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Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on Friday, May 16.

Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on Friday, May 16. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP hide caption

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Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Israel says it will allow a 'basic quantity' of food into Gaza to prevent starvation

Israel blocked all supplies into Gaza for nearly three months, the longest blockade it has ever imposed on Gaza. But Israel is relenting amid international pressure to allow food into the territory.

Israel launches new ground offensive in Gaza as ceasefire negotiations held

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Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen BLET Union Hold posters as they take part during a Strike outside NJ Transit's Headquarters on May 16, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. About 450 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen walked off the job after talks with NJ Transit broke down over pay. The strike, NJ Transit's first in over 40 years, has disrupted travel for roughly 350,000 commuters across New Jersey and New York City, forcing many to find alternative routes or stay home altogether.

Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen BLET Union Hold posters as they take part during a Strike outside NJ Transit's Headquarters on May 16, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. About 450 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen walked off the job after talks with NJ Transit broke down over pay. The strike, NJ Transit's first in over 40 years, has disrupted travel for roughly 350,000 commuters across New Jersey and New York City, forcing many to find alternative routes or stay home altogether. Kena Betancur/Getty Images hide caption

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Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Tentative deal ends NJ Transit strike with full service to resume Tuesday, union says

 WNYC Radio

The agreement ends a strike that had shut down rail service across the state since Friday, officials said.
Dolly Baskin assesses damage down Penrose Street while standing in front of her north St. Louis home on Saturday. Storms and a tornado swept through a large part of the city’s center the prior day, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving at least five people dead.

Dolly Baskin assesses damage down Penrose Street while standing in front of her north St. Louis home on Saturday. Storms and a tornado swept through a large part of the city's center the prior day, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving at least five people dead. Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio hide caption

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Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louisians face devastating damage after a tornado kills 5

 St. Louis Public Radio

More than 5,000 homes were impacted, and 38 people were injured after an EF3 tornado tore across St. Louis.

WATCH

Death Becomes Her: Tiny Desk Concert

The delightfully unhinged musical of the cult classic film gets the Tiny Desk treatment.
A damaged building is seen after an explosion in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday.

A damaged building is seen after an explosion in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday. Eric Thayer/AP hide caption

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Eric Thayer/AP

National

FBI says primary suspect in Calif. fertility clinic bombing likely died in the blast

Investigators have identified Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, as the primary suspect in the explosion that injured four others.

PALM SPRINGS CLINIC BLAST

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Smoke come out from kiln at a brickfield on the outskirt of Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 6, 2021. The world is going through a speedy urbanization and Bangladesh is not an exception from this. Such rapid urbanization generates a massive demand for bricks as it is one of the key ingredients to build concrete structure. To meet this growing need, numbers of brick making field have been increasing at an alarming rate in Bangladesh. Most of them took place in farming lands which causes reduction of agricultural production. We know that burning coal causes tremendous emission of Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) gas which is primarily responsible for climate change. Brick making fields use coal as fuel to burn raw bricks. Burning coal is also foremost cause of acid rain, and toxic air pollution. Workers work here from dawn to dusk still their wage is not up to the minimum standard.

Smoke come out from kiln at a brickfield on the outskirt of Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 6, 2021. The world is going through a speedy urbanization and Bangladesh is not an exception from this. Such rapid urbanization generates a massive demand for bricks as it is one of the key ingredients to build concrete structure. To meet this growing need, numbers of brick making field have been increasing at an alarming rate in Bangladesh. Most of them took place in farming lands which causes reduction of agricultural production. We know that burning coal causes tremendous emission of Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) gas which is primarily responsible for climate change. Brick making fields use coal as fuel to burn raw bricks. Burning coal is also foremost cause of acid rain, and toxic air pollution. Workers work here from dawn to dusk still their wage is not up to the minimum standard. Ahmed Salahuddin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)/NurPhoto hide caption

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Ahmed Salahuddin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)/NurPhoto

Goats and Soda

A study finds stacking bricks differently could help this country fight air pollution

Bangladesh suffers from extreme air pollution, but a new study shows the brick industry can make small changes to have a big effect on the country's smog problem.
Israeli soldiers move tanks around staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Israeli soldiers move tanks around staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Sunday, May 18, 2025. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption

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Ariel Schalit/AP

Middle East

Israel holds ceasefire talks with Hamas, as new ground operation in Gaza begins

Israel and Hamas have entered the most substantive negotiations in months in Qatar. The talks come amid intense Israeli airstrikes that have killed more than 500 Palestinians in the past five days.

New ceasefire talks are underway between Israel and Hamas

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Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his revised 2025-2026 state budget during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his revised 2025-2026 state budget during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption

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Rich Pedroncelli/AP

National

These Democratic governors are trying to curb health care for unauthorized immigrants

After expanding state Medicaid programs to cover people in the country without legal status, Democrats are considering changes that would reduce immigrant access.

IMMIGRANT HEALTH CARE CUTS

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The Chamatkarik Shree Hanumanji Mandir in the old city of Ahmedabad in western India, which is seen by worshippers as a place where prayers to obtain visas to Western countries are answered. On a recent day, men and women, sometimes families, shuffled in to pray, some paying the priest to take their passports to wave before the idol of the beloved Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. The “visa temples” spotlight the difficulties that many Indian nationals face in traveling to the West, and why some pay traffickers to get to the U.S. Diaa Hadid, Ahmedabad, Wednesday, March 19.

The Chamatkarik Shree Hanumanji Mandir in the old city of Ahmedabad in western India, which is seen by worshippers as a place where prayers to obtain visas to Western countries are answered. On a recent day, men and women, sometimes families, shuffled in to pray, some paying the priest to take their passports to wave before the idol of the beloved Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. The "visa temples" spotlight the difficulties that many Indian nationals face in traveling to the West, and why some pay traffickers to get to the U.S. Diaa Hadid, Ahmedabad, Wednesday, March 19. Diaa Hadid/NPR hide caption

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Diaa Hadid/NPR

Asia

Indians still pray at 'visa temples' after the U.S. deported migrants in chains

Hindu temples offer prayers for a path to the U.S. But some in India were stunned by the way the U.S. deported Indians despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friendship with President Trump.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is seen during a press conference on May 7 in Washington, D.C. Bondi's Department of Justice recently charged a few noncitizens for alleged illegal voting, citing assistance from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is seen during a press conference on May 7 in Washington, D.C. Bondi's Department of Justice recently charged a few noncitizens for alleged illegal voting, citing assistance from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption

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Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Deep Dive

Elections

Trump's DOJ focuses in on voter fraud, with a murky assist from DOGE

President Trump and his allies have long made false claims of widespread noncitizen voting. Now, as the GOP pursues new restrictions, experts worry isolated arrests will be used to push the new rules.
Seinfeld shot on the Radford Studio center's backlot built to look like New York City. It was built in the 1990s to ensure the production wouldn't move to New York.

Seinfeld shot on the Radford Studio center's backlot built to look like New York City. It was built in the 1990s to ensure the production wouldn't move to New York. Eilish M. Nobes/Radford Studio Center hide caption

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Eilish M. Nobes/Radford Studio Center

Culture

Amid global competition for production business, Hollywood is hurting

Hollywood's plummeting film and TV production levels have studio executives and grassroots groups pushing for better incentives to keep business in California.

Hollywood is facing an 'existential moment' as production levels plummet

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Cassie Ventura (left) and Sean Combs at the Met Gala in New York City in 2017. Ventura testified for the prosecution in the criminal trial of Combs, who is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transporting to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Cassie Ventura (left) and Sean Combs at the Met Gala in New York City in 2017. Ventura testified for the prosecution in the criminal trial of Combs, who is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transporting to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images hide caption

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Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Sean Combs trial

Sean Combs trial: Cassie concludes four days of testimony

On Friday, Sean Combs' defense lawyers questioned Cassie Ventura about how much of the former couple's activities she willingly participated in. "I had to fight my way out," she said.
Close-up photo of pinback button with text reading Reagan, Let's Make America Great Again, for Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential election campaign.

Close-up photo of pinback button with text reading Reagan, Let's Make America Great Again, for Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential election campaign. Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images hide caption

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Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images

Politics

The first time we had 'one big, beautiful bill' we called it Reaganomics

Budget reconciliation may not be catchy, but it's been a vital tool for many presidents, including Ronald Reagan, whose first federal budget was a watershed in the history of federal fiscal policy.
9780593462003.jpg
Illustrations © 2025 by Daniel Salmieri and Sophia Haas / Rocky Pond Books

Picture This

Kids notice everything — here's what one child sees 'Next to Me'

When they became parents, Dragons Love Tacos illustrator Daniel Salmieri and artist Sophia Haas noticed that they were ... noticing more. So they wrote Next to Me, their first kids' book together.

PICTURE THIS: Next To Me

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A woman walking a tightrope over water, with various medical supplies floating around her
Maria Fabrizio for NPR

Living Better

Perimenopause symptoms can be a drag. Here's when to seek treatment

From headaches and fatigue to hair loss and sleep troubles, the symptoms marking the transition to menopause can overlap with other conditions. Here's what to know and how to get help.

Diagnosing perimenopause can be difficult. Treating it can take persistence

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