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Johannes González, an instructor at Speedway Driving School in Hialeah, Florida, teaches Spanish-speaking students to memorize key words in order to pass the state's new English-only driving exam.

Johannes González, an instructor at Speedway Driving School in Hialeah, Florida, teaches Spanish-speaking students to memorize key words in order to pass the state's new English-only driving exam. David Ovalle/NPR hide caption

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David Ovalle/NPR

News

Spanish speakers learn strategies to pass English-only driving test in Florida

A new English-only driving test rule in Florida is fueling a surge in strategy lessons for Spanish speakers where they learn to figure out the questions without having to take English language courses.

The groups on of the redistricting vote in Virgina have used images of former President Brack Obama and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger on their mailers.

The groups on either side of the redistricting vote in Virginia have used images of former President Barack Obama and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger on their mailers. Jahd Khalil/VPM News hide caption

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Jahd Khalil/VPM News

Voters say they feel confused and misled on Virginia's redistricting vote

VPM News

Contradictory election mailers, conflicting TV ads and vague wording on the ballot have Virginia voters saying that the campaigns on either side of the redistricting vote are muddying the waters.

People console each other as they gather at the scene of a mass shooting in Shreveport, La., on Sunday.

People console each other as they gather at the scene of a mass shooting in Shreveport, La., on Sunday. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption

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Gerald Herbert/AP

8 children killed in a shooting in Louisiana, police say

The suspect was the father of seven of the children killed, police said. The victims ranged in age from 1 to about 14 years old, according to police in Shreveport, La. A total of 10 people were shot.

Louisiana mass shooting leaves eight children dead

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A close-up photo shows Leslie Adams' hands holding a snapshot of his mother. She is smiling broadly.

Leslie Adams holds a photo of his mother, Shirley, who died after developing infected bedsores at a rehabilitation center, according to a lawsuit he filed. A court awarded the family $17 million, but they are still trying to collect it. Taylor Glascock for KFF Health News hide caption

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Taylor Glascock for KFF Health News

Investigations

Real estate investors are buying up long-term care facilities. Residents can suffer

KFF Health News

Real estate investment trusts are landlords for thousands of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. Some select the managers and keep close watch but deny blame for bad care.

NURSING HOME LANDLORDS

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Principal Condra Allred visits a third grade class at Cleveland Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Principal Condra Allred visits a third grade class at Cleveland Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in April. Soon, Allred expects to hear for certain if her school will close. Cliff Jette for NPR hide caption

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Cliff Jette for NPR

Deep Dive

Education

School choice is booming in Iowa. Are students better off?

With school choice programs ascendant not just in Iowa but across the U.S., Cedar Rapids offers a preview of who wins and who loses when education meets the free market.

In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

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In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

Principal Condra Allred visits a third grade class at Cleveland Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Cliff Jette for NPR hide caption

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Cliff Jette for NPR

Deep Dive

The Sunday Story

In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

Public education used to enjoy strong bipartisan support, but across the country, there’s a growing push to offer students alternatives to traditional public schools. The idea behind “school choice” is that competition improves education. President Trump and Republicans have attacked public education for failing students and for being too “woke,” while Democrats who strongly oppose school choice often dismiss valid criticism of public schools.

In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

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In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

Principal Condra Allred visits a third grade class at Cleveland Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Cliff Jette for NPR hide caption

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Cliff Jette for NPR

Deep Dive

Up First from NPR

In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

Public education used to enjoy strong bipartisan support, but across the country, there’s a growing push to offer students alternatives to traditional public schools. The idea behind “school choice” is that competition improves education. President Trump and Republicans have attacked public education for failing students and for being too “woke,” while Democrats who strongly oppose school choice often dismiss valid criticism of public schools.

In one Iowa city, public schools compete in the free market. Are students better off?

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A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point flies over an overturned vessel offshore Saipan, Saturday, April 18, 2026, while searching for a missing vessel, the Mariana, that experienced an engine failure April 15.

A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crew assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point flies over an overturned vessel offshore Saipan, Saturday, April 18, 2026, while searching for a missing vessel, the Mariana, that experienced an engine failure April 15. AP/U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Bar hide caption

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AP/U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Bar

US Coast Guard spots overturned vessel near Saipan during search for missing ship

The Mariana is a 145-foot dry cargo vessel registered in the U.S. It suffered engine failure Wednesday as a massive typhoon bore down on Saipan and nearby islands.

A Pakistani Ranger walks past a billboard for the U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 12, 2026. The talks, led by Vice President JD Vance, produced no concrete movement toward a peace deal.

A Pakistani Ranger walks past a billboard for the U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 12, 2026. The talks, led by Vice President JD Vance, produced no concrete movement toward a peace deal. Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East conflict

What's it like to negotiate with Iran? We asked people who have done it

Experts who spent months negotiating a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran say mutual mistrust, starkly different negotiating styles, and the complexity of the issues make a quick deal unlikely.

Jay (not pictured) found himself alone and hopeless in a jail cell when a fellow inmate's unexpected words of comfort changed his life.

Jay (not pictured) found himself alone and hopeless in a jail cell when a fellow inmate's unexpected words of comfort changed his life. Irkham Khalid/Getty Images hide caption

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Irkham Khalid/Getty Images

My Unsung Hero

Sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless, a man's life is suddenly changed

Jay found himself sitting in a jail cell, alone and hopeless, after attempting to break into a building on his college campus. A fellow inmate's unexpected words brought him comfort — and changed the course of his life.

From left: Fela, Pope Leo and friend, Queen Camilla.

From left: Fela, Pope Leo and friend, Queen Camilla. Mike Moore/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images; Ben Montgomery/Getty Images hide caption

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Mike Moore/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images; Ben Montgomery/Getty Images

The NPR news quiz

Who says they have no fear of the Trump administration? The quiz knows

Also: If you know what Eric Swalwell looks like, you'll get at least one question correct.

Zohran Mamdani says Iran war speaks to a 'broken kind of politics'

Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to NPR's Newsmakers at City Hall in New York City. Ben Norman hide caption

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Ben Norman

NPR's Newsmakers

Zohran Mamdani says Iran war speaks to a 'broken kind of politics'

Through his first 100 days as mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has focused on “pothole politics” — a blend of high-level legislative wins and intense focus on everyday essential services that keep the city running. The 34-year-old mayor has delivered on progressive campaign promises, from more funding for child care to new taxes on the ultrawealthy. He views his government as a model for how Democrats can deliver on policies that benefit the working class.

Zohran Mamdani on NYC as a blueprint for Democrats

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For the past 4 years, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has extended a 30-day suspension of rights, effectively creating a police-state that keeps Salvadoran deportees from the U.S. trapped in the Central American country's notorious prisons.

For the past four years, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has extended a 30-day suspension of rights, effectively creating a police state that keeps Salvadoran deportees from the U.S. trapped in the Central American country's notorious prisons. Illustration by Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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Illustration by Jackie Lay/NPR

Immigration

Human rights groups raise alarm over fate of Salvadorans deported from U.S.

Migrants deported from the U.S. routinely disappear into El Salvador's prisons the moment they land or in the weeks that follow. Many remain incommunicado from family and lawyers for years.

Human rights groups raise alarm over fate of Salvadorans deported from U.S.

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Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. Rod Lamkey/AP hide caption

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Rod Lamkey/AP

Trump rails against court decision that once again stalls his White House ballroom project

The federal judge's decision continues to block above-ground construction on the $400 million White House ballroom, allowing only below-ground work on a bunker and other "national security facilities" at the site.

FILE - Todd Lyons, senior official performing the duties of the director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, listens during a Senate Homeland Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 12, 2026.

FILE - Todd Lyons, senior official performing the duties of the director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, listens during a Senate Homeland Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 12, 2026. Tom Brenner/AP hide caption

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Tom Brenner/AP

Acting ICE director says he's resigning amid record-breaking shutdown

The departure adds to a string of recent personnel changes at the Department of Homeland Security, a year into President Trump's administration.

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