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So Your Kitchen Sponge Is A Bacteria Hotbed. Here's What To Do

For the first time, scientists have carefully analyzed all the critters in a kitchen sponge. There turns out to be a huge number. Despite recent news reports, there is something you can do about it. Joy Ho for NPR hide caption

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Joy Ho for NPR

The Salt

So Your Kitchen Sponge Is A Bacteria Hotbed. Here's What To Do

For the first time, scientists have carefully analyzed all the critters in a kitchen sponge. There turns out to be a huge number. Despite recent news reports, there is something you can do about it.

So Your Kitchen Sponge Is A Bacteria Hotbed. Here's What To Do

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FACT CHECK: Were The 1800s Steve Bannon's Kind Of America?

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, is seen in the State Dining Room of the White House in February. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, Bannon said, "Economic nationalism is what this country was built on." Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Politics

FACT CHECK: Were The 1800s Steve Bannon's Kind Of America?

"America was built on her citizens," the former White House strategist told CBS. NPR's Steve Inskeep assesses how Bannon's claims about economic nationalism and border control align with history.

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Sept. 11 First Responder Fights On Behalf Of Others Who Rushed To Help

Firefighters work beneath the vertical struts of the World Trade Center's twin towers, in Lower Manhattan, following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

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Mark Lennihan/AP

Shots - Health News

Sept. 11 First Responder Fights On Behalf Of Others Who Rushed To Help

 Fresh Air

Demolition supervisor John Feal was working at ground zero 16 years ago when an 8,000-pound piece of steel crushed his foot. After being denied medical compensation, he became an advocate for others.

Sept. 11 First Responder Fights On Behalf Of Others Who Rushed To Help

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The Two-Way - News Blog

Irma Brings Floods, Tornado Risks; Tropical Storm To Leave Florida For Georgia

In large swaths of Florida, Irma has brought dangerous floodwaters, knocking out power and turning human possessions into debris.
Houston Public Schools Open After Delays From Hurricane Harvey

The first day of school at Codwell Elementary in Houston. Laura Isensee/Houston Public Media hide caption

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Laura Isensee/Houston Public Media

NPR Ed

Houston Public Schools Open After Delays From Hurricane Harvey

 Houston Public Media News 88.7

More Houston schools opened Monday than previously expected — nearly 250 out of about 280 total. For students and teachers, returning to school brought an extra burst of joy, relief, and other emotions.

Houston Public Schools Open After Delays From Hurricane Harvey

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Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain

Joan Baez performing at the the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963. She sang "We Shall Overcome" and "Oh Freedom." Express Newspapers/Getty Images hide caption

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Music News

Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain

The decision follows a yearlong lawsuit filed by a documentarian against music publishers and folk singers, including the late Pete Seeger, who copyrighted the civil rights anthem in the 1960s.

Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain

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'World Without Mind': How Tech Companies Pose An Existential Threat

Wold Without Mind by Franklin Foer (Emily Bogle/NPR) Emily Bogle/NPR hide caption

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All Tech Considered

'World Without Mind': How Tech Companies Pose An Existential Threat

From Facebook's algorithms to our reliance on phones instead of our memories, tech giants are taking us to a future that's either utopian or dystopian, author Franklin Foer says.

'World Without Mind': How Tech Companies Pose An Existential Threat

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Brexit Leaves French Fishermen On The Hook

Guilvinec port Joanna Kakissis/NPR hide caption

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Joanna Kakissis/NPR

The Salt

Brexit Leaves French Fishermen On The Hook

French fishermen in Brittany and Calais say up to 80 percent of their haul is from British waters. Many fear financial ruin if their access is restricted after Brexit.

Brexit Leaves French Fishermen On The Hook

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Coffee, Bees and Climate Change Are Linked In Ways You May Not Have Expected

A coffee farmer picks fresh coffee cherries in Colombia. New climate research suggests Latin America faces major declines in coffee-growing regions, as well as bees, which help coffee to grow. Neil Palmer (CIAT) /University of Vermont hide caption

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Neil Palmer (CIAT) /University of Vermont

The Two-Way - News Blog

Coffee, Bees and Climate Change Are Linked In Ways You May Not Have Expected

A new study projects that by 2050, climate change could reduce the amount of ground usable to grow coffee in Latin America by up to 88 percent. Bees play a key role in increasing coffee yields.
New Wind Farms Cause Friction In The Sky Over Military Flight Routes

Senior Airman Yazmine Nanasca with a control tower crew at Altus Air Force Base guide a C-17 cargo plane a KC-135 tanker as it taxis to the runway for a day-long training mission in southwestern Oklahoma. Joe Wertz/StateImpact Oklahoma hide caption

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Joe Wertz/StateImpact Oklahoma

Around the Nation

New Wind Farms Cause Friction In The Sky Over Military Flight Routes

As wind farms expand across the country some are facing new opposition. Military bases complain the tall turbines interfere with their training flights and safety of their pilots.
R&D Costs For Cancer Drugs Are Likely Much Less Than Industry Claims, Study Finds

A study of chemotherapy medicines produced by 10 companies found that, on average, each drug produced seven times as much revenue for its manufacturer as it cost in research and development. BrianAJackson/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption

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Shots - Health News

R&D Costs For Cancer Drugs Are Likely Much Less Than Industry Claims, Study Finds

Industry says it costs about $2.7 billion to bring a cancer drug to market. But oncologists who ran the numbers put the average closer to $650 million. Drugs are priced way too high, the doctors say.
The Rubble And Recovery Of U.S. Virgin Islands: 'Will We Survive The Aftermath?'

A man walks past debris Sunday on St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Days after Hurricane Irma smashed through the U.S. territory on its way to Florida, residents say they barely recognize their homes. Ricardo Arduengo/AP hide caption

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Ricardo Arduengo/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

The Rubble And Recovery Of U.S. Virgin Islands: 'Will We Survive The Aftermath?'

Irma's earliest American victims fear they will be forgotten by the mainland. Largely reduced to wreckage, the U.S. territory is now struggling to pick up the pieces.
Red Cross Worker Slain In Afghanistan: 'All She Wanted To Do Was Help'

The International Committee of the Red Cross flew its flag at half-mast outside its orthopedic center in Kabul on February 9, after gunmen killed six Afghan employees delivering relief supplies in the snowbound north. Another shooting this week took the life of a physical therapist on the ICRC staff. Shah Marai /AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Shah Marai /AFP/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Red Cross Worker Slain In Afghanistan: 'All She Wanted To Do Was Help'

Lorena Perez was a physiotherapist. On Monday, a patient in a wheelchair shot and killed her. The motive is not yet known.
Cassini Spacecraft Prepares For A Fiery Farewell In Saturn's Atmosphere

NASA's Cassini probe has orbited Saturn for over a decade. This Friday, scientists will steer it into the gas giant's atmosphere. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute hide caption

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NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

The Two-Way - News Blog

Cassini Spacecraft Prepares For A Fiery Farewell In Saturn's Atmosphere

NASA's probe has spent the past 13 years orbiting Saturn, making a number of important discoveries along the way. On Friday, it will hurl itself into the planet's atmosphere and disintegrate.
On iPhone's 10th Anniversary, Apple Has A Go At A Big Redesign

A man uses his mobile phone near an Apple store logo in Beijing. The latest iPhone is expected to include facial recognition as an unlocking feature but do away with the home button. Ng Han Guan/AP hide caption

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Ng Han Guan/AP

All Tech Considered

On iPhone's 10th Anniversary, Apple Has A Go At A Big Redesign

Among the devices Apple is expected to launch Tuesday is an iPhone potentially priced at around $1,000. It's expected to include facial recognition and do away with the home button.
Mongolia's Hunt For Female Street Artists

They're the only two female artists working on a Mongolian street mural about the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals: Michid Enkhbat (stooping) and Odno Bold. The goal they're illustrating: "gender equality." Katya Cengel for NPR hide caption

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Katya Cengel for NPR

Goats and Soda

Mongolia's Hunt For Female Street Artists

The goal was to paint street murals that illustrate the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. And not to have only male artists — especially for the goal about gender equality.
Is All That Wildfire Smoke Damaging My Lungs?

Residents of the community of Tujunga, Calif., flee a fire near Burbank on Sept.2. Even people much farther from the flames are feeling health effects from acrid smoke. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption

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David McNew/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Is All That Wildfire Smoke Damaging My Lungs?

Forest fires have brought a smoky haze to the West, along with stinging eyes, sore throats and headaches to people far from flames. Unseen particles of ash are also making it hard for some to breathe.

Is All That Wildfire Smoke Damaging My Lungs?

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