National

A bipartisan group of senators blocks a Trump-era plan to realign the VA

7:52am July 20, 2022

by Quil Lawrence

The plan would have shut many of the Department of Veterans Affairs less-used clinics and aging hospitals. The senators say they're working on a way to rebuild the VA' infrastructure.

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Biden order promises more help for Americans detained or held hostage abroad

7:14am July 20, 2022

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Diane Foley, mother of journalist James Foley, who was kidnapped and killed by ISIS in 2012, about an executive order meant to help wrongfully detained Americans abroad.

National

News brief: Sri Lanka's new president, New Mexico wildfire, Netflix earnings

6:46am July 20, 2022

Sri Lanka's Parliament chooses a new president. New Mexico firefighters have nearly contained a historic wildfire. And, Netflix says it lost nearly 1 million subscribers between April and June.

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National

Women represent 7% of long-haul truckers. What's life like for them on the road?

5:04am July 20, 2022

by Gregory Warner

Early on in the Biden administration, officials released an action plan to strengthen America's trucking workforce. One idea: recruit more women. Is the trucking industry welcoming them?

National

It was supposed to be a controlled burn, but a New Mexico fire got out of control

5:04am July 20, 2022

by Alice Fordham

The biggest wildfire ever recorded in New Mexico is all but contained now, and residents are assessing the damage and challenges to recover.

Why Colorado's inventive plan to create an emergency mental health care system failed

5:04am July 20, 2022

by Ben Markus

Ten years ago when 12 people died in the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., leaders promised mental health system reforms. But established providers fought to maintain the status quo.

An image provided by the Environmental Protection Agency shows examples of a lead pipe, left, a corroded steel pipe, center, and a lead pipe treated with protective orthophosphate. The EPA is only now requiring water systems to take stock of their lead pi

'Time bomb' lead pipes will be removed. But first water utilities have to find them

5:01am July 20, 2022

by Allison Kite

Health experts warn problems with these "underground poisonous straws" can strike suddenly, and states are getting cash to replace them. But no one knows how many lines exist or where they are.

Meet the new GDP prototype that tracks inequality

9:51pm July 19, 2022

by Greg Rosalsky

A team of economists offers America a new way to look at economic growth. It's a sort of GDP prototype that tracks the well-being of different income groups.

Firefighters spray water after a fire Tuesday at Hoover Dam near Boulder City, Nev. Officials say no one was injured when a transformer briefly caught fire.

National

A transformer fire at Hoover Dam was quickly extinguished

8:49pm July 19, 2022

by The Associated Press

A transformer exploded Tuesday at the landmark, producing a cloud of thick, black smoke and flames that were quickly extinguished. No one was hurt and the cause of the incident is under investigation.

The New York Titans and the Austin Outlaws face off during the 2021 regular Major League Quidditch season last June in Round Rock, Texas. The league and the sports governing bodies announced on Tuesday that the sport is rebranding as quadball.

Quidditch rebrands as quadball and further distances itself from Harry Potter author

6:31pm July 19, 2022

by Wynne Davis

Quadball is a reference both to the number of balls on the field and the number of positions in the game. The leagues and governing bodies hope the rebrand will also allow the sport to grow more.