News

The world's largest iceberg, A23a, is moving into the open waters near Antarctica after being essentially stuck in place for decades. It's seen here in satellite imagery from Nov. 15.

The iceberg cometh: It's the size of Oahu, and it's moving into the open ocean

8:19am December 01, 2023

by Bill Chappell

"It's a trillion tons of ice," as one expert told NPR. Now the largest iceberg in the world, A23a, is on the move after decades of being grounded on the seafloor.

Twenty-four people have been put to death so far in 2023, up from 18 in 2022 and 11 in 2021, according to a new report by the Death Penalty Information Center. The center attributed the increase to Florida's return to executions after a 3-year pause.

National

Executions are on the rise in the U.S., even as public support wanes

5:01am December 01, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

Twenty-four executions have been carried out in 2023 — five more than last year, the Death Penalty Information Center says. Meanwhile, 50% of Americans say the death penalty is applied unfairly.

In a still frame from video law enforcement officers investigate the scene of a shooting late last month in Burlington, Vt. The suspect is accused of shooting three young men of Palestinian descent who were attending a Thanksgiving holiday gathering near the University of Vermont campus.

National

For years, the FBI quietly stopped tracking anti-Arab violence and hate crimes

5:00am December 01, 2023

by Odette Yousef

When the FBI developed its program to collect hate crime data, it included a category to track anti-Arab incidents. But this code was dropped, masking the scale of the problem.

Queue Listen Now

Climate envoys John Kerry of the U.S. and Xie Zhenhua of China met in California in November. As the world's two-largest greenhouse gas emitters, agreement between the two countries is considered key for significant developments at the UN climate summit.

At climate summit, nations want more from the U.S.: 'There's just a trust deficit'

5:00am December 01, 2023

by Jeff Brady

The United States looms large at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Historically, it's responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than any other nation. But it's also key for major breakthroughs.

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After getting hit with Hurricane Irma in 2017, Antigua and Barbuda is still recovering. It's one of many countries that will need hundreds of millions of dollars to prepare for stronger storms and other climate impacts.

Environment

Countries promise millions for damages from climate change. So how would that work?

5:00am December 01, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

A historic agreement at the international climate talks will provide hundreds of millions of dollars for developing countries. It's nowhere near enough.

Puppets, politicians and a queen's property: It's the weekly news quiz

5:00am December 01, 2023

by Holly J. Morris

Do you know your puppets from your politicians? What about the new word of the year and the world of rare crustaceans? Test your knowledge of this week's news.

An Israeli Air Force helicopter carrying an Israeli hostage released by Hamas lands at the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.

World News

Israel strikes Gaza after truce expires

1:06am December 01, 2023

by The Associated Press

Israel's military said it had resumed combat operations in the Gaza Strip minutes after a temporary truce with Hamas expired Friday, blaming the militant group for breaking the cease-fire.

A federal judge has halted a law in Montana from taking effect that would have banned the popular video app TikTok across the state.

National

Federal judge blocks Montana's TikTok ban before it takes effect

9:25pm November 30, 2023

by Bobby Allyn

The law is seen an important test case. More than a dozen other states are weighing similar bans of the wildly popular video-streaming app, which is owned by a Chinese tech company.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., performed the Heimlich maneuver on Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa as she was choking Thursday during a closed-door GOP lunch. Here, Paul and Ernst look over a folder provided to them by the White House, during a luncheon in 2017 in the State Dinning Room of the White House.

Rand Paul successfully used the Heimlich maneuver on Joni Ernst at a GOP lunch

7:07pm November 30, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

Ernst, who has served in the Senate since 2015, hosted the closed-door luncheon for GOP senators Thursday when the incident occurred.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, listens as Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks Thursday in Tel Aviv. Blinken urged Israeli officials to take "more effective steps" to avoid harm to civilians in Gaza.

World News

Six more hostages released by Hamas as talks over extending the Gaza truce continue

5:17pm November 30, 2023

As both sides prepared for the final planned hostage-for-prison swap, gunmen killed three Israelis in an attack on the outskirts of West Jerusalem early Thursday.