News

John Lansing, the chief executive officer and director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, will become NPR's CEO in mid-October.

NPR Names Veteran Media Executive John Lansing As Its New CEO

11:30am September 06, 2019

by David Folkenflik

John Lansing will succeed Jarl Mohn as NPR's next CEO. Lansing is currently chief executive of the government agency that oversees Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, among others.

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UK Biobank has granted 10,000 qualified scientists access to its large database of genetic sequences and other medical data, but other organizations with databases have been far more restrictive in giving access.

How Should Scientists' Access To Health Databanks Be Managed?

11:16am September 06, 2019

by Richard Harris

Medical and genetic data from more than a million Americans are now in scientific databases. Some programs hoard the data, while others share widely with scientists, hoping to speed medical discovery.

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Alex Lafargue takes his son, 9-year-old Alongkorn, to his new school. Alongkorn's former charter school was closed for having low test scores.

Education

Closing A Failing School Is Normal, But Not Easy, In Charters-Only New Orleans

9:26am September 06, 2019

by Jess Clark

NOLA Public Schools doesn't actually run any schools. What the district does do is decide each year which schools to grant new charters to and when to take them away.

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Thirty-six people died when a deadly fire broke out in an Oakland, Calif., warehouse in December 2016.

National

Oakland Jury Acquits 1 'Ghost Ship' Fire Defendant, Jury Hung On 2nd Defendant

8:54am September 06, 2019

by Richard Gonzales

The verdict is a setback for prosecutors, who last year had initially accepted pleas of no contest to manslaughter charges. But victims' families objected to that outcome.

Zimbabwe African National Union leader Robert Mugabe in Geneva, Switzerland, 1976. Others are unidentified.

World News

Robert Mugabe, Veteran President Of Zimbabwe, Dead At 95

2:40am September 06, 2019

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

Mugabe led the nation formerly known as Rhodesia from its independence from Britain in 1980 until 2017. He was once seen as a hero, but his leadership grew increasingly authoritarian.

This image tweeted by President Trump is believed to have come from a highly classified U.S. reconnaissance satellite known as USA 224.

Can President Trump Really Tweet A Highly Classified Satellite Photo? Yep, He Can

10:36pm September 05, 2019

by Geoff Brumfiel

Last week, the president tweeted a highly detailed image showing the aftermath of an accident at Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Center. It reveals the power of U.S. spy satellites.

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Applicants stamped with a "denied" stamp.

Education

Congress Promised Student Borrowers A Break. Education Dept. Rejected 99% Of Them

10:36pm September 05, 2019

by Cory Turner

When a loan forgiveness program for public servants wasn't working, Congress created a temporary fix. A new report shows that the program didn't fix much.

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The New York State Department of Health said Thursday that it is looking at vitamin E acetate as a potential cause of severe pulmonary illness cases in the state that have been associated with vaping.

Vitamin E Suspected In Serious Lung Problems Among People Who Vaped Cannabis

7:51pm September 05, 2019

by Joe Neel, Allison Aubrey

New York officials say tests found high levels of vitamin E in cannabis vaping products used by people who developed lung damage. But it's only one of many possible causes still under investigation.

A child is immunized against measles, mumps and rubella in Lyon, France.

Why The Measles Surge Could Open The Door To A Host Of Other Diseases

6:14pm September 05, 2019

by Nurith Aizenman

There's mounting evidence that the measles virus can erase our immunity to everything from influenza viruses to diarrheal disease.

The destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen from the air in Marsh Harbour on the Bahamas' Great Abaco Island. The death toll from the hurricane, officially at 20, is expected to climb.

In Bahamas, Officials Assess 'Generational Devastation' From Hurricane Dorian

5:50pm September 05, 2019

by Brakkton Booker

Some areas of the Bahamas are still only reachable by helicopter or small watercraft, like jet skis. The official death toll is 20, but it's expected to rise as search efforts continue.