NPR Top Stories

The celebrated mountaineer, who also served as the first full-time employee of the outdoor retailer REI and later as its president and CEO, died Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington, his family said.

North Korea said its testing spree this week involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, as it pushes to expand nuclear-capable forces.

A man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court and acknowledged his involvement in an attempt to illegally smuggle migrants to the U.S. when a truck crashed in Mexico in 2021, killing more than 50.

The teen birth rate continues its decades-long downward trend. Researchers say many factors are at play, including less sexual activity and more access to contraception and abortion.

Bill Gates will appear before the House Oversight Committee in June. The Department of Justice said Wednesday that former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not testify for now.

Montgomery, Ala., helped shape America — from the cradle of the Confederacy to the birthplace of the civil rights movement to the city's draw today as the place to reflect on the legacy of slavery.

Trump's war goals included putting an end to Iran's nuclear program, destroying its military capabilities and creating regime change. That hasn't happened.

OpenAI is seeking to shape the public narrative about AI with the purchase of a niche talk show popular with Silicon Valley insiders.

The books we're spotlighting this month don't exactly radiate escapist good vibes — but they do offer the opportunity to step into someone else's life and get to know their view of our shared world.

With elections in Georgia and Wisconsin Tuesday, Democrats continued to overperform, which the party started in 2025 when it regularly improved on its margins compared to the presidential race in 2024.