Law

National

How the AR-15 became the bestselling rifle in the U.S.

1:45pm April 20, 2023

by Terry Gross

Washington Post reporter Todd Frankel explains how the AR-15 was adapted from the M16 military combat automatic rifle, and how it became an icon of gun culture and a favored weapon for mass shooters.

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National

Facebook users can apply for their portion of a $725 million lawsuit settlement

11:49am April 20, 2023

by Ayana Archie

The settlement stems from a lawsuit alleging Facebook developers sold user data to Cambridge Analytica, a former political consulting firm, to target people in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The White House is gearing up for a battle over abortion pill access

7:22am April 20, 2023

Democrats campaigned on abortion rights in 2022. We examine how Vice President Harris and President Biden are talking about the issue — as the focus turns to next year's presidential race.

Morning news brief

5:12am April 20, 2023

The White House gears up for a battle over abortion pill access. House Speaker McCarthy and President Biden are at an impasse over the debt ceiling. The pandemic disrupted childhood vaccine routines.

Democrats oppose some items in Kevin McCarthy's bill to raise the debt ceiling

4:27pm April 19, 2023

by Deirdre Walsh

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy unveiled legislation to raise the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a default. But the bill includes a long list of spending cuts, policy changes and other items.

National

Defamation cases related to the 2020 election could help stop future election lies

4:27pm April 19, 2023

by Lisa Hagen

Beyond Dominion's newly-settled case with Fox News, there are more than a dozen other defamation cases related to the 2020 election. Lawyers say these cases could help stop future election lies.

Fate of abortion pills remains in doubt as Supreme Court ponders lower court verdicts

4:10pm April 19, 2023

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court is considering whether to block lower court decisions that have have reached a variety of verdicts about the drug mifepristone.

Florida's abortion laws protect a pregnant person's life, but not for mental health

4:10pm April 19, 2023

by Regan McCarthy

If a pregnant person is struggling with mental health and considering suicide, several states' laws, including Florida's, specifically say the "life of the mother" exception does not apply to them.

People walk outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday.

Supreme Court extends freeze on changes to abortion pill access until Friday

3:39pm April 19, 2023

by NPR Washington Desk

The announcement kicks the can down the road on what the high court will do for another few days. Mifepristone is used in about half of all abortions nationwide.

A critic of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is led out of the room by police during a House Judiciary Committee field hearing on violent crime in New York on Monday.

Some Republicans say New York is in the grips of a crime wave. Experts say not at all

2:47pm April 19, 2023

by Jasmine Garsd

Earlier this week, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing in Manhattan about New York City's crime problem. But experts say there is no problem.

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