News

Migrants are seen standing in Lampedusa's migrant reception center on Sept. 14. The reception center in Italy's southernmost island of Lampedusa has been overwhelmed in recent weeks with transferring to the mainland thousands of migrants arriving on small, flimsy boats.

World News

More than 2,500 migrants crossing the Mediterranean died or went missing this year

2:45pm September 29, 2023

by Emma Bowman

The staggering toll increased more than 60% from last year, when fewer migrants attempted the dangerous journey to Europe. This year so far, the majority of migrants are arriving in Italy.

This April 10, 2011, file photo, shows a rig and supply vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana. The Biden administration has proposed up to three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico over the next five years.

National

Biden calls for up to 3 offshore oil leases in Gulf of Mexico, upsetting both sides

2:20pm September 29, 2023

by The Associated Press

The administration's proposal seeks to strike a balance between energy companies seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want Biden to shut down new offshore drilling.

The famous Sycamore Gap tree along Hadrian's Wall in northern England is seen in June, at top, and the new landscape on Thursday after someone cut the tree down.

Despair flows after England's Sycamore Gap tree is cut down. Could it regrow?

1:56pm September 29, 2023

The famous tree in northern England is believed to have been around 200 years old. Efforts are under way to salvage it through regrowth or grafting — or starting over from a new seed.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California who was first elected in 1992, died Thursday at the age of 90.

Politics & Government

From California to Capitol Hill, tributes to Dianne Feinstein flood in after her death

12:26pm September 29, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

Leaders in the House and the Senate paused from the race to avert a government shutdown to remember Feinstein, the California Democrat who was longest-serving woman to ever sit in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee in July 2022.

Politics & Government

Dianne Feinstein, longest serving woman in the Senate, has died at 90

12:10pm September 29, 2023

by Scott Shafer

Feinstein suddenly became the mayor of San Francisco when two other officials were assassinated. Later she was elected to the U.S. Senate after male senators grilled Anita Hill in public hearings.

Queue Listen Now

Joie Henney and his emotional support alligator, Wally, were denied entry to a Phillies' game at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday — but hope to be invited back soon.

Health & Safety

Wally the emotional support alligator went to see the Phillies. Then he went viral

11:01am September 29, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Wally doesn't bite, loves hugs and has a sizeable social media following. He made headlines (again) for being denied entry to a baseball stadium — but his owner tells NPR that's not the full story.

Government funding runs out at the end of the day on Sept. 30, meaning many federal government services will halt until funding resumes.

Politics & Government

What closes and what keeps running in a federal government shutdown

11:01am September 29, 2023

A government shutdown is looming but not every federal office will close completely. Some critical services will continue as employees work without pay.

Frontline health care workers hold a demonstration on Labor Day outside Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles, Monday, Sep. 4, 2023.

Health & Safety

Overworked and understaffed: Kaiser workers are on the brink of a nationwide strike

6:58am September 29, 2023

by Danielle Kaye

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers at hundreds of U.S. facilities could go on strike for three days starting Wednesday, in the largest health care strike in the county's history.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Federal shutdown could disrupt patient care at safety-net clinics across U.S.

6:53am September 29, 2023

by Sarah Boden

A network of almost 1,400 federally-funded health clinics form an essential safety net for patients who have nowhere else to go. But even a temporary government shutdown could force cutbacks in care.

Queue Listen Now

In this photo provided by the District Police Office, injured victims of bomb explosion are treated at a hospital, in Mastung near Quetta, Pakistan

World News

Dozens are dead after a blast in Pakistan at a rally celebrating birthday of prophet

6:21am September 29, 2023

by The Associated Press

A powerful bomb exploded near a mosque at a rally celebrating the birthday of Islam's Prophet Muhammad in Pakistan, killing at least 52 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.