Two new novels investigate what makes magic, what is real and imagined

Both of these novels, Pages of Mourning and The Cemetery of Untold Stories, from an emerging writer and a long-celebrated one, respectively, walk an open road of remembering love, grief, and fate.


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Why the trope of the 'outside agitator' persists

As protests continue to rock the campuses of colleges and universities, a familiar set of questions is being raised: Are these protests really being led by students? Or are the real drivers of the civil disobedience outsiders, seizing on an opportunity to wreak chaos and stir up trouble?


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The ship that struck the Key Bridge had electrical problems in port, the NTSB says

The huge container ship that struck the Key Bridge had electrical problems the day before it left the Port of Baltimore, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by federal investigators.


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These people waited hours to see the Trump hush-money trial up close. Here's why

New Yorkers and tourists alike stand in line outside the Manhattan criminal court with hopes of securing a spot in one of the rooms where the trial against former President Donald Trump can be viewed.


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California's $12 billion Medicaid experiment stretches the definition of health care

The state covers basic services for vulnerable residents, including things like air purifiers for kids with asthma. But nonprofits offering the services struggle to work within the health care system.


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What are 'the kids' thinking these days? Honor Levy aims to tell in 'My First Book'

Social media discourse and the inevitable backlash aside, the 26-year-old writer's first book is an amusing, if uneven, take on growing up white, privileged, and Gen Z.


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Billboard collapses onto people in Mumbai, killing at least 14

A rescue operation was ongoing Tuesday, and it was unclear how many people may still be trapped from the collapse during heavy rain and thunderstorms.


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Melinda French Gates resigns as co-chair from the Gates Foundation

French Gates says she is "immensely proud" of the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the decision to step down as co-chair was not easy. Her last day is June 7.


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GameStop surges after meme stock investor 'Roaring Kitty' resurfaces online

Shares in the video game retailer more than doubled at one point after a prominent meme stock investor made his first online posting in about three years.


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As the FDA evaluates ecstasy treatment for PTSD, questions mount about the evidence

Clinical trials of MDMA have been promising, but concerns have emerged about the quality of the research. A June hearing scheduled by the Food and Drug Administration is likely to address them.


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With 'bleisure' and fewer workers, the American hotel is in recovery

A new type of traveler is part of the post-pandemic reset at U.S. hotels, along with fewer daily cleanings and pancake-slinging machines.


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Prosecutors need Michael Cohen to tie details together in Trump's hush money trial

Here's what's to come in Donald Trump's legal battles, from Trump's Trials: Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen is expected to take the stand in the New York hush money trial this week.


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Putin replaces his defense minister as he starts his 5th term in office

Putin proposed Andrei Belousov, who until recently served as the first deputy prime minister, to replace Sergei Shoigu in a Cabinet shakeup.


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Student protests caused mostly minor disruptions at several graduation ceremonies

From California to North Carolina, students staged chants and walkouts over the weekend in protest of Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza.


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Roger Corman, the B-movie legend who launched A-list careers, dies at 98

Over some five decades, Corman filled America's drive-ins with hundreds of low-budget movies. Many of Hollywood's most respected directors have at least one Corman picture buried in their resumes.


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A car-free town in the Amazon serves lessons for pedaling to net zero emissions

Afuá, a remote town in the Brazilian Amazon, banned motor vehicles over 20 years ago. Writer Mac Margolis and photographer Stefan Kolumban paid the town a visit to see what life is like.


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Controlled demolition planned at Baltimore bridge collapse site

After weeks of preparation, crews are scheduled to conduct a controlled demolition Sunday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.


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Switzerland's Nemo wins Eurovision 2024 in a year of protests

The Swiss singer and rapper was one of two nonbinary artists in the finals at this year's event held in Malmo, Sweden. Meanwhile, protesters called for Israel's disqualification from the contest.


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Flash floods have killed more than 300 people in Afghanistan

Floods from heavy seasonal rains have destroyed over 1,000 houses, the U.N. food agency said. A U.N. official said the floods are a reminder of Afghanistan's vulnerability to the climate crisis.


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Israel expands evacuation orders in Rafah as aid groups struggle to prepare

Israel's military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate on Saturday ahead of a likely expanded ground operation there.


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Photos: Campus protests continue, police make arrests and clear encampments

Photojournalists at NPR member stations documented protests at college and university campuses nationwide this week.


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The Met Gala has fueled backlash against stars who are silent about the Gaza conflict

A fast-growing social media campaign to block stars for not speaking out escalated this week after the star-studded New York event.


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The U.N. General Assembly backs the Palestinians' membership bid

The assembly voted by a wide margin to grant new "rights and privileges" to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider the Palestinians' request to become a U.N. member.


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Meet the lawyer who's trying to flag judges who harass their clerks

A former law clerk who had a bad experience on the job is now trying to share information about judges to help others from suffering the same fate.


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Yes, Apple's new iPad ad is ugly and crushing, but art can't be flattened

The newest iPad ad depicts instruments, books and art supplies flattened into Apple's thinnest product ever. But anyone who owns and loves art in any form knows: The practicality isn't the point.


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Aid workers are doubtful of a U.S.-built pier near Gaza; RFK Jr.'s dead brain worm

A pier off Gaza for aid is expected to be installed soon, but aid workers have questions. RFK Jr. says doctors found a dead worm in his brain. The WHO says he's not alone.


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2 skiers killed after being caught in Utah avalanche, sheriff says

Two skiers were killed and one was rescued after they were buried in an avalanche in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said.


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Their batteries hurt the environment, but EVs still beat gas cars. Here's why

NPR listeners wrote to ask whether the environmental harm from building EVs "cancels out" the cars' climate benefits. Experts say the answer is clear.


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Stormy Daniels continues testimony in Trump's criminal trial

Today is the second day of testimony for adult film star Stormy Daniels. On Tuesday she testified to a nondisclosure agreement and settlement deal with former President Donald Trump.


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Biden warns he'll halt Israel weapons shipments; the Kendrick and Drake beef explained

Biden says he will halt additional weapons shipments to Israel if it proceeds with a major ground offensive in Rafah. NPR music editor Sheldon Pearce breaks down the Kendrick Lamar/Drake beef.


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A WWII story by The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling is published for the first time

Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling was a paratrooper during WWII. After the war, he wrote a short story inspired by the experience. It's now being published for the first time in The Strand.


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Tornadoes tear through the southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead

Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could march through parts of the South early Thursday, after deadly storms a day earlier spawned damaging tornadoes and massive hail.


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Body of the final Baltimore bridge collapse victim recovered in river, officials say

The Baltimore County Police Department confirmed the identity of the sixth victim, 37-year-old José Mynor López, after salvage teams located his body Tuesday.


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Taliban affirms that stoning will be punishment for adulterers — especially women

In a recording, the group's leader declared: ""We will flog the women ... we will stone them to death in public [for crimes]." What does Islamic law say on the matter? And have stonings taken place?


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The Eurovision Song Contest kicked off with pop and protests

Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond took the stage in the first of two Eurovision semifinals in the Swedish city of Malmo, against a backdrop of both parties and protests.


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U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah, official says

The shipment was supposed to be 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to an official, with the U.S. concern being how the explosives could be used in a dense urban setting.


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In 'Chicano Frankenstein,' the undead are the new underpaid labor force

Daniel Olivas's novel puts a new spin on the age-old Frankstein story. In this retelling, 12 million "reanimated" people provide a cheap workforce for the United States...and face a very familiar type of bigotry.


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Increasing Election Violence in Mexico

Mexico's general election will be held at the beginning of June and it will mark the end of a campaign season of record violence. Some thirty candidates have been assassinated in the past month. Our reporter goes to one of Mexico's most violent towns to talk to candidates who are brave enough to run for office.

Sign up for State of the World+ to listen sponsor-free and support the work of NPR journalists. Visit plus.npr.org.


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After years in a Syrian ISIS camp, a 10-person American family is back in the U.S.

The complex deal also brought home two sons of a Minnesota man who fought for ISIS.


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Israeli forces take control at Rafah crossing; How a Border Patrol agent sees his job

Israeli forces have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing into Egypt. A U.S. Border Patrol agent explains how he sees his agency's mission.


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5 workers dead, dozens still missing after a building collapsed in South Africa

Rescue teams worked searching for dozens of construction workers buried under the rubble after a multi-story apartment complex that was being built collapsed in a coastal city in South Africa.


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Israeli forces take control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt

An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge.


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Columbia and Emory universities change commencement plans after weeks of turmoil

Columbia cancels its main ceremony, while Emory's events will now take place in the suburbs outside its Atlanta campus. The moves come after weeks of protests against the war in Gaza.


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Largest-ever marine reptile found with help from an 11-year-old girl

A father and daughter discovered fossil remnants of a giant ichthyosaur that scientists say may have been the largest-known marine reptile to ever swim the seas.


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Bernard Hill, who starred in 'Titanic' and 'The Lord of the Rings,' dies at 79

The English actor played Captain Edward John Smith in the 1997 film Titanic as well as King Théoden of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.


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Israel raids Al Jazeera office as Netanyahu government votes to shut channel down

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera.


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The original 'Harry Potter' book cover art is expected to break records at auction

Sotheby's June 26 auction of Thomas Taylor's watercolor illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is estimated to sell for $400,000-$600,000.


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Ukraine's Zelenskyy calls God an "ally" against Russia in Orthodox Easter message

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians in an Easter address to be united in prayer and called God an "ally" in the war with Russia.


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Driver dies after crashing into White House perimeter gate, Secret Service says

A driver died after a vehicle crashed into a gate at the White House Saturday night, but the fatal collision is being investigated "only as a traffic crash", law enforcement authorities said.


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More than 16,000 pounds of ground beef sold at Walmart recalled over E. coli risk

Cargill says that, out "of an abundance of caution," it is recalling several of its ground beef products produced in late April and sold at Walmart locations across the eastern U.S.


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