Investigations

This undated photo provided by Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife. Alabama plans to put him to death by nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method that is authorized in three states but has never been used.

Alabama's upcoming gas execution could harm witnesses and violate religious liberty

3:47pm December 12, 2023

by Chiara Eisner

Alabama plans to execute a prisoner using nitrogen gas. NPR obtained a Department of Corrections document showing the method may pose risks to others in the room and impede religious liberties.

Alan Hostetter, seen here in May 2020, became a leading activist against coronavirus-related lockdown policies in Orange County, Calif. Hostetter, a former police chief and yoga instructor, was convicted of conspiring to obstruct congress' certification of the 2020 presidential election results at the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Politics & Government

Former police chief turned yoga teacher sentenced to 11 years over Jan. 6 riot

5:25pm December 07, 2023

A retired police chief, who led pro-Trump protests and called for "traitors" in government to be "executed as an example," was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot.

Marine Corps veteran Ed O'Connor is seen outside his home in Fredericksburg, Va. He is among tens of thousands of veterans who took a COVID forbearance on a VA home loan. But the VA's program ended abruptly in October of 2022 and many veterans were asked to either pay all the missed payments or face foreclosure.

Veterans fear the VA's new foreclosure rescue plan won't help them

6:06pm December 01, 2023

A pause in foreclosures after an NPR investigation may be of no help to many vets. They were already pushed into costly loan modifications after a move by the VA stranded them in a tough spot.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Peter Antonacci to lead a new elections fraud office in July 2022, just a few months before Antonacci died inside the Capitol building.

A Florida election fraud chief died last year in the hallway of Ron DeSantis' office

3:27pm November 28, 2023

by Emily Olson

Peter Antonacci, the head of Florida's elections fraud office, had just left a heated meeting when he collapsed in the hallway of the governor's office, according to a newly released investigation.

Disgusted by city's top prosecutor, a police officer refuses to testify

4:08pm November 23, 2023

by Sacha Pfeiffer

In an extreme example of resistance to progressive prosecutors, a St. Louis police officer is refusing to testify in murder cases he investigated, even though he believes the defendants are guilty.

Politics & Government

The Department of Veteran Affairs halts foreclosures after NPR investigation

7:13am November 18, 2023

by Chris Arnold

The Department of Veterans Affairs is halting foreclosures for 6 months for homeowners with VA Loans, after an NPR investigation that found thousands of them at risk of losing their homes.

A seal is displayed on the front of the Veterans Affairs Department building in Washington on June 21, 2013.

VA halts foreclosures for thousands of veterans about to needlessly lose their homes

8:07pm November 17, 2023

The Department of Veterans Affairs is intervening on behalf of 6,000 homeowners with VA loans who are in the foreclosure process. Many more are delinquent. The move follows an investigation by NPR.

Rice's whales are one of the most recently discovered whale species in the world — and already one of the most endangered. But protections for the Gulf of Mexico species have been repeatedly delayed.

Only 51 of these U.S. whales remain. Little has been done to prevent their extinction

9:52am November 16, 2023

Rice's whales are one of the world's newly discovered whale species – and already one of the most endangered. Protections for the whales in the Gulf of Mexico are not coming fast.

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Morning news brief

5:14am November 16, 2023

President Biden met for four hours Wednesday with China's leader. Latest in Israel-Hamas war. NPR probe finds thousands of U.S. military servicemembers and veterans are at risk of losing their homes.

Army veteran Raymond Queen stands with his wife Rebecca Queen outside their home in Bartlesville, Okla.

Economy

Senators to VA: Stop needless foreclosures on thousands of veterans

4:20pm November 15, 2023

The move follows an NPR investigation that finds thousands of veterans are facing foreclosure through no fault of their own and that the VA can stop them from losing their homes.