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Harry Styles: Tiny Desk Concert

"But, you know, it's Chewsday. It's Chewsday, right? Yeah, it's Chewsday." Harry Styles reminds the Tiny Desk what day it is.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference as the government shutdown enters its third week, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 14.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference as the government shutdown enters its third week, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 14. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

2025 government shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries says public pressure will force Congress to extend ACA subsidies

The Democratic House Minority Leader tells NPR Americans will pressure Congress to extend Obamacare subsidies as they realize their health care costs are going up.

Hakeem Jeffries on the government shutdown and the ongoing stalemate on Capitol Hill

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People enjoy the weather at the closed National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20. The US government shutdown dragged into a third week, with Congress gridlocked in a clash over spending and no resolution in sight.

People enjoy the weather at the closed National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20. The US government shutdown dragged into a third week, with Congress gridlocked in a clash over spending and no resolution in sight. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

2025 government shutdown

The federal government is still shut down. Here's what that means across the country

The federal government is currently shut down. The NPR Network is following the ways the government shutdown is affecting services across the country.
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Leif Parsons for NPR

Goats and Soda

Some ant architects design a colony to cut the risk of disease. Humans, take note!

One kind of tiny ant can serve as a monumental example for how to keep members of a community safe from pathogens. A new study shows how they do it.

Some ants appear to alter their nestss to prevent epidemics

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The photograph is a grid of four portraits. Each person wears a light blue shirt with an American Cancer Society logo.

Clockwise from upper left: Katie Martin, Lexy Mealing, John Manna, and Mary Catherine Johnson. They differ on politics, but they all came to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress to support aid for people with the deadly disease. Charlotte Kesl for KFF Health News hide caption

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Charlotte Kesl for KFF Health News

Shots - Health News

'Cancer doesn't care': Patients pushed past divisive politics to lobby Congress

 KFF Health News

Hundreds of volunteer advocates put partisan differences aside and pressed Congress to help people with cancer. The advocacy came just before the stalemate that has shut down the federal government.

Volunteers advocating for Cancer support visit members of the House and Senate

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George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning in game seven of the American League Championship Series in Toronto.

George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning in game seven of the American League Championship Series in Toronto. Mark Blinch/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Sports

The Dodgers want to win another World Series. The Toronto Blue Jays are in their way

The Los Angeles Dodgers have put all the chips in on their pursuit of being baseball's first back-to-back champions since 2000. The Blue Jays and their red-hot lineup won't go down easy.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about the “Election Rigging Response Act” at a press conference at the Democracy Center, Japanese American National Museum, on Aug. 14 in Los Angeles. Newsom spoke about a possible California referendum on redistricting to counter the legislative effort to add five Republican House seats in the state of Texas.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about the "Election Rigging Response Act" at a press conference at the Democracy Center, Japanese American National Museum, on Aug. 14 in Los Angeles. Newsom spoke about a possible California referendum on redistricting to counter the legislative effort to add five Republican House seats in the state of Texas. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Redistricting campaign in California is taking on familiar Newsom-vs-Trump vibes

 KQED

Similar to the failed recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, the vote over redistricting is turning on opinions of him and Trump.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli, left, and Democrat Mikie Sherrill participate in the final debate in the New Jersey governor's race, Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J.

Republican Jack Ciattarelli, left, and Democrat Mikie Sherrill participate in the final debate in the New Jersey governor's race, Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, N.J. Heather Khalifa/AP hide caption

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Heather Khalifa/AP

National

Blue New Jersey is expecting a very close race for governor this November

President Trump and former President Obama have endorsed the two candidates locked in a tight race for New Jersey governor, Republican Jack Ciattarelli and Democrat Mikie Sherrill.

NEW JERSEY RACE FOR GOV

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The first phase of the Reefline project will be Leandro Ehrlich's "Concrete Coral," an installation of 22 cars that will become covered by coral.

The first phase of the Reefline project will be Leandro Ehrlich's "Concrete Coral," an installation of 22 cars that will become covered by coral. Courtesy of the Reefline hide caption

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Courtesy of the Reefline

National

Miami Beach is putting the art in an offshore artificial reef

The artificial reef off Miami Beach will be an art installation, a restoration of the island's coral habitat and an underwater tourist attraction.

Miami Beach puts the art in offshore artificial reef

Audio will be available later today.
The SpaceX launchpad is seen in May ahead of the company's ninth Starship rocket launch from their South Texas facility in the newly incorporated city of Starbase, Texas.

The SpaceX launchpad is seen in May ahead of the company's ninth Starship rocket launch from their South Texas facility in the newly incorporated city of Starbase, Texas. Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Newsroom hide caption

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Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Newsroom

Elon Musk and Cards Against Humanity end a lawsuit about SpaceX dumping on South Texas land

 The Texas Newsroom

The satirical party game company said it would release a special Musk-themed mini pack of its card game to mark the settlement.
A drone image shows erosion brought on from the remnants of Typhoon Halong just dozens of feet away from the sewage lagoon in the Kuskokwim Bay community of Quinhagak on Oct. 16.

A drone image shows erosion brought on from the remnants of Typhoon Halong just dozens of feet away from the sewage lagoon in the Kuskokwim Bay community of Quinhagak on Oct. 16. Bryan Jones Jr. on behalf of Qanirtuuq Inc. and Nalaquq LLC hide caption

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Bryan Jones Jr. on behalf of Qanirtuuq Inc. and Nalaquq LLC

Thousands of archeological Yup'ik artifacts were scattered by Western Alaska typhoon

 KYUK

Severe erosion in Quinhagak has put critical infrastructure in peril and destroyed archeological artifacts. "It's like you took our museum and sprinkled it out on the beach," lead archaeologist Rick Knecht said.
Figures from the entertainment industry — including the late Fred Rogers, Tupac Shakur, and Robin Williams — have been digitally recreated using OpenAI’s Sora technology. The app’s ability to do so with ease has left many in the industry deeply concerned.

Figures from the entertainment industry — including the late Fred Rogers, Tupac Shakur, and Robin Williams — have been digitally recreated using OpenAI's Sora technology. The app's ability to do so with ease has left many in the industry deeply concerned. Sora/Open AI/Annotation by NPR hide caption

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Sora/Open AI/Annotation by NPR

Culture

Hollywood pushes OpenAI for consent

The latest version of OpenAI's Sora can quickly turn text prompts and simple images into studio quality videos, which left the entertainment industry deeply uneasy.

OpenAI’s Sora 2 has put Hollywood on red alert

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Attendees walk through an expo hall at a conference hosted by Amazon Web Services at The Venetian Las Vegas on Nov. 28, 2023, in Las Vegas. AWS is responsible for infrastructure supporting websites across the internet.

Attendees walk through an expo hall at a conference hosted by Amazon Web Services at The Venetian Las Vegas on Nov. 28, 2023, in Las Vegas. AWS is responsible for infrastructure supporting websites across the internet. Noah Berger/Getty Images for Amazon Web Services hide caption

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Noah Berger/Getty Images for Amazon Web Services

Business

An outage at Amazon Web Services disrupts websites across the internet

Amazon's cloud computing service provides back-end support to many companies that operate online. When it has problems, so do they.

Outage at Amazon's web services division disrupts major websites across the internet

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"Daily Scene in the Louvre," a 1911 cartoon by Samuel Ehrhart, shows patrons blatantly stealing works from the museum.

"Daily Scene in the Louvre," a 1911 cartoon by Samuel Ehrhart, shows patrons blatantly stealing works from the museum after an inventory at the time found that over 300 canvases were missing. Universal History Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Universal History Archive/Getty Images

History

This isn't the Louvre's first high-profile heist. Here's a history of earlier thefts

Masked thieves stole priceless jewels from the Louvre on Sunday morning. The Paris museum has suffered a string of successful art heists, dating back to the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911.
Many people try cannabis for back pain. Now new studies from Europe show it may be an effective option.

Many people try cannabis for back pain. Now new studies from Europe show it may be an effective option. Tinnakorn Jorruang/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption

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Tinnakorn Jorruang/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Treatments

Cannabis blunts back pain in 2 new studies

Millions of Americans use weed to treat chronic pain, but there's little high quality research on whether it works. New findings suggest it can be effective for low back pain, on par with opioids.

Cannabis blunts back pain in 2 new studies

Audio will be available later today.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It helps keep skin firm and elastic. But as starting in our 20s, the amount and quality of that collagen starts to decline.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It helps keep skin firm and elastic. But as starting in our 20s, the amount and quality of that collagen starts to decline. Luis Echeverri Urrea/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption

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Luis Echeverri Urrea/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Healthy or hype?

Can collagen supplements improve your skin? Here's what the research shows

With age comes wisdom. And wrinkles. And joint pain. In wellness circles, the buzz is that collagen supplements can help with all these concerns. But are these claims something you should swallow?

Can collagen supplements help the effects of aging? Here's what the research shows

Listen · 3:43
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Roman Surovtsev and Samantha Surovtsev are seen in a photo from August 2024.

Roman Surovtsev and Samantha Surovtsev are seen in a photo from August 2024. Credit: Surovtsev family hide caption

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Credit: Surovtsev family

Deep Dive

Immigration

ICE tried to send one immigrant to a country he never lived in. Then he lawyered up

Roman Surovtsev is like many others who were detained at their regularly scheduled ICE check-ins. What makes his case different is that his wife has marshaled a team of lawyers on his behalf.

He was detained by ICE. Here's what happened when he lawyered up

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