National

National

Cities Laredo And Nuevo Laredo Maintain Close Relationship Despite Border Separation

8:56am February 23, 2019

by Lorena Rios

Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, celebrate their annual "Abrazo Bridge Ceremony" on Saturday. It has special resonance in an era of heightened anti-immigrant and border security rhetoric.

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Daron Smith, left, and his husband, Chris Finley, right, worship at a Sunday morning service at Lafayette Park United Methodist Church in St. Louis, Mo. Smith, a lifelong United Methodist, said he feels hopeful ahead of a vote on LGBTQ ordination and same

United Methodist Church To Debate LGBTQ Clergy And Same-Sex Weddings

8:29am February 23, 2019

by Shahla Farzan

United Methodists are among the last mainline Protestant denominations to address the issue, and some worry it could cause a major rift in the church.

Reporter Jim DeRogatis On R. Kelly Charges

8:16am February 23, 2019

Jim DeRogatis has been doing tough reporting on R. Kelly for almost 20 years. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the singer's arrest.

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The Poets Of Fishing Gather In Oregon

8:16am February 23, 2019

by Melanie Sevcenko

This weekend fishermen and fishing women gather in Astoria, Ore., to read poetry. Their work explores the modern problems of the fishing life, including climate change and women's safety.

Oakland teachers and parents carry signs as they march to the Oakland Unified School District headquarters this week. Nearly 3,000 teachers in Oakland have gone on strike and are demanding a 12 percent retroactive raise.

Oakland Teachers Strike, And West Virginia Teachers Say Trust Issues Persist

7:00am February 23, 2019

by Jessica Yarmosky

Also in this week's roundup, an investigation into a reform school's "hidden history of abuse."

R&B singer R. Kelly was indicted on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse on Feb. 22. In this photo, he performs in Atlantic City, N.J., on April 9, 2006.

R. Kelly Under Arrest On 10 Charges Of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse In Illinois

11:23pm February 22, 2019

The R&B star singer has been dogged for decades by allegations that he has sexually abused underage girls and women. Kelly now faces 10 counts of abuse.

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A person walks by a Planned Parenthood clinic on May 18, 2018 in Chicago. Under the new rule, posted Friday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, any organization that provides or refers patients for abortion

Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Changes To Federal Family Planning Program

9:04pm February 22, 2019

by Sarah McCammon

Any organization that provides or refers patients for abortions will be ineligible for Title X funding to cover STD prevention, cancer screenings and contraception.

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David Turpin (second from right) and his wife, Louise (far left), joined by their attorneys, pleaded guilty in a Riverside, Calif., courtroom, Friday to 14 counts, including torture, after some of their 13 children were found shackled to beds.

National

California Couple, Parents Of 13, Plead Guilty To Abuse, Torture, Imprisonment

6:46pm February 22, 2019

by Amy Held

David and Louise Turpin face 25 years to life behind bars in an abuse case the DA said was "among the worst ... ever seen." It included charges of starving and shackling children to furniture.

U.S. soldiers gather for a briefing during a combined joint patrol rehearsal in Manbij, Syria, in November 2018. The White House says about 400 troops will remain for an unspecified period of time.

U.S. Will Leave 400 Troops In Syria

5:59pm February 22, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Two months after President Trump announced a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, the White House says the contingent will remain for an unspecified period of time.

National

Judge Rules That Prosecutors In Jeffrey Epstein Sexual Abuse Case Broke The Law

5:20pm February 22, 2019

A judge ruled Thursday that prosecutors broke the law by concealing a plea agreement from Epstein's underage victims. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the Miami Herald's Julie Brown about the case.

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