All posts tagged: NPR

Brewers sweep the Dodgers to reach the World Series : NPR

Brewers sweep the Dodgers to reach the World Series : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after Game 4 of baseball’s National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. Ashley Landis/AP hide caption toggle caption i Ashley Landis/AP LOS ANGELES — After 44 years, the Milwaukee Brewers are finally going back to the World Series. Propelled by a lockdown bullpen and repeated comebacks, the young and fearless Brewers swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs Thursday with a 6-4 victory in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. “We weren’t coming in to play patty-cake,” manager Pat Murphy said. “We were hungry, and as long as it’s an even playing field, we’re going to come in and give it our best shot to win. That’s exactly what we did.” Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and Milwaukee’s brilliant relievers slammed the door late, giving a vocal contingent of Brewers fans their chance to celebrate in the Dodger Stadium stands. Now, the Brewers get an opportunity …

For some Christians, Hegseth’s plan for public execution fits a biblical mandate : NPR

For some Christians, Hegseth’s plan for public execution fits a biblical mandate : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Association of the United States Army 2026 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 14. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption i Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images It is not clear if the public execution of the man behind the Fort Hood attack will be livestreamed, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it would be late last week. When asked about it on Tuesday, President Trump said, “We’re looking at it,” and Vice President JD Vance has stated that he would not watch it, raising doubts about whether it would happen. But whether or not the public execution proceeds, some religious scholars worry that damage has already been done. “I think one of the most worrisome parts of this development is that … it pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable,” said Julie Ingersoll, a professor of religion at the University of North Florida who specializes in the religious right and Christian Reconstruction. “Just saying it out loud moves the boundary.” The last …

School roof collapse in Pakistan : NPR

School roof collapse in Pakistan : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A volunteer clears the way for an ambulance transporting injured school children following a roof collapse at a private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Maaz Awan/AP hide caption toggle caption i Maaz Awan/AP PESHAWAR, Pakistan — The roof of a private school collapsed in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 28 children and a female teacher and injuring more than 50 other people, a hospital spokesman said, as rescuers searched the rubble for anyone still trapped. Six girls were among the dead. Several children were also trapped under the rubble in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the emergency services. A hospital spokesman, Mohammad Asim, also confirmed the casualties, saying some of the injured were in critical condition. All the children killed or injured were age 13 or younger, he said. The hospital declared an emergency as medical staff treated the wounded. Hours later, rescue officials said that everyone trapped beneath the rubble had been pulled out and crews were clearing the debris. Khyber …

How one network of mall skincare stores targeted vulnerable people across the U.S. : NPR

How one network of mall skincare stores targeted vulnerable people across the U.S. : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Free samples, high-pressure pitches and $50,000 bills: An NPR investigation reveals how a network of mall skincare stores systematically targeted older adults and people with disabilities across the U.S. Transcript SCOTT DETROW, HOST: If you have ever walked into a mall, you may have had this experience – a young, attractive person walking up and trying to hand you a free sample. Today’s story starts with that harmless gesture. But for some people, what followed cost them thousands. Monika Evstatieva and Caley Fox Shannon of NPR Investigations spent the past year talking to these customers, visiting stores and digging through consumer complaints. Here is what they found. MONIKA EVSTATIEVA, BYLINE: Suzann Roberts was walking out of the Apple store at a mall in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when a guy approached her and handed her a sample of face cream. SUZANN ROBERTS: He just put it in my hand. And he was so charming. And I ended up walking in there. And the whole time, I’m thinking, what are you doing? EVSTATIEVA: The salesman also showed …

There’s a ‘Sea Change’ in the Arctic. Writer Rana Foroohar explains : NPR

There’s a ‘Sea Change’ in the Arctic. Writer Rana Foroohar explains : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Rana Foroohar reports from the USS Healy (pictured above) in Sea Change. Crown hide caption toggle caption i Crown As polar ice melts in the Arctic, shipping lanes are opening up, making the region a new zone of superpower competition. Writer Rana Foroohar got an up-close look aboard the USS Healy, a Coast Guard icebreaker. She says that traversing the North Pole by ship — once a “largely conceptual” route — is now becoming a “real possibility” for two or three weeks a year. “If you are taking one of these Arctic routes, you can save as much as 40% of the time it would take you to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and depending on the price of oil, that’s a heck of a lot of money,” she says. “China and Russia together are clearly trying to make the top of the world an area over which they have the most interest.” In her new book, Sea Change: America’s New Great Game in the Arctic Circle, Foroohar makes the case that the …

Inflation sizzled — and Social Security benefits get boost : NPR

Inflation sizzled — and Social Security benefits get boost : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Rising gasoline and diesel prices pushed inflation higher in September. The cost of living index was up 3.7%, according to a report Wednesday from the Labor Department. Isabelle Souriment/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption i Isabelle Souriment/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Nights are getting colder, but inflation is heating up. A report from the Labor Department on Wednesday showed consumer prices in September were up 3.7% from a year ago. That’s a larger annual increase than the previous month. A spike in energy prices tied to the U.S. war with Iran drove the cost of living higher. Prices jumped 0.6% between August and September. “It’s not looking good,” said economist Brian Bethune of Boston College. “The main problem, of course, that everybody knows is gasoline prices. But also heating oil.” Heating oil is a close cousin of diesel fuel. The cost of the fuel oil has jumped 74% in the last year, which is hard on families in New England who rely on heating oil to stay warm. Stripping out volatile energy …

Ocarina of Time remake raises Zelda’s aesthetic bar : NPR

Ocarina of Time remake raises Zelda’s aesthetic bar : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The titular Princess Zelda, reworked for the Nintendo Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Nintendo hide caption toggle caption i Nintendo Mario had his moment. Now it’s Zelda’s turn. After The Super Mario Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made billions, Zelda is heading to the big screen next April. So to keep the franchise front and center, Nintendo is lavishly remaking its 1998 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The game debuts Nov. 5th, two weeks before the meteoric arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI — the only major release to dare compete with it that month. As other companies dodge the Grand Theft Auto juggernaut by avoiding the November release window, Nintendo’s wholesome throwback is poised to stand out against the glitzy violence of Grand Theft Auto. While many will play both games, the early holiday season offers a contrast: a family-friendly fantasy or a modern-day crime epic. Protagonist Link appears before the Great Deku Tree with fairy companion Navi. Nintendo hide caption toggle caption …

Zelenskyy on NPR; Pope Leo; Kimberly Guilfoyle : NPR

Zelenskyy on NPR; Pope Leo; Kimberly Guilfoyle : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories In an interview with NPR, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Trump administration warned it could cut intelligence-sharing with Ukraine unless Ukrainian forces halt long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. Zelenskyy said the administration’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel won’t lower fuel prices and refuted President Trump’s claim that Ukraine caused the price to spike, instead pointing to the war in Iran. This interview comes as Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches its five-year mark. 🎧 Zelenskyy says that every piece of intelligence is crucial for Ukraine, as stopping ballistic missiles is a top priority, NPR’s Joanna Kakissis tells Up First. Missiles have killed dozens of Ukrainians, including more than 20 people recently in an apartment building in Pryluky. Zelenskyy recounted to Kakissis visiting a wounded girl in the hospital whose father died in the attack, though she didn’t know …

These workers wear GoPros to train robots to do their jobs : NPR

These workers wear GoPros to train robots to do their jobs : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

KARUR, India — Three men stride across a cavernous textile factory floor of Texworth in the southern Indian city of Karur, handing GoPros and smart glasses to workers, including 40-year-old Shoba Kirubakaran. She’s packing yellow aprons decorated with chickens into plastic wrapping for the brand Designs By Danica. It’s the third time Kirubakaran says she’s been told to don a GoPro. It’s recording her every hand gesture, to train AI robots to take over this job — a fact that she says the company did not share with her. NPR informed her when they interviewed her on a recent day. “Nobody told me anything about it,” she says. Kirubakaran has worked in the factory for 10 years, six days a week, from around 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. She makes $90 a month. With that money, she’s helped her husband, a rickshaw driver, raise their two sons. And she adds, “I only know how to do this job.” Scenes like these shook the Indian public in April after a video went viral showing rows of …

Trump’s ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns : NPR

Trump’s ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

FILE – Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House, March 24, 2025, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption toggle caption i Jacquelyn Martin/AP WASHINGTON — The White House publicly asked for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle’s resignation on Tuesday as she faced mounting accusations of improper conduct, and she announced within two hours that she was quitting, ending days of talk and speculation about her professional fate. Guilfoyle insisted that she would “vigorously defend” herself. President Donald Trump’s administration had said earlier Tuesday it had asked Guilfoyle to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. That revelation came in response to a question to freshly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia at her first media briefing Tuesday morning. Zacharia said Guilfoyle “has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.” “She went to Greece. She …