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Jon Hegwood (left), his son Ryan and father, Michael, at Hegwood's high school graduation ceremony in 2009.

Jon Hegwood (left), his son Ryan and father, Michael, at Hegwood's high school graduation ceremony in 2009. Jon Hegwood family photo hide caption

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Jon Hegwood family photo

My Unsung Hero

A former teen parent shares his gratitude to the principal who insisted he graduate

Jon Hegwood was a teen parent when he told his high school principal, Billy Barnett, that he planned to drop out of school. But Barnett convinced Hegwood to earn his diploma.

UNSUNG HERO -- Jon Hegwood

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An anti-death penalty protester kneels Thursday outside of Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in West Nashville, Tenn., ahead of Oscar Smith's execution.

An anti-death penalty protester kneels Thursday outside of Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in West Nashville, Tenn., ahead of Oscar Smith's execution. Tasha A.F. Lemley/WPLN News hide caption

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Tasha A.F. Lemley/WPLN News

Tennessee executes a man Thursday, ending a pause on lethal injections

 WPLN

The state executed Oscar Franklin Smith Thursday morning for the 1989 killing of his estranged wife and her two children.  It was the first execution in the state following a 3-year pause to update its lethal injection protocol.
President Trump walks out of the Oval Office to announce tariffs on what he called “Liberation Day" on April 2, 2025.

President Trump walks out of the Oval Office to announce tariffs on what he called "Liberation Day" on April 2, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Politics

How Trump made a 30% tariff feel like a relief

It's a pattern in President Trump's chaotic tariff policy: he first suggests a high number, only to later ratchet it down. Business schools call it the 'anchor effect.'

How Trump made a 30% tariff feel like a relief

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WATCH

Tiny Desk Concert: Nao

When the U.K. singer-songwriter brought her band and cosmic energy to the Tiny Desk, the strength and conviction of her performance had fans in the office strapped in for the emotional ride.
Shane Jenkins, seen here in police bodycam footage from Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted of multiple charges in connection with the Capitol riot, including assaulting police, and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Just months after receiving a pardon from President Trump, Jenkins visited the White House along with another former Jan. 6 defendant.

Shane Jenkins, seen here in police bodycam footage from Jan. 6, 2021, was convicted of multiple charges in connection with the Capitol riot, including assaulting police, and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Just months after receiving a pardon from President Trump, Jenkins visited the White House along with another former Jan. 6 defendant. U.S. Department of Justice hide caption

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U.S. Department of Justice

Investigations

A Jan. 6 rioter convicted of assaulting police scored a visit to the White House

Two pardoned Jan. 6 rioters posted photos and videos of themselves visiting the White House. One of them was convicted of assaulting police and texted after the riot, "I have murder in my heart."
Headstones bearing the names of people killed by law enforcement stand in the “Say Their Names” cemetery, a grassroots art installation created by two University of Pennsylvania students. Located just blocks from the George Floyd Memorial in South Minneapolis, the exhibit honors lives lost and calls for justice. Photographed on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn.

Headstones bearing the names of people killed by law enforcement stand in the "Say Their Names" cemetery, a grassroots art installation created by two University of Pennsylvania students. Located just blocks from the George Floyd Memorial in South Minneapolis, the exhibit honors lives lost and calls for justice. Photographed on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. Kerem Yücel/for NPR hide caption

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Kerem Yücel/for NPR

National

Who George Floyd was — and how systemic racism shaped his life

Five years after George Floyd's death, NPR's Michel Martin talks with Toluse Olorunnipa and Robert Samuels, the Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of His Name is George Floyd.

Who was George Floyd?

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World Health Organization's technical lead on Covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove speaks on during a press conference on the World Health Organization's 75th anniversary in Geneva, on April 6, 2023.

World Health Organization's technical lead on Covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove speaks on during a press conference on the World Health Organization's 75th anniversary in Geneva, on April 6, 2023. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Goats and Soda

A top global health expert's message to graduates: Kick the tires

NPR interviews Maria Van Kherkove, the infectious disease epidemiologist who is a leader in the World Health Organization.
Women walk past the damaged house of Jameel Ahmad Sheer Gojri in Naaz Colony, Bandipora, India, on April 27, 2025. Following the Pahalgam attack that killed at least 26 tourists, Indian security forces have demolished several houses linked to active militants across Kashmir, according to officials. (Photo by Faisal Khan / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by FAISAL KHAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Women walk past the damaged house of Jameel Ahmad Sheer Gojri in Naaz Colony, Bandipora, India, on April 27, 2025. Following the Pahalgam attack that killed at least 26 tourists, Indian security forces have demolished several houses linked to active militants across Kashmir, according to officials. (Photo by Faisal Khan / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by FAISAL KHAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) FAISAL KHAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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FAISAL KHAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

World

A family in Indian-administered Kashmir fears being split apart after the militant attack

The husband is from India. The wife is from Pakistan. Their son is Indian and daughters are Pakistani. India blames Pakistan for an April militant attack in Kashmir and ordered Pakistanis to leave.
Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun participates in a session during the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025. Sun is a top investor in Trump's meme coin and says he plans to attend an exclusive dinner with the president.

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun participates in a session during the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025. Sun is a top investor in Trump's meme coin and says he plans to attend an exclusive dinner with the president. Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

Raising ethics questions, top Trump meme coin investors will dine with the president tonight

President Trump is hosting an exclusive dinner tonight for the largest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin, putting the murky world of cryptocurrencies on a collision course with White House ethics.

Meme coin dinner

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Teri Orr, a physiological ecologist at New Mexico State University, inspects the base of a guanacaste tree in Belize where she intends to trap bats later in the night. Scientists say they’ve developed an alternate method of tracking biodiversity that relies on the DNA that animals release into the environment, known as eDNA.

Teri Orr, a physiological ecologist at New Mexico State University, inspects the base of a guanacaste tree in Belize where she intends to trap bats later in the night. Scientists say they've developed an alternate method of tracking biodiversity that relies on the DNA that animals release into the environment, known as eDNA. Luis Echeverría for NPR hide caption

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Luis Echeverría for NPR

Science

Scientists want to track the world's biodiversity using DNA in the air

Scientists have found a way to sample DNA out of the air on a large scale — making it possible to one day track the health and well being of all kinds of species around the world.

A Breakthrough in Tracking Biodiversity

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 28: People participate in a candlelight vigil in front of the main offices of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on March 28, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. On Thursday HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs across the agency and merge core functions into a new organization called the Administration for Healthy America. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

People participate in a candlelight vigil in front of the main offices of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta on March 28. On Thursday HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs across the agency. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images hide caption

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Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Exclusive

National

Diseases are spreading. The CDC isn't warning the public like it was months ago

Some of the CDC's main channels for communicating urgent health information to the public have gone silent.
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - APRIL 9, 2025: A view of Santa Fe from The Cross of the Martyrs monument in Santa Fe, NM on April 9, 2025. CREDIT: Adria Malcolm for NPR

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - APRIL 9, 2025: A view of Santa Fe from The Cross of the Martyrs monument in Santa Fe, NM on April 9, 2025. CREDIT: Adria Malcolm for NPR Adria Malcolm/Adria Malcolm for NPR hide caption

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Adria Malcolm/Adria Malcolm for NPR

National

The blue Land of Enchantment is luring unhappy Texans

New Mexico has quietly become a liberal refuge in the MAGA-red West for Americans who are fleeing extreme conservative strongholds.

The blue state of New Mexico lures unhappy Texans

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Two bins of cucumbers.

The FDA is warning people not to sell, serve or eat cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales between April 29 and May 19. Richard Hamilton Smith/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

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Richard Hamilton Smith/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Food

A salmonella outbreak sickens dozens, prompting a cucumber recall. Here's what to do

The FDA says 26 people, nine of whom were hospitalized, have gotten sick across 15 states. It is still figuring out where the cucumbers were distributed — and warning people to take extra precautions.
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