Law

Henrietta Lacks' family settles with a biotech company that used her cells

5:28pm August 01, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with science journalist and author Rebecca Skloot about Henrietta Lacks, whose family just settled with a biotech company that used her cancer cells without consent.

A painting of Henrietta Lacks by Kadir Nelson is displayed at the HeLa Project exhibit in New York City in 2017. Lacks' genetic material, taken without her knowledge in 1951, has helped facilitate numerous scientific breakthroughs. Her life was the subject of the popular nonfiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Henrietta Lacks' descendants reach a settlement over the use of her 'stolen' cells

5:25pm August 01, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

Her genetic material, taken without her knowledge in 1951, has helped facilitate numerous scientific breakthroughs, including the development of the polio and COVID-19 vaccines.

National

Indiana's abortion ban has been halted by another lawsuit

4:41pm August 01, 2023

by Brandon Smith

A near total ban on abortion in Indiana to go into effect Tuesday is on hold again after abortion providers filed another lawsuit in a last-ditch effort to halt it.

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Morning news brief

8:14am August 01, 2023

Donald Trump's legal woes haven't hurt him in the polls. The ACLU files a lawsuit to block the country's first religious public charter school. Kenya offers to step in to bolster security in Haiti.

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Politics & Government

Donald Trump's repeated legal woes have given him a boost in the polls

5:01am August 01, 2023

Donald Trump survived many scandals as president, including two impeachments. After two indictments and a possible third, he's still the undisputed front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.

Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival. She is seen here during the sentencing hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho.

National

Lori Vallow Daybell is sentenced to multiple life terms for killing her children

4:14pm July 31, 2023

by Bill Chappell

A judge in Idaho sentenced Vallow Daybell, 50, to multiple terms of life in prison without parole, to be served consecutively, for the murder of two of her children.

Politics & Government

Another indictment against Trump's efforts to undermine democracy could come soon

7:23am July 31, 2023

NPR's Leila Fadel talks with former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb about the federal investigation into efforts to overturn the election, and the potential legal jeopardy for the former president.

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Politics & Government

Trump faces new charges in classified documents case

5:40pm July 29, 2023

Former President Trump faces three new charges in the case that accuses him of hoarding classified documents, as a grand jury continues to investigate his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

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Drag Queen Brigitte Bandit reads a book during a story time reading at the Cheer Up Charlies dive bar on March 11, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Bills to restrict drag performances across the country have failed to make an impact.

Despite all the talk, no states have active laws banning drag in front of kids

5:40pm July 29, 2023

by Josie Lenora

Across the country, efforts by state Republicans to restrict drag performances in front of kids have fallen short. Bills have been scuttled, blocked, vetoed and more.

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Carlee Russell, the Alabama nursing student who falsely said she was kidnapped, was charged with two misdemeanors in connection with the hoax, police announced Friday.

National

Carlee Russell is charged with kidnapping hoax

5:35pm July 28, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

It remains unclear why the 25-year-old Alabama nursing student fabricated a story of a stranded toddler and why she went missing for two days.