NPR News
Explore the headlines trending nationally and internationally with the latest from NPR. Every day, NPR connects with millions of Americans to explore the news, ideas and what it means to be human.
Institut Pasteur-SupBiotech/NASA
Pea-size clusters of human cells called brain organoids inspire both hope and fear. Experts are debating how scientists can responsibly use these bits of gray matter.
Miguel Vinas
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AFP via Getty Images
Staff
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AFP via Getty Images
A fire in a Swiss ski resort bar has left about 40 people dead
A New Year's party at a Swiss Alpine bar turned into a tragedy after about 40 people died in a fire and another roughly 115 were injured, many in their teens to mid-20s.
Taiwan's president pledges to defend island's sovereignty after Chinese military drills
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed to defend the self-ruled island's sovereignty in the face of what he termed China's "expansionist ambitions," days after Beijing wrapped up live-fire military drills near its shores.
Deaths reported during widening protests in Iran sparked by ailing economy
The protests began due to economic pressures, with Iran's currency rapidly depreciating. Demonstrators have also chanted against the country's theocracy.
Congress failed to extend Obamacare subsidies. This Democrat says Trump can save them
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., says he thinks the Senate can pass a "retroactive" Affordable Care Act subsidy extension, but "we need President Trump."
Rideshare union rights, social media limits and other state laws taking effect Jan. 1
Every new year, public media reporters across the country bring us some of the new state laws taking effect where they are. Here are six in 2026.
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President Trump has vetoed a bill to help finish a water pipeline in Colorado, saying it's about "fiscal sanity." Critics say the president's veto is a form of political retaliation.
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After vetoing bipartisan bills, President Trump says he doesn't want to deal with Congress. Michel Martin asks Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report about Trump's relationship with lawmakers.
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After two days of games, four college football teams are heading to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
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Former special counsel Jack Smith spoke with lawmakers behind closed doors in December. That testimony is now public.
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There's a new pill and new ways to pay for the weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1s.
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NPR's Scott Detrow talks with Ana Gonzalez and cellist Yo-Yo Ma about their new podcast Our Common Nature from WNYC, which connects music with nature and place.
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A new study finds that California's rules protecting workers from excessive heat likely save dozens of lives every year. This comes as the federal government considers national heat-protection rules.
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New York City has a new mayor. Zohran Mamdani is the city's first Muslim mayor and a democratic socialist.
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Sometimes life can get in the way of meeting our ambitions. NPR's Life Kit podcast host Marielle Segarra gives us some practical, daily life tips to set us up for success in 2026.
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NPR visits a Doctors Without Borders clinic at risk of closure after Israel bans dozens of aid groups in Gaza.
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On Wild Card, famous guests answer the kinds of questions we often think about but don't talk about. Author John Green reflects on living with obsessive compulsive disorder.
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Andrew Limbong and BA Parker from the Books We Love podcast are revisiting Terry McMillan's classic, Waiting to Exhale.