raising Concerns It's Becoming Untreatable

The bacterium that causes gonorrhea, Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, has become resistant to multiple kinds of antibiotics. BSIP/UIG via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

BSIP/UIG via Getty Images

Must Reads

Gonorrhea Strain Thwarts 2 Main Drugs, Raising Concerns It's Becoming Untreatable

March 29, 2018 • This is the latest in a long history of gonorrhea developing resistance to antibiotics. It's the first global report of gonorrhea that is resistant to the two main drugs used to treat it.

Wednesday March 28, 2018

Ecuador Disconnects Julian Assange From The Internet

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange talks to supporters outside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he has been in self-imposed exile since 2012. Frank Augstein/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Frank Augstein/AP

Must Reads

Ecuador Disconnects Julian Assange From The Internet

March 28, 2018 • The government of Ecuador said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been living inside its London embassy, was jeopardizing its relationships with other countries in his social media posts.

Tuesday March 27, 2018

'They Don't Care': Whistleblower Says Cambridge Analytica Aims To Undermine Democracy

Whistleblower Christopher Wylie alleges that the campaign for Britain to leave the EU cheated in the referendum in 2016. Alastair Grant/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Alastair Grant/AP

Must Reads

'They Don't Care': Whistleblower Says Cambridge Analytica Aims To Undermine Democracy

March 27, 2018 • "Donald Trump makes it click in your head that this actually has a much wider impact," former Cambridge Analytica employee Christopher Wylie said of Trump's election and the misuse of data.

Prince Died With 'Exceedingly High' Level Of Fentanyl, Report States

Images of the music superstar at Prince's Paisley Park Museum in Chanhassen, Minn. His death has been ruled accidental by the local medical examiner. Adam Bettcher/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Must Reads

Prince Died With 'Exceedingly High' Level Of Fentanyl, Report States

March 27, 2018 • The confidential toxicology information was reported by AP less than a week after a local official said Prince's death investigation remains active. His family is considering a wrongful death lawsuit.

Friday March 23, 2018

Craigslist Shuts Down Personals Section After Congress Passes Bill On Trafficking

Craigslist said Friday that it is taking the site's personals section offline. AP hide caption

toggle caption

AP

Must Reads

Craigslist Shuts Down Personals Section After Congress Passes Bill On Trafficking

March 23, 2018 • Craigslist says it made the change because of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, which is meant to crack down on sex trafficking of children. Free speech advocates are critical of FOSTA.

Thursday March 22, 2018

The Trash Patch In The Pacific Is Many Times Bigger Than We Thought

Trash and assorted garbage collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which has up to 16 times more plastic in it than previously thought. UniversalImagesGroup/UIG via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

UniversalImagesGroup/UIG via Getty Images

Must Reads

The Trash Patch In The Pacific Is Many Times Bigger Than We Thought

March 22, 2018 • In total, scientists say there are about 79,000 tons of plastic in this area, which is more than double the size of Texas.

Wednesday March 21, 2018

WATCH: Robotic Fish Moves Like The Real Thing — So It Can Observe The Real Thing

SoFi, the robotic fish, swims in for its close-up. MIT computer scientists hope SoFi will help marine biologists get a closer (and less obtrusive) look at their subjects than ever before. Robert Katzschmann et al. (Photo: Joseph DelPreto)/MIT CSAIL hide caption

toggle caption

Robert Katzschmann et al. (Photo: Joseph DelPreto)/MIT CSAIL

Must Reads

WATCH: Robotic Fish Moves Like The Real Thing — So It Can Observe The Real Thing

March 21, 2018 • MIT researchers unveiled a Soft Robotic Fish prototype in hopes of boosting aquatic observation. It can wiggle like a fish, dive to 18 meters, work autonomously — and hopefully avoid getting eaten.

Thursday March 15, 2018

Dozens Of Gold Bars Reportedly Fell From An Airplane In Siberia

Gold bars that fell on the runway at an airport in Siberia on Thursday. The Siberian Times/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption

The Siberian Times/Screenshot by NPR

Must Reads

Dozens Of Gold Bars Reportedly Fell From An Airplane In Siberia

March 15, 2018 • A "gold rush" started among residents after the treasure escaped the plane during takeoff, according to local media. There was apparently a hatch failure.

Oklahoma Plans To Use Nitrogen For Executions

The gurney in the the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla. Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption

toggle caption

Sue Ogrocki/AP

Must Reads

Oklahoma Plans To Use Nitrogen For Executions

March 15, 2018 • After having trouble obtaining drugs needed for lethal injections, state officials plan to change the primary method of execution to nitrogen gas inhalation. It would be a first for a U.S. state.

Tuesday March 13, 2018

The Queen Was Paid Less Than Her Prince On Netflix's 'The Crown'

Actors Claire Foy and Matt Smith attend the world premiere of season 2 of Netflix's The Crown in London last year. John Phillips/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

John Phillips/Getty Images

Must Reads

The Queen Was Paid Less Than Her Prince On Netflix's 'The Crown'

March 13, 2018 • The producers of the TV drama say the star, Claire Foy, got less than former Doctor Who star Matt Smith, but also say that will be rectified in future seasons when new actors take over the characters.

Monday March 12, 2018

Greece Suspends Soccer League After Team Owner Invades Field With Gun

PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis invades the pitch during the Greek League soccer match between PAOK and AEK Athens in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Sunday. AP hide caption

toggle caption

AP

Must Reads

Greece Suspends Soccer League After Team Owner Invades Field With Gun

March 12, 2018 • It happened in the final few seconds of the game, after a referee tossed out a goal from PAOK. Greek authorities have reportedly issued an arrest warrant for the team owner, a wealthy businessman.

Friday March 9, 2018

Penguins Mug For Camera, Take A Pretty Great 'Selfie'

Emperor penguins near Australia's Mawson research center in Antarctica took a video "selfie." Australian Antarctic Division/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Australian Antarctic Division/Screenshot by NPR

Must Reads

Penguins Mug For Camera, Take A Pretty Great 'Selfie'

March 9, 2018 • You probably didn't know that emperor penguins are reasonably good at framing a video shot. At a research station in Antarctica, the curious animals provided a bird's-eye view.

More from Must Reads