National

National

Delays in passport renewals are putting a damper in Americans' summer travel plans

7:53am July 08, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Clint Henderson, a reporter and editor at the travel website The Points Guy, about major delays for passport renewals this summer.

The U.S. is on track to surpass the record-setting 22 million passports issued last year.

Canceled trips and no refunds: Passport delays are derailing travelers

5:00am July 08, 2023

by Juliana Kim

In March, the State Department said the standard processing time for a new or renewed passport can take up to 13 weeks. But many passport seekers are finding that the wait is well beyond that.

Leslie Van Houten attends her parole hearing at the California Institution for Women on Sept. 6, 2017 in Corona, Calif.

National

California's governor won't appeal parole of former Manson follower Leslie Van Houten

1:47am July 08, 2023

by The Associated Press

Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Charles Manson and other followers in the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.

A man walks past an unexploded tail section of a 300mm rocket which appear to contained cluster bombs launched from a BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket launcher embedded in the ground after shelling in Lysychansk, Lugansk region on April 11, 2022.

The U.S. is sending cluster bombs to Ukraine despite humanitarian warnings

6:48pm July 07, 2023

U.S. officials maintained Friday that Ukraine has provided written assurances to minimize civilian casualties with the use of the controversial munitions.

The U.S. once had more than 30,000 tons of chemical weapons, but it has finally eliminated the last of its stockpile.

The world is officially 'free' of chemical weapons. Here's what that means

5:40pm July 07, 2023

by Geoff Brumfiel

The U.S. has destroyed the last of its stockpile of sarin nerve agent, fulfilling a decades-old obligation.

Dvorak's beloved 'New World' symphony was an anthem to what American music could be

5:05pm July 07, 2023

by Tom Huizenga

Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony" is an anthem to American roots. It was written by a foreigner and required white classical musicians to respect Black spirituals and Native American music.

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The White House defends the inclusion of cluster munitions in new Ukraine aid package

5:05pm July 07, 2023

NPR's Daniel Estrin speaks with White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby about how the United States plans to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions.

The Tachi Yokut Tribe reconnects with the long-dry Tulare Lake, back after wet winter

4:49pm July 07, 2023

by Soreath Hok

After massive precipitation, the long-dry Tulare Lake is back. That's been hard on crops and homes, but has allowed the Tachi Yokut Tribe to reconnect with the lake they once built their lives around.

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National

'Biosphere' takes a mostly comic look at a friendship between the last men on Earth

4:40pm July 07, 2023

by Bob Mondello

In Mel Eslyn's film Biosphere, the last two men on Earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity... or play video games.

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National

Threads, Meta's competitor to Twitter, is off to a fast start

4:23pm July 07, 2023

Threads, Meta's new Twitter competitor, has become the most rapidly downloaded app ever. NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with tech journalist Kara Swisher about this rapid rise.