NPR News Headlines

In a ceremony surrounded by masked Palestinian militants and rubble from the Gaza war, Hamas released three Israeli hostages holding U.S., Russian and Argentinian citizenships on Saturday.

(Image credit: Bashar Taleb)

During Valentine's Day weekend, northern parts of America, including Maine, may have a chance of seeing an aurora. But space weather scientists warn that the chances of this happening are slim.

(Image credit: Michael Seamans)

The ruling from a federal court in Washington, D.C., is a reprieve for CFPB staff who had been bracing for mass layoffs as early as Friday.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

The National Nuclear Security Administration is a semi-autonomous agency within the Department of Energy that oversees the U.S. stockpile of thousands of nuclear weapons. Officials were given hours to fire hundreds of employees.

As federal layoffs mount, sources say the Trump administration plans a 50% staffing cut at the federal housing agency. The moves come amid an affordable housing shortage and record high homelessness.

(Image credit: Alastair Pike)

He wrote that there was no explanation "why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid" is needed to review programs. But how funds will start flowing again is unclear.

(Image credit: Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty Images)

An order to dismiss the corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams has sent the Justice Department into a crisis. Several top prosecutors resigned rather than obey orders to dismiss the case.

(Image credit: Tierney L. Cross)

As the Trump administration publicly hammers out its plans on the Ukraine war, it's also pressing Ukraine for deals in exchange for more aid — including giving the U.S. mining rights for rare earths.

(Image credit: TOBIAS SCHWARZ)

Federal agencies continued to lay off workers Friday. The cuts come after President Trump signed an executive order this week directing agencies to prepare for "large-scale" reductions in force.

(Image credit: Alastair Pike)

Syria is reinventing itself following a 14-year bloody civil war and the rapid crumbling of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad regime in December. As NPR's Emily Feng travelled the country reporting on the new Syria, she kept seeing one man's face on flags, posters and vehicles everywhere she went. So, she decided to find out more about him.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks to Deborah Rutter, former head of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in her first interview since the board installed President Trump as its new chair.

The National Transportation Safety Board says altimeter in the Black Hawk helicopter may have malfunctioned before the DCA mid-air collision with an American Airlines jet. All 67 people aboard died.

(Image credit: Al Drago)

The Laysan Albatross was first banded (or marked) in Hawaii in 1956. Meaning, she could be even older than the current estimate of 74.

(Image credit: Dan Rapp)

The Eagles pulled out a win over the Kansas City Chiefs this week, but they might opt out of making the traditional visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

(Image credit: Chris Graythen)

President Trump has declared multiple national emergencies since taking office. That's helping him act quickly. There are few checks and balances on the emergency powers he's claiming.

(Image credit: JIM WATSON)

Moss Appreciation Week is packed with events both scientific... and also silly. Moss walks, moss talks, moss movies, crafting moss-themed Valentines, and a "gastropod derby" with snails and slugs (for whom moss is a nice moist microclimate).

(Image credit: Nina Johnson)

As many as 1,300 probationary employees at CDC are being let go, at the direction of the Trump administration. The cuts represent around 10% of the agency's workforce.

(Image credit: David Goldman)

The website deleted all mentions of "transgender" and "queer" in its history of the Stonewall riots, and only referred to the riots' impact on lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

(Image credit: Timothy A. Clary)

Trump administration officials say the move was necessary "to build a culture of child safety and accountability." But advocates say they fear the administration will use it for immigration enforcement. 

(Image credit: John Moore)

A humpback whale briefly engulfed a kayaker off the coast of Chile in an incident caught on camera. Experts say it couldn't have swallowed him even if it wanted to.