Left: Democrat Olaleye Onikuyide, 28, is running for state representative in Connecticut. Right: Republican Lukas Schubert, 21, is campaigning for reelection as a state representative in Montana. Both candidates are focusing on a lack of affordable housing in their states. Raquel C. Zaldívar and Sarah Mosquera for NPR hide caption
October 23, 2026 • Young candidates who rent or live with parents say their generation is "in the thick" of the country's housing affordability crisis. They argue this gives them new energy to solve it for everyone.
PLACEHOLDER FOR DRONE VIDEO An Amazon data center, currently under construction, is seen in Cuarte, Spain on September 29, 2026. The Spanish region of Aragon is seeing a huge surge in data center construction which has alarmed many local residents due to their high energy use, noise pollution and heat generation. Amazon alone is building 30 data center buildings, according to papers the company filed with the regional government. The Aragon regional government has offered Amazon, Microsoft, and other tech companies tax breaks to build there. Local residents say that the government has appropriate land agains the will of the owners to pave the way for the centers and their infrastructure to be built. (Photo by Michael Robinson Chávez for National Public Radio) Michael Robinson Chávez for NPR/for NPR hide caption
October 22, 2026 • A drought-stricken region of northeast Spain has become a focus for American companies searching for locations to place their data centers.
October 20, 2026 • Here's what's behind the fluctuating costs of everyday grocery items such as ground beef, eggs and chocolate chip cookies.
Election workers process ballots for the California state primary at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on June 5. California's relatively slow vote count has put "a big target on its back," one expert told NPR. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
October 19, 2026 • Hint: It's not only because California counts slowly.
American Girl dolls of all eras are on display at the American Girl store in New York City. Lanna Apisukh for NPR hide caption
October 18, 2026 • As the American Girl doll company celebrates its 40th anniversary, Samantha has turned 25 — and is the subject of a new historical fiction novel by author Fiona Davis.
Balraam Singh, 35, eats breakfast with his wife, Nusaa Davii, and their 7-year-old son, Munna, on the pavement outside Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, India. The child is receiving treatment for a heart condition, and the family has been sleeping on the pavement outside the hospital for the past 20 days. Sajad Hameed for NPR hide caption
October 17, 2026 • Patients travel miles to be treated at public hospitals in Delhi. Those in need get financial aid for their care. But for overnight accommodations, families are often on their own — and on the street.
President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in San Antonio on Oct. 7. Trump made big inroads with young voters in 2024, but some of that support appears to be waning. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
October 16, 2026 • A focus group of eight Gen Z Trump voters reported feeling unhappy or disappointed with the state of politics, with some going as far as to say they regret supporting him in 2024.
October 14, 2026 • 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.
In North Braintree, Mass., larger lot sizes imposed decades ago have meant fewer homes, and bigger more expensive ones. Voters will decide whether to force cities to allow smaller homes on smaller lots. Jennifer Ludden/NPR hide caption
October 13, 2026 • Voters in Massachusetts will decide whether to require cities and towns to allow smaller homes on smaller lots. A growing number of states are doing the same to help ease a housing shortage.
October 12, 2026 • The U.S. government is trying to end the dominance of high-quality, low-cost drones made in China. But more restrictions mean higher costs for cash-strapped police forces that rely on those drones.
Jyoti Kumari holds a photo of her dad, Mohan Paswan. She became a global celebrity after news spread of her 700-mile bicycle ride, carrying her injured father on her bicycle, to get him to their village. Promises were made to reward her heroic feat. Were they kept? Deepak Paswan hide caption
October 11, 2026 • Her epic ride — carrying her injured dad on her $20 hot pink bicycle — made headlines. Promises were made — financial help, training for a cycling career, even a movie deal. Were any of them kept?
A Palestinian mother mourns her son, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike just over a month into the ceasefire, at Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, on Nov. 20, 2025. Anas Baba/NPR hide caption
October 10, 2026 • It has been one year since Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages and President Trump promised an end to the war, but Palestinians say the past 12 months have been a ceasefire in name only.
A Roxbury, N.J., warehouse was one piece of a billion-dollar plan by the Department of Homeland Security to detain migrants. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption
October 8, 2026 • Throughout the summer, rumors have been bubbling in North New Jersey that ICE has quietly been using a warehouse as a detention center. NPR investigated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays a wreath during a state memorial ceremony in memory of those killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Oct. 5. Debbie Hill/Pool UPI via AP hide caption
October 7, 2026 • On the three-year mark since the Hamas-led deadly attack, Israelis are grappling with reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was repeatedly warned by regional allies ahead of time.
Retired federal Judge David Duncan at his home in Phoenix. His review of Arizona's botched executions found systemic problems in that state's protocols. Courtney Pedroza for NPR hide caption
October 7, 2026 • Christa Pike's botched execution in Tennessee was not the first to go wrong on Frank Strada's watch. Before he took charge of Tennessee's prisons, Strada oversaw three botched executions in Arizona.
Public radio reporter Catherine Sweeney, one of the media witnesses, recounts the moments before the execution of Christa Pike was halted last Wednesday, Sept. 30. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Flanking the podium are two photos of Colleen Slemmer, Pike's victim in the 1995 murder. George Walker IV/AP hide caption
October 6, 2026 • Catherine Sweeney was in the witness room when Tennessee attempted to execute Christa Pike on Sept. 30. An attempted execution in May had also failed. Here's what Sweeney saw and heard.
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in September 2026 in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
October 6, 2026 • The cuts come as a consequence of President Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel's focus on violent crime and immigration, leaving other priorities understaffed.
This illustration shows people chatting with a robot, symbolizing the use of AI chatbots. Getty Images hide caption
October 5, 2026 • Voters are already voting in the midterms. This year, some voters are trying something new to get ready for the election: asking AI to help research their ballot and even decide who to vote for.
October 4, 2026 • The family members of two Fox News journalists killed while covering the war in Ukraine are suing the network, saying it put getting the story ahead of its people.
Robert Prevost is seen in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square as he attends the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, 2025. The next month, Prevost would be elected the first American pope, becoming Pope Leo. Franco Origlia/Getty Images hide caption
October 3, 2026 • When the 2025 conclave began, no one expected an American pope. But by its end, Cardinal Robert Prevost had become Pope Leo. Here's a look behind the scenes.
October 2, 2026 • The dark side of the prediction market boom is becoming more clear: Experts say the sites have become go-to outlets for gambling addicts to relapse as the companies avoid state consumer protections.
A Valar Atomics microreactor is seen on a C-17 aircraft, without nuclear fuel, at March Air Reserve Base in California on Feb. 15. The reactor was transported from March Air Reserve Base to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Matthew Daly/AP hide caption
September 30, 2026 • Valar Atomics wants to place over 450 reactors on more than 9,500 acres in Utah to power a huge data center project.
Bobbie (left) and DeForrest Williams hold a portrait of their son, Christian Williams, at their home in Buckeye, Ariz. Christian died at age 15 of diabetes complications while in a residential foster care program. Courtney Pedroza for NPR hide caption
September 30, 2026 • Disabled kids make up the largest group in foster care. They have the worst outcomes. They stay in foster care longest. They're the most likely to die.
Cathy Tie, the founder and CEO of Origin Genomics, replenishes nutrients sustaining cells the New York City startup is using to test its technology for repairing defective genes. Mackenzie Calle for NPR hide caption
September 29, 2026 • Origin Genomics aims to prove that the potential benefits of its technology for editing disease-causing genes in human embryos outweigh the risks.
