James Doubek

Rare aerial imagery shows displacement and destruction in Gaza Airdrop flights offered a vantage over the closed-off Gaza Strip.

Photos from above Gaza: www.washingtonpost.com/world/intera...

Greetings from Khartoum, Sudan, where those with the least offer their guests the most Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

A reporter kept being offered more coffee and tea, a "gently relentless ritual of kindness — offered by people fortunate to survive the war with enough to sustain themselves, and by others left with virtually nothing." www.npr.org/2025/07/30/g...

U.S. coffee drinkers and businesses will pay the price for Trump's Brazil tariffs President Trump plans to levy a 50% tariff on all goods from Brazil — the source of about 30% of U.S. coffee imports. This looming tariff threat has sent shock waves through the U.S. coffee industry.

"Tariffs don't help the coffee producer. They don't help the small- and medium-sized businesses across the country, and they don't help the consumer. Why are we doing it?" www.npr.org/2025/07/21/n...

Adopt A Station - Rescue Public Media Help preserve independent journalism and community programming across America by adopting a public media station. Congress has voted to rescind public media's funding.

A tool lets you pick which public radio stations most need donations: adoptastation.org

"People in the three counties Allegheny Mountain Radio covers voted for President Trump by a margin of nearly three to one last year. Cardwell says in an attempt to punish NPR, Trump is only hurting some of those who have supported him." www.npr.org/2025/07/20/n...

Louisville Public Media has now raised:

$444,000.

In a little more than one day. Dunno, I’m pretty speechless. And I guess I’ll still be employed here for awhile. Can’t thank everybody enough who donated!

Here are some of the newest UNESCO World Heritage sites Bavarian palaces, imperial tombs in China and memorials to Khmer Rouge victims are among the sites being recognized by the United Nations agency.

I wrote about something (mostly) fun, history and nature! www.npr.org/2025/07/18/n...

Congress has decided to claw back previously approved funding for public media.

This decision hurts people in communities across the country, but it has only strengthened our resolve to keep Americans informed and connected. (1/2)

We at Louisville Public Media just lost $376,000 due to Congress passing the rescission bill last night to claw back funds from public media across America. Today we’re asking those who value our work to help make up those funds in an emergency drive so we can maintain the staff/services we provide:

Former NYPD head accuses Mayor Adams, police brass of 'criminal enterprise' Tom Donlon, who took over the NYPD after former Commissioner Edward Caban resigned amid a federal probe, said the NYPD was awash in corruption.

Well this is something: gothamist.com/news/former-...

UnitedHealth’s Campaign to Quiet Critics

“UnitedHealth’s Campaign to Quiet Critics” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/12/b...

This TikTok video is fake, but every word was taken from a real creator TikTok researchers and users say there is yet another type of deception to look out for on the hit video app: Deepfake videos that copy the exact words of a real creator but in a different voice.

NEW: We've uncovered a new AI tactic being deployed on TikTok: A creator's verbatim words stolen and recited by an AI influencer. Experts told us this kind of trickery has overlap with the methods of state-backed influence operations. W/ @shannonbond.bsky.social

www.npr.org/2025/07/10/n...

Not to brag but I just received an emailed invitation to an "exclusive virtual press conference" to unveil a "a completely new dishwasher platform."

DOGE keeps gaining access to sensitive data. Now, it can cut off billions to farmers DOGE recently gained high-level access to a database that controls government payments and loans to farmers and ranchers across the U.S.

"DOGE very much continues in Musk's absence. In some cases, including at the USDA, the team's access appears to have only deepened in recent months." www.npr.org/2025/07/10/n...

100 years after evolution went on trial, the Scopes case still reverberates One hundred years ago, the small town of Dayton, Tenn., became the unlikely stage for one of the most sensational trials in American history, over the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution.

100 years since evolution went on trial: www.npr.org/2025/07/08/n...

As light pollution increases, West Texas works to protect the world's largest 'dark sky reserve' While recent research shows the night sky is getting brighter every year across North America, the Big Bend area in Texas has fended off the light glow that washes out starry nights.

I need to make my way to the Big Bend area at some point: www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...

Zohran Mamdani set to defeat Cuomo in stunning NYC mayoral primary upset "He won," Cuomo said about Mamdani, even as the contest headed to a ranked choice count.

gothamist.com/news/nyc-pri...

Satellites show damage to Iran's nuclear program, but experts say it's not destroyed Satellite imagery shows trucks at two key sites the day before the American strikes, suggesting uranium could have been moved.

NEW: Here's what the latest satellite imagery from Maxar and others tell us about Operation Midnight Hammer.

www.npr.org/2025/06/22/n...

A lost conversation with Brian Wilson is found Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82. He influenced generations of musicians with his innovative approach to studio production, complex vocal harmonization and genre-bending compositions. Host Robin...

RIP: "I'm letting go of Brian Wilson, with the deepest gratitude for all he struggled to give us." www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

5 groups (by my count) of helicopters have passed over my neighborhood and they are really damn loud

ICE's novel strategy allows for more arrests from inside immigration courts The Trump administration has a novel strategy to boost arrests and reduce courts' backlog: dismissing people's immigration cases and immediately arresting them.

"Under the new approach, after their case is dismissed, immigrants are arrested again, at times before even leaving the building. ... Then they're put in a process called expedited removal: a fast-track for deportation that does not guarantee the right to a day in court." www.npr.org/2025/06/12/n...

Greetings from the Galápagos Islands, where the blue-footed booby shows its colors Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international correspondents share snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.

Behold, the blue-footed booby! www.npr.org/2025/05/28/g...

'We're in a holding pattern': Home sales and building slump in the face of uncertainty Would-be homebuyers are finding lots of reasons to wait.

I keep wondering if there will come a time when there is no one left who can afford to buy a house. www.npr.org/2025/05/28/n...

Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in the U.S., is surprisingly young Hells Canyon is the deepest river canyon in the United States. Now scientists have solved the mystery of when it formed.

Hope I can visit someday: www.npr.org/2025/05/27/n...

A hike on Cerro San Cristobal with stunning views of the Chilean Andes Cerro San Cristobal in the heart of Chile's capital offers stunning views of wildflowers, pine forests and the soaring Andes.

I love these periodic hiking dispatches from @brianmannadk.bsky.social, very calming read: www.npr.org/2025/05/24/n...

A stricter FDA policy for COVID vaccines could limit future access Federal officials unveiled a rigorous regulatory approach to future COVID vaccines that could make it harder for many people under 65 to get immunized.

"Critics say the new requirements bypass the usual input from independent outside advisers and are unnecessary given the overwhelming evidence that COVID vaccines are safe and effective." www.npr.org/sections/sho...

World's largest collection of punk records leaving Bay Area for Tennessee San Francisco magazine Maximum Rocknroll accumulated what is most likely the largest collection of punk records on the planet, and it's all moving to Tennessee.

Of interest to punk historians: www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

In the wake of tariffs, cargo at the Port of LA is down 35% The immediate impact of the cargo decline affects virtually every business around the ports, but port officials say this downturn will soon be felt much more broadly.

"Port officials say this downturn will soon be felt much more broadly – by manufacturers and retailers around the country, as well as consumers." www.npr.org/2025/05/07/n...

(To the tune of Rancid's "Time Bomb")

Black smoke
White smoke
I hope
There's a new pope
Conclave is going oooooon