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NPR.org's Most Popular Stories

In the last 24 hours, updated hourly

Medical Treatments

COVID-19 Vaccines Might Not Work As Well For Those With Organ Transplants

For most people, COVID-19 vaccines promise a return to something akin to normal life. But for the roughly 500,000 Americans living with organ transplants, it's a different story.

COVID-19 Vaccines Might Not Work As Well For Those With Organ Transplants

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Biden Backs Waiving International Patent Protections For COVID-19 Vaccines

President Biden on Wednesday came out in favor of the World Trade Organization's proposed waiver of patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Coronavirus Updates

Biden Backs Waiving International Patent Protections For COVID-19 Vaccines

President Biden has thrown his support behind waiving intellectual property rights for the vaccines, yielding to international pressure. The move could allow other countries to manufacture the drugs.

50 Years Of NPR

How A Predatory Real Estate Practice Changed The Face Of Compton

In the 1950s, the city of Compton was nearly all-white. But by the 1970s, it had turned majority Black — in part due to a state-sanctioned predatory real estate practice called blockbusting.

How A Predatory Real Estate Practice Changed The Face Of Compton

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Ron DeSantis Pushes Coastal 'Resilience' While Doing Little To Tackle Climate Change

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to the media about the cruise industry during a press conference at PortMiami in April. DeSantis faces criticism for failing to do all he could on Florida's biggest environmental threat: climate change. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Environment

Ron DeSantis Pushes Coastal 'Resilience' While Doing Little To Tackle Climate Change

WMFE

The Florida governor has made the environment a priority, dedicating millions to water quality and coastal infrastructure. But critics say he ignores the biggest threat: carbon emissions.

Ron DeSantis Pushes Coastal 'Resilience' While Doing Little To Tackle Climate Change

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Ed Ward, Rock Critic And Historian, Dead At 72

Ed Ward, photographed in the Rolling Stone office in December, 1970 in San Francisco. Robert Altman/Getty Images hide caption

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Robert Altman/Getty Images

Music News

Ed Ward, Rock Critic And Historian, Dead At 72

Ward spent time writing and editing reviews for a young Rolling Stone – and later became both a broadcast critic and historian, publishing two volumes on the beginnings of rock and roll.

Ed Ward, Rock Critic And Historian, Dead At 72

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Why Is India Running Out Of Oxygen?

A patient breathes with the help of oxygen provided at a tent installed at a gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, in Ghaziabad, India, on May 2. Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Why Is India Running Out Of Oxygen?

Hospitals don't have enough oxygen for patients on ventilators. There are delivery bottlenecks. Families are sometimes told to get their own supplies. Health experts say it didn't have to be this way.

Why Is India Running Out Of Oxygen?

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Author Interviews

Alison Bechdel Takes On Exercise Trends In 'The Secret to Superhuman Strength'

Fresh Air

Bechdel's new graphic memoir is about her lifelong obsession with exercise. She says she has a "predisposition of being extremely self-conscious and very caught up in my head" — and exercise helps.

Alison Bechdel Takes On Exercise Trends In 'The Secret to Superhuman Strength'

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Giving 2 Doses Of Different COVID-19 Vaccines Could Boost Immune Response

Mixing different kinds of COVID-19 vaccines might help boost immune responses, but the idea has been slow to catch on. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Giving 2 Doses Of Different COVID-19 Vaccines Could Boost Immune Response

Using two different COVID-19 vaccines is a bit like giving the immune system two pictures of the virus, maybe one face-on and one in profile.

Giving 2 Doses Of Different COVID-19 Vaccines Could Boost Immune Response

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'History Is Watching': Liz Cheney Doubles Down On Trump Criticism Amid Fallout

Support for Rep. Liz Cheney, seen here on April 20, is crumbling as Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican, is publicly supporting her ouster from the GOP leadership. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images hide caption

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Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Politics

'History Is Watching': Liz Cheney Doubles Down On Trump Criticism Amid Fallout

The No. 3 House Republican has previously warded off an attempt to remove her from her leadership role in the party, but this time around, her support from GOP leaders seems to be crumbling.

Garrett Rolfe, Officer Fired In Rayshard Brooks Killing, Reinstated But Put On Leave

A screen grab from body camera video provided by Atlanta police shows Rayshard Brooks (right) speaking with Garrett Rolfe last June in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta. Atlanta Police Department /Via AP hide caption

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Atlanta Police Department /Via AP

America Reckons With Racial Injustice

Garrett Rolfe, Officer Fired In Rayshard Brooks Killing, Reinstated But Put On Leave

The Atlanta Police Department moved to dismiss Rolfe the day after he shot Brooks. Rolfe will remain on administrative leave until his criminal charges are resolved, the department said.

In Abrupt Reversal, Peloton Agrees To Safety Recall Of Treadmills

Peloton Interactive Inc. is recalling its Tread+ (above) and Tread exercise machines after at least 72 reports of injuries, including the death of a 6-year-old boy. Peloton Interactive Inc. hide caption

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Peloton Interactive Inc.

Business

In Abrupt Reversal, Peloton Agrees To Safety Recall Of Treadmills

The fitness company initially refused to comply with the government's request for a recall after dozens of safety incidents, one of which resulted in a 6-year-old's death.

'The Disciple' Is Triumphant, Even As It Tells A Story Of Failure

Aditya Modak plays an aspiring Hindustani classical musician in The Disciple. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Movie Reviews

'The Disciple' Is Triumphant, Even As It Tells A Story Of Failure

Fresh Air

A young man from Mumbai aspires to be a great classical singer — but he's an erratic performer at best. The Disciple is a richly layered story of artistic struggle.

'The Disciple' Is Triumphant, Even As It Tells A Story Of Failure

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U.S. Birthrate Fell By 4% In 2020, Hitting Another Record Low

Matthew Carnes prepares to change diapers for his newborn daughter, Evelina Carnes, as his wife, Breanna Llamas, keeps watch in the postpartum unit at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., in March. The U.S. has reported another record low in its birthrate. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

National

U.S. Birthrate Fell By 4% In 2020, Hitting Another Record Low

For the sixth year in a row, the number of U.S. births fell in 2020, reaching the lowest level since 1979. The fertility rate remains "below replacement" — the level needed to compensate for deaths.