News

Hurricane Lee formed a well-defined eye wall on Thursday. The storm is seen here in a satellite image from around noon ET Thursday, showing the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico to the west.

National

Hurricane Lee is rapidly intensifying, and it's forecast to be a Category 5 storm

1:45pm September 07, 2023

The hurricane isn't currently threatening anyone on land. That's a relief: Lee's maximum sustained winds are now predicted to top 160 mph by this weekend.

Voters check their phones while waiting to cast in-person ballots at a polling location in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 13, 2020. Many Americans wonder why they can't vote online, on their phones, but experts agree that it's not secure.

Politics & Government

Voting online is very risky. But hundreds of thousands of people are already doing it

1:33pm September 07, 2023

by Miles Parks

The advice from cybersecurity experts is unanimous: Internet voting is a bad idea. But it's already happening in every federal election. In 2020, more than 300,000 Americans cast ballots online.

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Pennsylvania State police search the woods and a creek in Pennsbury Township, Pa., on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Murderer Danelo Cavalcante was able to escape a prison yard in suburban Pennsylvania last week by climbing up a wall and over razor wire, officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

National

Pennsylvania inmate escaped by crab-walking up a prison wall, video shows

1:28pm September 07, 2023

by The Associated Press

The details of Danelo Cavalcante's escape, including that he got out using the same route another prisoner took in May, were released as police flooded a search zone of increasingly worried residents.

Superbugs catch a ride on air pollution particles. Is that bad news for people?

12:19pm September 07, 2023

by Gabriel Spitzer

Antibiotic resistant microbes from the soil, from aquaculture, from sewage and from hospitals can hook onto air pollution particles. A new study looks at the implications.

The federal government, the nation's largest employer, is urging a return to office for federal employees this fall. A government report found that in the first three months of 2023, building occupancy at 17 federal agency was 25% or less.

Politics & Government

Biden wants federal workforce to come to the office more. Some ask why?

12:01pm September 07, 2023

by Andrea Hsu

As employers including the federal government cut back on remote work, employees who never had any intention of working from an office push back and threaten to retire or resign.

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Mojave National Preserve technician Ryan McRae observes the remnants of the Dome Fire.

In a charred moonscape, a band of hopeful workers try to save the Joshua tree

11:12am September 07, 2023

by Christopher Intagliata

After flames destroyed 1.3 million Joshua trees in Mojave National Preserve, biologists began replanting seedlings. But many have died, and now another fire has torched more of the iconic succulents.

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United Auto Workers members march while holding signs at a union rally held near a Stellantis factory Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Detroit.

Economy

Why auto workers are asking for a 46% pay raise

11:10am September 07, 2023

by Danielle Kaye

Bold union demands, bolstered by a tight labor market and frustration throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, are paying off in some sectors with significant raises for workers.

SAG-AFTRA leader Fran Drescher has some choice words for Hollywood studio heads.

'You could be the hero': Fran Drescher tells NPR how the Hollywood strikes can end

10:10am September 07, 2023

Fran Drescher, president of the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, says the Hollywood strikes are at an inflection point.

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Sudanese refugees settle temporarily in the town of Adré in Chad along the border of Sudan. Thousands have fled the fighting in Sudan seeking safety in Chad.

World News

Up First briefing: Sudan's humanitarian crisis; Texas floating border; office jargon

9:30am September 07, 2023

by Suzanne Nuyen

The U.N. says 400,000 have fled from Sudan to Chad. A judge rules floating border barrier in Texas must be removed. Circling back to the most annoying office jargon.

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Map: Estimated change in number of abortions performed, 2020 vs. Jan-June 2023

Health & Safety

New state abortion numbers show increases in some surprising places

8:13am September 07, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

What happened to abortion numbers since Roe v. Wade fell? The Guttmacher Institute has new state-by-state numbers that show people are traveling for the procedure.

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