Governing

Arts

Elif Shafak: What Happens When Different Viewpoints Are Silenced?

9:32am July 27, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

Turkish novelist Elif Shafak has seen firsthand what can happen when a country restricts free speech. She says democracy depends on the right to openly exchange diverse, even oppositional, ideas.

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James Kirchick: Who Benefits From Unrestricted Free Speech?

9:32am July 27, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

When James Kirchick was in college, someone he found deeply offensive spoke on campus. Rather than protest, James attended the talk. He says free speech benefits everyone, especially the powerless.

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The American Civil Liberties Union says that Amazon Rekognition, facial recognition software sold online, inaccurately identified lawmakers and poses threats to civil rights — charges that Amazon denies.

National

Facial Recognition Software Wrongly Identifies 28 Lawmakers As Crime Suspects

6:42pm July 26, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The American Civil Liberties Union tested Amazon Rekognition, and found erroneous matches on images of politicians, especially among people of color.

An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms trains a sniffer dog at its facility in Front Royal, Va.

In Dog-Eat-Dog World Of Congress, 2 GOP Lawmakers Spar Over Canine Training Facility

8:28am July 26, 2018

by Brian Naylor

The ATF facility is in the Virginia district of Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who says Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby wants it in his state.

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Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Republican primary candidate for governor, received a late endorsement from President Trump after about two months of a bruising race to get the GOP nomination.

National

Trump Endorsement Adds Fuel To Heated Georgia Governor Primary

5:32pm July 23, 2018

by Johnny Kauffman

Secret recordings and corruption allegations made the Georgia Republican gubernatorial runoff ugly. Then, President Trump surprised the party with an endorsement less than a week before the election.

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National

Branson Mayor Karen Best Reacts To Tragic Duck Boat Accident

2:29pm July 21, 2018

NPR's Scott Simon talks to the mayor of Branson, Missouri about the boat accident that killed more than a dozen people this week.

A sign marks the entrance to a VA Hospital in Hines, Ill.

VA Whistleblowers 10 Times More Likely Than Peers To Receive Disciplinary Action

7:03pm July 19, 2018

by Eric Westervelt

A new report by the Government Accountability Office also found that nearly two-thirds of individuals who filed formal complaints did not work for Veterans Affairs the following year.

The U.S. Census Bureau holds a public meeting of the National Advisory Committee at the agency's headquarters in Suitland, Md.

National

White House Names Steven Dillingham To Head Census Bureau

10:47pm July 18, 2018

by Hansi Lo Wang

The agency has not had permanent leadership since July 2017. If confirmed by the Senate, Steven Dillingham will oversee the 2020 census and inherit six lawsuits challenging a citizenship question.

Activists listen while mayors speak to the press outside the Tornillo Port of Entry in Tornillo, Texas.

Immigration Poll Finds Deep Divide Over Trump's Agenda

5:26am July 16, 2018

by Joel Rose

None of the president's major immigration policies get majority support in a new NPR-Ipsos poll — but Republicans strongly back the border wall, the travel ban, and changes to legal immigration.

NPR's Foreign Correspondents On Trump's Criticism Of Europe's Immigration Policy

5:54pm July 14, 2018

President Trump has blasted establishment politicians as he travels through Europe. In the "Barbershop," Michel Martin asks NPR correspondents if his populist messaging is affecting European politics.