National

Filmmakers behind Latinx superhero movies like 'Blue Beetle' hope to inspire change

5:11pm August 18, 2023

by Mandalit del Barco

Many of the new movie superheroes star Latino actors or have Latino characters with diverse origin stories — and their creators hope the heroes will influence change.

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DJ Crazy Times and the Eurodance parody that captured a nation

5:11pm August 18, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with comedian Kyle Gordon, aka DJ Crazy Times, about his new hit song "The Planet of the Bass" — a 1990s Eurodance parody that has taken the internet by storm.

Rachel Zegler will star as Snow White in a new adaptation.

Another Disney princess, another online outrage. This time it's about 'Snow White'

5:09pm August 18, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

Rachel Zegler finds herself at the center of another Disney princess outrage. But the way this particular one came about demonstrates the inner workings of a fine-tuned cycle for whipping up fury.

National

Hurricane Hilary will likely be a tropical storm by the time it hits Baja California

4:55pm August 18, 2023

by Erik Anderson

Hurricane Hilary continues her march toward Baja California, and people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are getting ready for projected heavy rains and flooding.

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The effort to restore Joshua trees after Mojave wildfire faces grim odds

4:55pm August 18, 2023

After flames destroyed 1.3 million Joshua trees in Mojave National Preserve, biologists began replanting seedlings. But many have died, and now another fire has torched more of the iconic succulents.

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Pastor Estrella Arquero leads Koinonia Pentecostal Church with her husband. There are at least 20 church members sleeping in the parish hall because they lost their homes in the fire.

A Filipino congregation took in its own members after their Lahaina homes burned

3:37pm August 18, 2023

by Jason DeRose

The devastating fires on Maui burned more than 2,000 homes and buildings in Lahaina. Many churches have taken in their congregants because they have nowhere to go.

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Uilani (left) and Keeamoku Kapu run the Na 'Aikane o Maui Cultural and Research Center which was burned to the ground in the wildfires so they set up this grassroots community distribution center in Lahaina. They are on the phone here taking a call from Oprah about supplies she will be delivering.

Priceless connections to Hawaii's ancient past were lost when cultural center burned

3:15pm August 18, 2023

by Jonaki Mehta

As people grapple with more than 100 people who died in the Lahaina fire on Maui, they're still trying to understand the loss of priceless artifacts and their connections to the island's ancient past.

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Luz Vargas, 45, lost her son Kenyero Fuentes in the fire in Lahaina, Maui, on Aug. 8. He was found in the remnants of their burned home. His 15th birthday would have been this Sunday.

National

A mother raced to save her son from the Maui fires. She couldn't reach him

2:55pm August 18, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

When everyone was trying to escape the flames in Lahaina, Luz Vargas ran toward them: Her son was home alone. Days later she found his body. Sunday would have been his 15th birthday.

Visitors play chess at The World Chess Club Berlin in Germany on May 9. The German Chess Federation described the new international policies for transgender chess players as discriminatory.

World chess just placed restrictions on both trans women and trans men

1:41pm August 18, 2023

by Juliana Kim

The International Chess Federation will stop allowing transgender women to participate in women's tournaments. The group said changing genders has a "significant impact" on a player's status.

Volunteers helping those who lost homes in Lahaina stop to pray on a hillside. The town is surrounded by dry, invasive grasses which are highly flammable.

3 strategies Maui can adopt from other states to help prevent dangerous wildfires

11:08am August 18, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

In preparing for future fires, Maui doesn't have to look far. States like California have passed wildfire policies to reduce the risk that a community will be destroyed.