Tax season promised big refunds — they’re smaller than expected
The average tax refund is higher this year, but falls short of promises. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Early spring means the return of warm weather and … taxes. On a recent weekend, Dan and Glynna Courter were enjoying the sun with friends over a picnic of
Pope heads to Cameroon as separatists announce 3-day pause in fighting
Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech as he celebrates a Mass in the Saint Augustine Basilica in Annaba, Algeria, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, on the second day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa. Andrew Medichini/AP hide caption toggle caption Andrew Medichini/AP ALGIERS, Algeria — Pope Leo XIV is heading to the central African nation
Rural dialysis unit closed, patients left scrambling
Mark Pieper sits in his pickup after receiving one of his last dialysis treatments in Chadron, Nebraska, before the rural hospital there shut down that service due to financial challenges. "I guess I'll just bloat up and die in a month," Pieper remembers thinking when he heard the news. Arielle Zionts/KFF Health News hide caption
How “Discombobulated” Got Its Delightful Name
The potentially discombobulating swirl of New York City's Times Square Leo Patrizi/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Leo Patrizi/Getty Images Feeling a little confused, concerned, off-kilter, out of sorts? Sounds like you're discombobulated. It's a fitting word for an unsettling feeling. It sounds formal, maybe even fancy. But it's actually the creation of some good
Nearly a year later she learned ICE killed her son
Rachel Reyes, holds a photo of her son, Ruben Ray Martinez, a U.S. citizen who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic encounter in Texas. Brenda Bazán for NPR hide caption toggle caption Brenda Bazán for NPR When Rachel Reyes thinks back to her son's final days, she
Quitting GLP‑1 Drugs — Many Restart Despite Risks
Wegovy and Zepbound are GLP-1 weight loss treatments. They are available by prescription. JoNel Aleccia/AP hide caption toggle caption JoNel Aleccia/AP It's quite common for people to start on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound, especially as the diabetes and obesity treatments become more ubiquitous. They're designed to treat chronic conditions, so the medicines are
Morning News Brief
Inside the peace talks happening across the Middle East, Iran war drives Europe toward fuel crisis, Eric Swalwell facing new sexual assault allegations.
Iran citizen held in France over pro-Palestine comments returns home
Release of Mahdieh Esfandiari comes a week after Iran released two French citizens held on espionage charges. Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari has returned home after being held in France for more than a year as part of what appears to be an exchange of detainees between the countries. Iran’s state television reported on Wednesday that
Alien’s Labor Economics and Lessons for Inequality
This article first appeared in the Planet Money newsletter. You can sign up here . OK, hear me out. I'm about to get into a new book with a provocative argument about why income inequality has exploded in America and how to fight it. But at the center of this very serious economic book is
Two local TV giants merged. Then a court stepped in
Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, right, shown in a photo with Acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division Omeed Assefi. Carr posted the photo just three days after both government agencies green-lit local TV giant Nexstar's $6.2 billion deal to acquire rival Tegna. The move, supported by President Trump, faces headwinds in an