History

Matthew Bruce of Des Moines, Iowa, signs a note during a Black Lives Matter demonstration outside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' office in June. The Republican governor has signed an executive order restoring voting rights to people convicted of a felony.

Governor Acts To Restore Voting Rights To Iowans With Felony Convictions

4:02pm August 05, 2020

by Katarina Sostaric

Iowa was the only state to automatically restrict voting rights to anyone with a felony conviction. Wednesday, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an order to restore those rights to most people.

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Like his predecessors, President Trump often uses the Rose Garden for ceremonies and news conferences.

Politics & Government

Melania Trump To Oversee 'Renewal' Of White House Rose Garden

5:25pm August 02, 2020

by Brian Naylor

The overhaul of the well-known grove used for receptions and statements is being funded by private donations and is expected to be completed later this summer.

The memorial will lead people from nearby history museums to the bank of the Ohio River. There, they can sit on limestone benches looking out across the water from Kentucky to southern Indiana.

Arts

'Somebody Knew Them': New Monument Will Honor '(Un)Known' Enslaved People

5:09pm August 01, 2020

by Stephanie Wolf

As monuments come down around the U.S., a group in Louisville, Ky., is putting one up. An artist-run nonprofit is planning a memorial dedicated to Black people whose names have been lost to history.

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A photograph shows Toyama, Japan, aflame after the U.S. attack on Aug. 1, 1945. Most of the city's population was left homeless.

World News

Opinion: 75 Years On, Remember Hiroshima And Nagasaki. But Remember Toyama Too

2:17pm August 01, 2020

A U.S. firebombing campaign targeted Toyama and other Japanese cities, killing 180,000 before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, write geographer Cary Karacas and historian David Fedman.

Members of the "Wall of Moms" march during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse last week in Portland, Ore.

National

How Portland's Racist History Informs Today's Protests

6:22pm July 30, 2020

by Ari Shapiro

Oregon was founded on white supremacist principles. But it also has a long history of anti-racist protests, says Lisa Bates, who teaches urban studies at Portland State University.

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Sheep graze in front of southern England's Stonehenge in April. Scientists say they've determined some of the structure's sandstone megaliths came from 15 miles away.

Researchers Solve A Question About Stonehenge Megaliths' Origin

6:56pm July 29, 2020

by Alana Wise

Scientists found that the outer stones of the prehistoric structure originated about 15 miles away from where the structure stands.

NPR Shares Archival Tapes With 1st Mentions Of Apple, Google, Facebook And Amazon

4:05pm July 29, 2020

Four Big Tech leaders testified before Congress Wednesday. NPR looks through its archive to find when and in what context each was first mentioned on the network.

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Race

America's History Of Protests And Where BLM Fits In

3:57pm July 29, 2020

by David Ford

Even in the midst of a still-raging pandemic, and with a historic national election less than 100 days away, Black Lives Matter and the daily protests it has inspired continues to dominat

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National

After Decades, Elderly Veterans Receive Highest Honor A Unit Can Receive

7:31am July 29, 2020

by Jay Price

The nation has corrected an oversight three quarters of a century old, awarding the 30th Infantry Division a Presidential Unit Citation for holding off a German counterattack.

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Families are still seeking the musical instruments and other items stolen by the Nazis.

Where Are The Thousands Of Nazi-Looted Musical Instruments?

6:56am July 29, 2020

by Eleanor Beardsley

Researchers are still digging into the question and sharing their findings decades after the Nazis sacked the homes of Jews during World War II.

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