National News Archives - Page 3 of 51 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

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Wildland Fire Managers Up Level Of National Preparedness, Seeing Increased Demand For Firefighters

By NWPB News June 22, 2021

The Coconino County Sheriff's Office blocks off a U.S. Forest Service Road outside of Flagstaff, Ariz., on Monday, June 21, 2021. Dozens of wildfires were burning in hot, dry conditions across the U.S. West, including a blaze touched off by lightning that was moving toward northern Arizona's largest city. CREDIT: Brady Wheeler/Arizona Daily Sun via AP

The National Interagency Fire Center said Tuesday that it’s the second earliest it reached what it calls preparedness level 4 on the 1-5 scale since 1990. It’s also only the fourth time in the last 20 years that it has reached the level 4 in June.Read More

Carl Nassib Is The First Active NFL Player To Come Out As Gay

By NPR News June 21, 2021

Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib said on Monday that he would not have been able to publicly come out as gay without the support of the NFL and his teammates. CREDIT: Jeff Bottari/AP

Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out in a personal Instagram post on Monday, saying he has "agonized over this moment for the last 15 years."Read More

Cargo Is Piling Up Everywhere, And It’s Making Inflation Worse

By NPR News June 21, 2021

Shipping containers are stacked high at the Port of Los Angeles in April. Supply chain disruptions are hitting small-business owners across the United States. CREDIT: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Soaring demand from Americans for everything from iPads to cars is leading to a surge in freight crossing the Pacific, hitting business owners such as Nephew.Read More

The Supreme Court Sides With NCAA Athletes In A Narrow Ruling

By NPR News June 21, 2021

Faced with the prospect of reshaping college athletics, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a narrow but potentially transformative ruling Monday in a case that pitted college athletes against the NCAA.Read More

More Black Women Are Being Elected To Office. Few Feel Safe Once They Get There

By PBS Newshour June 21, 2021

Kim Foxx (R), Attica Scott (C) and Kiah Morris (L) all face a similar reality: Harassment, abuse and death threats for doing their job as a Black woman. CREDIT: Chloe Jones/PBS NewsHour

As many people celebrate growing representation, women and people of color continue to bear the brunt of harassment and threats at all levels of government. The abuse is compounded for Black women, who experience both systemic racism and sexism. An Amnesty International study examining abusive tweets targeted at women journalists and politicians in the U.S. and U.K. in Read More

Unpaid Caregivers Were Already Struggling. It’s Only Gotten Worse During The Pandemic

By NPR News June 20, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for unpaid caregivers, with many reporting symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. CREDIT: Portra Images via Getty Images

The pandemic has taken a massive toll on people's mental health. But a new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms what many of us are seeing and feeling in our own lives: The impact has been particularly devastating for parents and unpaid caregivers of adults.Read More

The Record Temperatures Enveloping The West Are Not Your Average Heat Wave

By NPR News June 20, 2021

Thermometer reading 130 degrees F in Death Valley National Park

It might be tempting to shrug at the scorching weather across large swaths of the West. This just in: It gets hot in the summer. But this record-setting heat wave's remarkable power, size and unusually early appearance is giving meteorologists and climate experts yet more cause for concern about the routinization of extreme weather in an era of climate change.Read More

After Debate On President Biden’s Abortion Views, U.S. Bishops Vote To Rethink Communion Rules

By NPR News June 18, 2021

President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, shown here on Jan. 20, 2021, attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies in Washington, D.C. CREDIT: Evan Vucci/AP

After a contentious debate, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has voted to move forward with a process that could call into question the eligibility of politicians like President Joe Biden to receive Communion.Read More

To Celebrate Juneteenth, Listen To A Reading Of The Emancipation Proclamation

By NPR News June 18, 2021

The United States has a new national holiday to celebrate: Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 — in the aftermath of the Civil War — when U.S. Army troops landed in Galveston, Texas, and informed some of the last enslaved Americans that they were free.Read More

Supreme Court Rules Catholic Group Doesn’t Have To Consider LGBTQ Foster Parents

By NPR News June 17, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Catholic Social Services in a battle that pitted religious freedom against anti-discrimination laws in Philadelphia and across the country. Read More

President Biden Signs Bill Into Law Making Juneteenth A Federal Holiday

By NPR News June 17, 2021

President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. CREDIT: Evan Vucci/AP

President Biden on Thursday signed a bill to recognize Juneteenth — the celebration to commemorate the end of chattel slavery in the United States — as a federal holiday.Read More

In Historic, Bipartisan Move, House Votes To Repeal 2002 Iraq War Powers Resolution

By NPR News June 17, 2021

The U.S. House on Thursday moved to repeal a nearly two-decade-old war powers measure, marking what many lawmakers hope will be the beginning of the end of wide-ranging authorities given to the president after the 9/11 terror attacks.Read More

Federal Reserve Will Continue Supporting The Economy Despite Surging Prices

By NPR News June 16, 2021

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has been under pressure from President Trump to cut interest rates. CREDIT: Patrick Semansky/AP

The central bank said Wednesday it would leave interest rates near zero and maintain its aggressive program of bond purchases in hopes of encouraging a faster rebound from the pandemic recession.Read More

President Biden And Putin Say Their Summit Was Constructive As The World Waits For Results

By NPR News June 16, 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Biden shake hands during their meeting at the Villa la Grange in Geneva on Wednesday. CREDIT: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

President Joe Biden said he also tried to establish some basic rules of the road, sharing with Vladimir Putin a list of 16 elements of critical infrastructure he suggested be considered off limits for cyber attacks.Read More

An Olympic Hopeful Says Her Pork Burrito Is To Blame For Her Positive Drug Test

By NPR News June 16, 2021

Shelby Houlihan, the middle-distance runner who currently holds two U.S. records, says she's been banned from the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone. Houlihan says she's clean and is blaming the test result on a pork burrito she got from a food truck.Read More

Royal Caribbean’s Launch Of Its New Megaship Just Got Sidelined By COVID Cases

By NPR News June 16, 2021

Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the water

Royal Caribbean's new megaship, Odyssey of the Seas, was supposed to hail the company's return to business as near-usual this summer. But the ship's launch is now delayed after eight crew members tested positive for the coronavirus. Its first scheduled trips are now canceled.Read More

Donald Trump Pressed Justice Department To Reverse The Election Results, Documents Show

By NPR News June 15, 2021

Former President Donald Trump addresses the North Carolina Republican Party's annual state convention on June 5. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

A batch of emails released by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee appears to paint a clearer picture of how former President Donald Trump and his allies attempted to pressure the U.S. Justice Department to investigate unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.Read More

U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves A Bill To Make Juneteenth A Public Holiday

By NPR News June 15, 2021

The Senate unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would make Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of chattel slavery in the United States, a legal public holiday.Read More

U.S. Hits 600,000 COVID Deaths, More Than Any Other Country

By NPR News June 15, 2021

Memorials hang from the front gate of Greenwood Cemetery during an event and procession organized by Naming the Lost Memorials to remember and celebrate the lives of those killed by the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

More than 15 months since the first confirmed death due to COVID-19 in the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 600,000 lives across the country.Read More

The U.S. Bans Importing Dogs From 113 Countries After Rise In False Rabies Records

By NPR News June 14, 2021

The infectious and contagious rabies virus, shown here in a colorized micrograph, can be transmitted to humans through the bite or saliva of an infected animal. Thanks to protective vaccination of pets, rabies was eliminated from the U.S. dog population in 2007, though a bite from infected bats, skunks and raccoons can still transmit the virus. CREDIT: Biophoto Associates/Science Source

The U.S. is banning the importation of dogs from more than 100 countries for at least a year because of a sharp increase in the number of puppies imported into the country with fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates.Read More

The Supreme Court Declines To Expand Sentencing Reforms For Crack Cocaine Cases

By NPR News June 14, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that some crack cocaine offenders sentenced to harsh prison terms more than a decade ago cannot get their sentences reduced under a federal law adopted with the purpose of doing just that.Read More

Novavax Says Its COVID Vaccine Is Extremely Effective, But Has Yet To Be Approved In U.S.

By NPR News June 14, 2021

A vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine is seen ready for use in the trial at St. George's University hospital in London Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Novavax Inc. said Thursday Jan. 28, 2021 that its COVID-19 vaccine appears 89% effective based on early findings from a British study and that it also seems to work — though not as well — against new mutated strains of the virus circulating in that country and South Africa. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

According to Novavax, the vaccine's manufacturer, it had a 100% efficacy against the original strain of the coronavirus and 93% efficacy against more worrisome variants that have subsequently appeared.Read More

Extremism Expert Calls Idaho Critical Race Theory Debate A ‘Cynical’ Effort To Rally GOP Voters

By NWPB News June 14, 2021

Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin speaks at an anti-mask protest on the steps of the Idaho Capitol Tuesday. Nik Streng/Idaho Education News

A national expert on race and extremism said a recent spate of attacks on “critical race theory” in Idaho are part of a growing effort by conservative Republicans to exploit anxiety and engage voters in upcoming elections.Read More

5 Ways For Seniors To Protect Themselves From Online Misinformation

By NPR News June 14, 2021

Seniors are especially at risk. People over 65 were more likely to share false or misleading content on Facebook during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to one study from researchers at Princeton and New York University. Older adults were also exposed to more misinformation on Twitter during that election.Read More

Coming Soon To An Atlas Near You: A Fifth Ocean

By NPR News June 13, 2021

Picture of the southern ocean around Antarctica, taken from space

BY KAREN ZAMORA, JUSTINE KENIN & EMMA BOWMAN Most of us learned about the world’s oceans in elementary school. There’s the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian and the Arctic. Now, […]Read More

Apple iPhones Can Soon Hold Your ID. Privacy Experts Are On Edge

By NPR News June 13, 2021

Apple announced this week at its Worldwide Developer Conference a new feature in its forthcoming operating system, iOS 15, that will digitize state-issued licenses and ID cards. Apple

Buying a coffee and grabbing a train is already possible with an iPhone, but Apple wants to replace the physical wallet completely. To that end, earlier this week Apple announced a new feature to let users scan their driver's licenses and save it to their iPhones to use as a legitimate form of identification.Read More

Inflation Is Surging. The Price Of A Toyota Pickup Truck Helps Explain Why

By Scott Leadingham June 12, 2021

Used cars sit on the sales lot at Frank Bent's Wholesale Motors in El Cerrito, Calif., on March 15. Supply chain snarls and pent-up demand are driving up the prices of a lot of things, including new and used cars. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

BY SCOTT HORSLEY Prices for a lot of things are surging across the U.S., and John McConnell’s recent car-shopping experience helps explain why. McConnell, from Colorado Springs, Colo., was recently […]Read More

Developer Abandons Keystone XL Pipeline Project, Ending Decade-Long Battle

By NPR News June 11, 2021

A storage yard is seen in Montana for pipe that was to be used in the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The developer has now canceled the controversial project. Al Nash/Bureau of Land Management via AP

The company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday it's officially terminating the project. TC Energy already had suspended construction in January when President Biden revoked a key cross-border presidential permit. The announcement ends a more than decade-long battle that came to signify the debate over whether fossil fuels should be left in the Read More

Congress Urged To Act As States Start Allowing Outside Cash For Student Athletes

By NPR News June 10, 2021

Cameron Brink #22 of the Stanford Cardinal and Cate Reese #25 of the Arizona Wildcats fight for the opening tipoff during the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on April 4 in San Antonio, Texas. The Stanford Cardinal defeated the Arizona Wildcats 54-53 to win the national title. CREDIT: Elsa/Getty Images

College sports are about to change dramatically and Congress needs to act quickly in order to ensure fairness. That was the message Wednesday on Capitol Hill, at a lengthy senate hearing about new state laws that'll allow college athletes to make money off the use of their name, image and likeness.Read More

A Record Number Of Americans, Including Republicans, Now Support Same-Sex Marriage

By NPR News June 9, 2021

A man holds a U.S. and a rainbow flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2015, after the court legalized gay marriage nationwide. CREDIT: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

The percentage — the highest since the organization began recording the trend in 1996 — marks a 10% increase since 2015, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all states must recognize same-sex marriages.Read More

In Idaho, The Next Political Fight Is Not Blue Versus Red, But What Shade Of Red The State Will Be

By NWPB News June 8, 2021

Ammon Bundy, center, who led the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation, stands on the Idaho Statehouse steps in Boise. Mainstream and far-right Republicans are battling for control of the party and the state in deeply conservative Idaho. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP

Mainstream Idaho Republicans, who have dominated the state for three decades and would be considered far right in many states, have themselves become targets, including protests at lawmakers’ homes. They fear disinformation and intimidation is driving the changes in the rural Western state.Read More

President Biden Ends Infrastructure Talks With Senate GOP Group, Saying Its Plan Fell Short

By NPR News June 8, 2021

President Biden, with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia on May 13 in the Oval Office, has ended talks with a Republican group she led on infrastructure. CREDIT: T.J. Kirkpatrick/Pool/Getty Images

President Biden put the kibosh on negotiations after informing Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia that "the latest offer from her group did not, in his view, meet the essential needs of our country to restore our roads and bridges, prepare us for our clean energy future, and create jobs," according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.Read More

‘Bring Your Guns’: Probe Uncovers More Alarming Intelligence Before The Capitol Riot

By NPR News June 8, 2021

Violent rioters supporting then-President Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Capitol Police had seen information from a pro-Trump website that encouraged demonstrators to bring weapons to subdue members of Congress and police. CREDIT: John Minchillo/AP

A bipartisan probe led by two Senate committees has found that U.S. Capitol Police and other authorities were in possession of more alarming intelligence clues ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the complex than previously documented.Read More

Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge To The Rule That Only Men Register For The Draft

By NPR News June 7, 2021

A group registers for military selective service at the state fair grounds in Dallas in 1940. The Supreme Court said Monday it would not hear a case challenging the rule that only men need to register for the draft. AP

In an accompanying statement, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh acknowledged that when the draft was originally enacted, women were not eligible for combat roles, a situation that has dramatically changed in modern times.Read More

California Assault Weapons Ban ‘Disrespects’ Freedom, Federal Judge Writes

By NPR News June 6, 2021

Bryan Oberc, in Munster, Ind., tries out an AR-15 from Sig Sauer in the exhibition hall at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting in Indianapolis in 2019. CREDIT: Michael Conroy/AP

For more than three decades, California has banned certain types of semiautomatic rifles including the AR-15 under an "assault weapons" ban. On Friday, a federal judge threw out the ban, ruling that it violates the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.Read More

Pope Francis Expresses Sorrow But No Apology For Deaths At British Columbia Indigenous School

By NPR News June 6, 2021

Pope Francis speaks from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square on June 6, 2021. Francis expressed sorrow for the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada, but did not offer an apology. CREDIT: Domenico Stinellis/AP

Pope Francis expressed sorrow Sunday for the gruesome discovery of a mass grave in Canada containing the remains of hundreds of Indigenous children. The remains were found at a boarding school for Indigenous Canadians, operated by Catholic clergy.Read More

Facebook Suspends Donald Trump For At 2 Years Following Oversight Board’s Ruling

By Scott Leadingham June 4, 2021

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing in 2019. CREDIT: Andrew Harnik/AP

BY SHANNON BOND Facebook has extended former President Donald Trump’s suspension for two years and says it will only reinstate him “if the risk to public safety has receded.” The […]Read More

Corporate Landlord Evicts Black Renters At Far Higher Rates Than Whites, Report Finds

By NPR News June 3, 2021

Getting evicted can send people into a downward financial spiral. During the pandemic, there has been the added danger of catching or spreading the coronavirus.Read More

Experts Call It A ‘Clown Show’ But Arizona ‘Audit’ Is A Blueprint For Future Disinformation Campaigns

By NPR News June 3, 2021

Contractors working for Cyber Ninjas, the company hired by the Republican-led Arizona state Senate, examine and recount ballots from the 2020 general election on May 3. Courtney Pedroza/The Washington Post via Getty Images

At a basic level, it's a victory for those looking to sow doubt in the 2020 election results just to have them still being litigated six months after Election Day. To be clear, Maricopa County's election results have already been audited multiple times by companies with experience in the field, with no problems being uncovered.Read More

Amazon Will Stop Testing Job Seekers For Marijuana And Now Backs Legalizing Weed

By NPR News June 2, 2021

Amazon will no longer test most job applicants for marijuana use in the latest sign of America's changing relationship with pot. Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the U.S., also says it now backs legalizing marijuana nationwide.Read More

The Pope Is Toughening Church Laws On Sex Abuse, Fraud And The Ordination Of Women

By NPR News June 1, 2021

Pope Francis prepares to leave after celebrating a special Mass for the Myanmar faithful last month at the Vatican. On Tuesday, Francis issued new canon law focused on sexual abuse, fraud and the attempted ordination of women. Remo Casilli/Pool via AP

Pope Francis on Tuesday issued a major revision of Catholic Church laws regulating clerical sex abuse, fraud and the attempt to ordain women. It is known as an apostolic constitution with the title, Pascite Gregem Dei, or "Tend the Flock."Read More

The Effort To Reform The U.S. Military’s Justice System Faces A New Fight

By NPR News June 1, 2021

For years, New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (left) has sought approval of her bill to reform the military's criminal justice system. This year, Gillibrand joined forces with Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, seen here, a sexual assault survivor herself before she became a combat company commander. Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

In the military, commanders who are not lawyers get to choose which serious criminal cases go to trial. That means leaders who are pilots, infantry officers and hold other positions can be tasked with making weighty legal decisions with little to no experience.Read More

Artist’s Black Wall Street Project Is About Tulsa 100 Years Ago — And Today

By NPR News May 31, 2021

Tulsa, Oklahoma - so-called Black Wall Street before 2021 massacre

Artist Paul Rucker is fearless when it comes to taking on terrible moments in American history. One of them, in Tulsa, Okla., was destroyed by a white mob 100 years ago, on May 31, 1921. The catastrophic attack on what was known as Black Wall Street might be the worst single episode of racial violence in American history, with 35 city blocks of Black community destroyed Read More

A Path To Peace: How A Former Navy Corpsman Honors His Fallen Friends On Memorial Day

By NPR News May 31, 2021

Ralph "AK" Angkiangco spent just under a decade in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman. He deployed to Afghanistan twice and served alongside the Marines. Courtesy Ralph Angkiangco

BY DUSTIN JONES Ralph “AK” Angkiangco enlisted in the Navy in April 2008 one year after graduating high school. He was an 18-year-old kid uncertain about what he wanted in […]Read More

‘Nothing Looks Good.’ Across The West, Firefighters Prepare For A Potentially Bad Fire Season

By NWPB News May 30, 2021

A couple embrace Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, while touring an area devastated by the Almeda Fire in Phoenix, Ore. John Locher/AP

Severe drought has turned forests and grasslands into dry fuels, ready to ignite from a careless camper or a lightning strike. More people are building in areas bordering wildlands, expanding the so-called wildland-urban interface, an area where wildfires impact people the most. Invasive, highly flammable vegetation is spreading uncontrolled across the West.Read More

More Nuclear Energy Could Be Coming To Central Washington, As Grant County Explores Small-Scale

By Courtney Flatt May 29, 2021

An artist’s rendition of the NuScale nuclear power project planned for construction in Idaho. Courtesy of NuScale Power

Washington’s Grant County is exploring nuclear generation in an effort to generate more carbon-free electricity. The county’s Public Utility District recently signed a deal with Oregon-based NuScale Power to figure out if a partnership might work.Read More

Senate Republicans Block A Plan For An Independent Commission On Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

By NPR News May 28, 2021

Bipartisan legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has failed in the Senate, as Republicans staged their first filibuster since President Biden took office to block the plan.Read More

Idaho Governor Overturns Mask Ban From His Own Lt. Governor, Calls It ‘Self-Serving Political Stunt’

By NWPB News May 28, 2021

File photo. Idaho Gov. Brad Little puts on a face mask before a public meeting earlier this year. So far he has resisted calls for a statewide mandate. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the governor of Utah, Idaho's southern neighbor, imposed a mask mandate. CREDIT: Idaho Education News

Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Friday issued an executive order repealing a mask mandate prohibition put in place while he was out of the state by the lieutenant governor, describing her actions as a tyrannical abuse of power and an “irresponsible, self-serving political stunt.”Read More

Senate Republicans Release $928 Billion Infrastructure Counteroffer

By NPR News May 27, 2021

West Virginia's Shelley Moore Capito and fellow Senate Republicans unveiled a new counteroffer to President Biden's infrastructure package during a news conference Thursday. CREDIT: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A group of Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a $928 billion infrastructure proposal to counter President Biden's plan for a nearly $2 trillion bill.Read More

Controversial New Guidelines Would Allow Experiments On More Mature Human Embryos

By NPR News May 26, 2021

Four-cell embryo. Light micrograph of the blastomeres of a four-cell human embryo. The blastomeres are the rounded cells, here formed after two divisions of the fertilized egg. An envelope, the zona pellucida, is seen surrounding the embryo, and the heads of some sperm are visible still attached to it. The fertilized ovum is composed of a single cell, the zygote, containing the genetic material of both spermatozoid and ovum. It then divides repeatedly, producing a cluster of cells that embed themselves in the uteral lining. During the first 8 weeks the child in the womb is called an embryo. At the 2 or 4-cell stage, embryos produced by in vitro fertilization are either embedded in the uterus or frozen for later introduction.

For decades, scientists have been prohibited from keeping human embryos alive in their labs for more than 14 days. The prohibition was aimed at avoiding a thicket of ethical issues that would be raised by doing experiments on living human embryos as they continue to develop.Read More