National

An New York Police Department Public Affairs officer sets up signs reading Gun Free Zone around Times Square, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, in New York.

National

New York law that bars carrying guns in Time Square and other areas goes into effect

5:37am September 01, 2022

by The Associated Press

Times Square is one of scores of "sensitive" places — including parks, churches and theaters — that will be off-limits for guns under a sweeping new state law going into effect Thursday.

A longtime pastor at Vision of Abundant Life Church in Sylacauga, Ala., Pastor Michael Jennings recalls the moment the Childersburg Police Department arrived at his neighbor's house and arresting him while watering his out-of-town neighbor's flowers.

National

Watering flowers while Black: A pastor shares his story of wrongful arrest

5:00am September 01, 2022

by Jonathan Franklin

A Black pastor in Alabama says he was wrongfully arrested and charged with a crime while he was watering his neighbor's flowers, per their request. He shares his experience with NPR.

Morning news brief

4:53am September 01, 2022

Trump's lawyers and Justice Department attorneys head to court. Sarah Palin is defeated in a special election for an Alaskan house seat. And, China is accused of crimes against humanity.

Regina Campbell holds her paperwork for knocking on doors to tell residents about issues on the ballot in the fall, including a potential constitutional amendment on reproductive rights, in Pontiac, Mich., on August 6, 2022.

The Michigan supreme court set to decide whether voters see abortion on the ballot

9:01pm August 31, 2022

by Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

Michigan's Board of Canvassers rejected an abortion rights initiative on Wednesday after its Republican board members voted against putting the proposed constitutional amendment on November's ballot.

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Ty Carter fills containers with nonpotable water on Aug. 31 in Jackson, Mississippi. The state's capital is struggling with access to safe drinking water after historic rain and flooding led to a drop in pressure at Jackson's main water-treatment plant on

National

Jackson residents face long lines and short supply in a frustrating search for water

7:03pm August 31, 2022

by Jennifer Ludden

Some 180,000 people in and near Mississippi's capital have not been able to use their tap water since Monday. It's the latest in a string of crises due to the city's aging water infrastructure.

Flags at the Washington Monument commemorate Americans who died from COVID-19. In 2021, life expectancy in the U.S. fell for the second year in a row.

Life expectancy in the U.S. continues to drop, driven by COVID-19

5:18pm August 31, 2022

Americans' life expectancy dropped for the second year in a row and is the biggest drop since the 1920s. COVID-19 is driving the downward trend, according to CDC data.

National

Parents of Uvalde shooting victim Lexi Rubio wade through grief and take action

4:16pm August 31, 2022

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Kimberly and Felix Rubio, who lost their daughter, Lexi, in the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas, about how they are coping with the loss.

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National

Philadelphia schools close due to high temperatures and no air conditioning

4:16pm August 31, 2022

by Aubri Juhasz

Schools are open in Philadelphia, but tens of thousands of students have been sent home early this week because it's too hot in their unairconditioned classrooms.

Life expectancy drops in the U.S. for the second year in a row

4:16pm August 31, 2022

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Life expectancy in the United States dropped for the second year in a row, according to new provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Drinking water crisis in Jackson, Miss., continues as residents rely on bottled water

4:16pm August 31, 2022

by Jennifer Ludden

Jackson, Miss., is still without access to safe drinking water, and it's not clear when it will be available. The government is trying to navigate getting bottled water to 150,000 residents.