National

In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled split-jury verdicts unconstitutional. Since then, Oregon and Louisiana have gone in opposite directions in deciding how to approach past convictions.

National

The Supreme Court outlawed split juries, but hundreds remain in prison anyway

6:00am May 14, 2023

by Jason Breslow

In 2020, the Supreme Court struck down laws that allowed people in Louisiana and Oregon to be convicted even if two jurors voted not guilty. Despite the ruling, some of them may never get a new trial.

A person stands outside of a damaged home after a tornado hit Saturday, in the unincorporated community of Laguna Heights, Texas, near South Padre Island.

National

Tornado hits south Texas, damaging dozens of homes

10:26pm May 13, 2023

by The Associated Press

At least one person was killed and 10 others hospitalized after a tornado struck the southernmost tip of Texas on the Gulf coast, authorities said.

President Joe Biden delivers the commencement address during the 2023 Howard University spring graduation ceremony at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Biden uses Howard University commencement address to appeal to Black voters

7:20pm May 13, 2023

by Emily Olson

Speaking at the historically Black university, President Biden delivered a familiar pitch to a demographic that helped him secure his 2020 victory in the Democratic primary: He's not Trump.

National

Minneapolis, state of Minnesota reach policing overhaul agreement

5:22pm May 13, 2023

by Jon Collins

Nearly three years after the murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota say a negotiated agreement will change how Minneapolis police operate.

Queue Listen Now

National

Chief Standing Bear, Native American civil rights icon, is honored on a postal stamp

4:11pm May 13, 2023

by Emma Bowman

A U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp now celebrates the Ponca chief, whose lawsuit led to a 1879 ruling that determined Native Americans were people with inherent rights under the law.

A screenshot taken from Google Street View shows the gas station parking lot in Dallas where Gabriella Gonzalez was fatally shot the morning after she'd gotten an abortion in Colorado.

National

A Texas woman was killed by her boyfriend after getting an abortion, police say

12:38pm May 13, 2023

by Emily Olson

Harold Thompson is facing murder charges in connection with the death of Gabriella Gonzalez. Dallas police say he fatally shot his girlfriend the day after she'd traveled to Colorado for an abortion.

Inmate/students practice blues harmonica during a classroom session of the Blues Tradition in American Literature course inside Parchman Prison in Mississippi.

The blues returns to Mississippi's Parchman Prison Farm

10:56am May 13, 2023

by John Burnett

Mississippi's Parchman Farm was once one of the country's most notorious prisons. The University of Mississippi has introduced college-level classes to offer inmates education - including the blues.

Queue Listen Now

These books have been banned in several public schools and libraries across the U.S. amid a wave of book censorship and restrictions.

Opinion: Books are not landmines

10:03am May 13, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon remarks on the effects of book bans on libraries and young readers.

Queue Listen Now

National

The blues returns to Mississippi's Parchman Prison Farm

10:00am May 13, 2023

by John Burnett

Mississippi's Parchman Farm was once one of the country's most notorious prisons. The University of Mississippi has introduced college-level classes to offer inmates education - including the blues.

Queue Listen Now

National

The mayor of Las Cruces, NM on how the expiration of Title 42 will impact the city

8:12am May 13, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Mayor Ken Miyagishima of Las Cruces, NM about how the city is preparing for migrants after the expiration of Title 42.