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Abortion rights protesters unfurl a banner right after Missouri senators passed a measure that, if approved by voters in 2026, could ban most abortions in the state.

Abortion rights protesters unfurl a banner right after Missouri senators passed a measure that, if approved by voters in 2026, could ban most abortions in the state. Jason Rosenbaum/St. Louis Public Radio hide caption

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Jason Rosenbaum/St. Louis Public Radio

National

Missouri GOP legislators approve ballot item that would again ban most abortions

 St. Louis Public Radio

Republicans stopped a Democratic filibuster with a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to pass a ballot item that would repeal protections for abortion rights that voters approved last year.
President Trump arrives in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday. Trump touched down at Hamad International Airport, with relations between the two governments in the spotlight over Qatar's offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One.

President Trump arrives in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday. Trump touched down at Hamad International Airport, with relations between the two governments in the spotlight over Qatar's offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

Republicans voice concern over Trump's support for a new Air Force One from Qatar

In a rare break with the president, some inside the GOP are expressing concern over the potential national security risks of accepting a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to replace Air Force One.

WATCH

The Arcs: Tiny Desk Concert

Dan Auerbach turns 45 today. In 2016, he brought The Arcs and mariachi band Flor de Toloache to celebrate our 500th Tiny Desk concert.
Nick Fuentes, seen here in 2020, is widely known for his white nationalist and antisemitic views, including Holocaust denial. An official in the Trump administration advocated for the social media platform X to remove its ban on Fuentes over hate speech and was also spotted in the crowd at a 2024 Fuentes rally.

Nick Fuentes, seen here in 2020, is widely known for his white nationalist and antisemitic views, including Holocaust denial. An official in the Trump administration advocated for the social media platform X to remove its ban on Fuentes over hate speech and was also spotted in the crowd at a 2024 Fuentes rally. Zach D. Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

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Zach D. Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Investigations

Multiple Trump White House officials have ties to antisemitic extremists

NPR has identified three Trump administration officials with close ties to antisemitic extremists, including a prominent Holocaust denier.

White House ties to antisemitic extremists

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Argentina's President Javier Milei greets supporters during the closing campaign rally for Manuel Adorni, a contender in the upcoming elections for the Buenos Aires city legislature, in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday.

Argentina's President Javier Milei greets supporters during the closing campaign rally for Manuel Adorni, a contender in the upcoming elections for the Buenos Aires city legislature, in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday. Rodrigo Abd/AP hide caption

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Rodrigo Abd/AP

The Americas

Argentina orders immigration crackdown with decree to 'make Argentina great again'

In a country that has long prided itself on its openness to immigrants, the declaration drew criticism from the Argentine president's opponents and prompted comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Fuerza Regida’s 111XPANTIA, which just hit No. 2 on the Billboard chart, now holds the highest chart position in the history of regional Mexican music

Fuerza Regida's 111XPANTIA, which just hit No. 2 on the Billboard chart, now holds the highest chart position in the history of regional Mexican music Randy Holmes/Disney/Getty Images hide caption

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Randy Holmes/Disney/Getty Images

Music

Two Spanish-language albums top the Billboard chart for the first time ever

Bad Bunny's DeBÍ TiRAR Más FOToS and Fuerza Regida's 111XPANTIA hold down the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on this week's Billboard 200, making this the first week in history with Spanish-language albums in the chart's top two spots.
David Axelrod asks Pete Buttigieg questions during an event at the University of Chicago on October 18, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois.

David Axelrod asks Pete Buttigieg questions during an event at the University of Chicago on October 18, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Interview highlights

A new book has 'troubling' allegations about Biden's cognitive decline, David Axelrod says

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Democratic strategist David Axelrod about Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's book, which explores Biden's decline and how his inner circle has concealed it from the public.

David Axelrod discusses allegations of former President Biden's declining health

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Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave a courtroom in blue jumpsuits.

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave the courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., in August 1990. They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996 — and resentenced this week. Nick Ut/AP hide caption

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Nick Ut/AP

Explainer

National

The Menendez brothers are one step closer to freedom. What to know about their case

A Los Angeles judge resentenced Lyle and Erik Menendez, who have spent over three decades behind bars for the 1989 killing of their parents. They are now eligible for parole — but it's not guaranteed.
Hungry dislocated Palestinians rush to food distribution kitchen and extend their empty containers to receive food in Gaza, Palestinian territories, on May 7, 2025. United Nations has issued a "stark warning" after two months of Israel's nearly total blockade of Gaza, where food is scarce and "people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing".

Hungry dislocated Palestinians rush to food distribution kitchen and extend their empty containers to receive food in Gaza, Palestinian territories, on May 7, 2025. United Nations has issued a "stark warning" after two months of Israel's nearly total blockade of Gaza, where food is scarce and "people are fighting over water amid relentless bombing". Moiz Salhi/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Moiz Salhi/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Interview highlights

Gaza is starving as Israel's blockade continues, an aid official says

NPR's Juana Summers talks to Antoine Renard, of the U.N. World Food Programme, about the increasing risk of famine in Gaza as Israel's aid blockade continues.

Report finds dire risk of starvation in Gaza as Israeli blockade continues

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Members of the French Navy monitor radar in the control bridge in low light conditions during an anti-drug interception mission by the French surveillance frigate FS Ventose sailing off the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on November 16, 2024.

Members of the French Navy monitor radar in the control bridge in low light conditions during an anti-drug interception mission by the French surveillance frigate FS Ventose sailing off the French Caribbean island of Martinique, on November 16, 2024. JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Word of the week

Carrots, death rays and passing ships. This is the origin story of the word radar

The nation's aviation infrastructure is again under scrutiny, following a series of paralyzing communications and radar outages at some of the country's busiest airports. Here is a look at the scientific origins of radar.
Qatari airforce escorts the plane transporting U.S. President Donald Trump as it prepares to land in Doha from Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025. Trump touched down at Hamad International Airport in Doha, with relations between the two governments in the spotlight over Qatar's offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use.

Qatari airforce escorts the plane transporting U.S. President Donald Trump as it prepares to land in Doha from Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025. Trump touched down at Hamad International Airport in Doha, with relations between the two governments in the spotlight over Qatar's offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Interview highlights

Trump accepting a plane from Qatar could be a national security risk. Here's how

An aviation analyst says accepting a Qatari plane could possibly burden the government by utilizing more time and resources in order to ensure the president's safety.

Aviation analyst details the risks of converting a Qatari jet into Air Force One

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Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, seen here in 2023, has championed the new state education standards that include instructions for students to “identify discrepancies in 2020 election results."

Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, seen here in 2023, has championed the new state education standards that include instructions for students to "identify discrepancies in 2020 election results." Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption

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Sue Ogrocki/AP

Elections

Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election 'discrepancies'

 KGOU

New academic standards in Oklahoma call for the teaching of "discrepancies" in the 2020 election, continuing the spread of a false narrative years after it was first pushed by Trump and his allies.
A demonstrator carrying a sign that says “VOTING RIGHTS NOW” walks across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in 2022 in Washington, D.C.

A demonstrator carrying a sign that says "VOTING RIGHTS NOW" walks across the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in 2022 in Washington, D.C. Samuel Corum/Getty Images hide caption

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Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Elections

A federal appeals panel has made enforcing the Voting Rights Act harder in 7 states

After a challenge by Republican officials in North Dakota, a federal appeals panel struck down a key way of enforcing the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in seven states.
Shipping cranes sit idle at the Port of Long Beach on May 6 in California. Los Angeles and Long Beach ports were seeing significant drops in expected cargo ships coming into port due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

Shipping cranes sit idle at the Port of Long Beach on May 6 in California. Los Angeles and Long Beach ports were seeing significant drops in expected cargo ships coming into port due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

LA port chief says uncertainty remains as U.S.-China agree to trade war pause

 WBUR

Gene Seroka says shipping volume to the Port of LA remains down as companies wait to see how trade negotiations unfold.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La. (, joined from left by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., talks to reporters about his push for a House-Senate compromise budget resolution to advance President Donald Trump's agenda, even with opposition from hard-line conservative Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, April 8, 2025.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., joined (from left) by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, April 8, 2025. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Interview highlights

Medicaid cuts will hurt families and cost the GOP politically, Kentucky's governor says

Republicans' proposed Medicaid cuts will cause 8.6 million people to lose health insurance by 2034, an estimate shows. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said it will cost Republicans seats in Congress.

Democrats sound alarm over GOP Medicaid proposal they say could affect millions

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The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa to arrive for resettlement listen to remarks from US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau (right) after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on May 12.

The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa to arrive for resettlement listen to remarks from US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau (right) after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on May 12. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Immigration

Episcopal Church leader says helping Afrikaners over other refugees is 'unfathomable'

The Episcopal Church says it will not assist with the resettlement of white South Africans and will end its government partnership to support refugees. The church's presiding bishop, Sean Rowe, explains why.

Episcopal Church will not help resettle white Afrikaners, citing moral opposition

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A high-angle, close-up photograph shows a person holding and reviewing a grocery store receipt in the parking lot, and their grocery cart full of purchased food sits in the background.

Beautiful young woman looking at the receipt from the grocery store at night. Close-up. urbazon/Getty Images hide caption

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urbazon/Getty Images

Life Kit

NPR listeners share their best money-saving hacks at the grocery store

Check your receipt. Grow your own veggies. Ask about senior discounts. NPR readers share their top tips on cutting costs at the grocery store.

How to save big on groceries

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