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Books
Arts

Two new novels illustrate just how hard it is to find a foothold in America

2:17pm June 21, 2023

by Maureen Corrigan

Brandon Taylor's The Late Americans is a sexually-explicit, cynical novel about young people striving. Such Kindness, by Andre Dubus III, grapples with injury, addiction, masculinity and loneliness.

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Education

U.S. reading and math scores drop to lowest level in decades

1:59pm June 21, 2023

by Sequoia Carrillo

Newly released data from national test scores in reading and math show a worrisome picture of student learning loss since the pandemic.

An undated photo shows a tourist submersible belonging to OceanGate descending into the ocean. Search and rescue operations for one of the company's submersibles, Titan, are continuing Wednesday.

Missing submersible: Rescuers race to find Titan after detecting underwater noises

1:33pm June 21, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard said that a surveillance plane detected "underwater noises" close to where the Titan lost contact with its control room. Experts say the sub's oxygen may run out on Thursday.

Light illuminates part of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Nov. 16, 2022.

Politics & Government

Majority of Americans say it was wrong for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe

10:52am June 21, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

A year after the court did away with the right to an abortion, 57% say they oppose the decision, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds. They're also in favor of continuing affirmative action programs.

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In this combination of file photos, Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del., on March 12, 2020, and Donald Trump speaks at the White House on April 5, 2020.

Politics & Government

Trump's advantages are huge in the 2024 GOP primary right now

10:20am June 21, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

President Biden meanwhile has seen his approval rating stabilize and is well liked among Democrats, though he faces challenges with independents and younger voters.

Submersible pilot Randy Holt and Stockton Rush, CEO and co-founder of OceanGate, dive in the company's Antipodes submersible off the Florida coast in 2013. Rescuers are racing to find a missing OceanGate submersible before the oxygen supply runs out for five people, including Rush, who were on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic.

OceanGate wants to change deep-sea tourism, but its missing sub highlights the risks

9:38am June 21, 2023

by Scott Neuman

OceanGate's expeditions to the Titanic were meant to herald a new era for deep-sea tourism, but the company's missing submersible has instead underscored the danger these journeys can bring.

This undated photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible.

National

A former passenger details what it's like inside the missing Titan submersible

9:32am June 21, 2023

The missing submersible is equipped with several mechanisms that can bring it back to the surface during an emergency, according to a former passenger.

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Norah Weiner (L) and Erika Young (R), the grand-prize winners in grades 5-8 of NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, at Presidio Middle School in San Francisco.

Education

Student podcasters share the dark realities of middle school in America

9:19am June 21, 2023

School shootings, social media, beauty standards. 13-year-olds Erika Young and Norah Weiner delve into what middle school looks like today in their award-winning podcast.

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More than 30 years ago, Abraham Verghese took a chance on his dreams.

National

A dying patient inspired this doctor to follow his dream to become a writer

7:10am June 21, 2023

Physician Abraham Verghese reflects on a defining moment in 1985, when one of his terminally ill patients reminded him to follow his dreams.

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This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic.

National

Search intensifies for the missing submersible as underwater noises are detected

6:27am June 21, 2023

by Willem Marx

Rescue teams seeking the submersible housing five tourists that had planned to visit the wrecked Titanic said "noises" had been detected close to where the sub ended contact with its mother ship.