Around the Nation

History Of Our Time: Making Sense Of This Moment

6:41pm May 03, 2017

by Steve Inskeep

It's been a disorienting year in many democracies, and the world is changing. NPR is asking writers, thinkers and political leaders to help chart how we got to this point and where we're headed.

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Raymond Skiles, longtime wildlife biologist at Big Bend National Park, says that animals require free access to the Rio Grande as their primary water source.

In Big Bend, Texas, There's Bipartisan Consensus: No Border Wall

5:17pm May 03, 2017

by John Burnett

President Trump says he's forging ahead with his U.S.-Mexico border wall. But one place nearly everyone agrees it won't cross is the starkly beautiful Big Bend region of far west Texas.

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National

Baton Rouge Mayor Reacts To U.S. Decision Not To Charge Police Officers

5:17pm May 03, 2017

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Sharon Weston Broome, mayor of Baton Rouge, La., about the Justice Department's decision not to pursue criminal charges in the shooting of Alton Sterling.

Rep. Peter King, a Republican representing Long Island, has been heavily lobbied by groups on both sides of the GOP health care bill who are intent on getting him to vote their way.

As House GOP Struggles With A Health Care Bill, Republican Options Narrow

5:03pm May 03, 2017

by Julie Rovner

Despite pressure from the White House and GOP leaders, Republicans have not yet secured enough votes to get health care replacement through the House, let alone the Senate. So, what are their choices?

Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are displayed on a counter at a Walgreens Pharmacy in 2015 in Mill Valley, California.

Understanding The History Behind Communities' Vaccine Fears

4:57pm May 03, 2017

by Emily Sohn

A measles outbreak in Minnesota's Somali-American community is the latest example of the challenges public health officials face in addressing deeply ingrained concerns about vaccine safety.

National

Justice Department Declines To Prosecute Police Officers In Killing Of Alton Sterling

4:32pm May 03, 2017

by Greg Allen

The Justice Department declined to prosecute two Baton Rouge, La., police officers who were involved in the shooting death of Alton Sterling last summer.

National

Massive Floods Threaten To Landlock Commuters Near St. Louis

4:32pm May 03, 2017

by Wayne Pratt

Flooding along the Meramec River near St. Louis has closed one major interstate and is threatening a second and hundreds of smaller roads and highways. That would cut off thousands of workers from getting to work and school. More than 200 homes have been damaged, and St. Louis County's emergency management chief says another 1,500 are in harm's way. The Meramec and other rivers in Missouri and Illinois rose sharply after significant rain in the past few days.

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The Barmecide Feast, by Simon Birch and KplusK associates (which was co-founded by Paul Kember), recreates the bedroom from the final scene of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Arts

LA's 14th Factory Offers A Warehouse Full Of Art And 'Otherworldly' Experiences

4:32pm May 03, 2017

by Mandalit del Barco

Artist Simon Birch sunk everything he had into creating the immersive (and enormous) pop-up art space. He says, "It's not like a traditional museum. ... It's the exhibition I'd want to go to."

The House easily passed a bill funding the federal government through the end of the fiscal year on Wednesday.

Politics & Government

House Approves $1 Trillion Spending Bill To Keep Federal Government Open

4:20pm May 03, 2017

by Geoff Bennett

The House approved a bipartisan spending bill that keeps the federal government funded through September, sending it to the Senate. President Trump has pushed back as Democrats declare it a victory.

A right wing activist holds a sign during a rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on April 27, 2017 in Berkeley, California. Protestors are gathering in Berkeley to protest the cancellation of a speech by American conservative political commen

Hate Speech And The Misnomer Of 'The Marketplace of Ideas'

4:03pm May 03, 2017

by David Shih

The belief that more speech is the remedy for "bad" speech can be a principled stance. But racist hate speech may not be doing what free speech defenders think it is.