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Showing posts from February, 2025

Microsoft will end Skype in May, leaving some users upset

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Microsoft says it will wind down the pioneering and once ubiquitous free video calling service so it can streamline its consumer communications offerings, such as Microsoft Teams. (Image credit: Anonymous) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/VQtuKGW

Daring train thieves target BNSF Railway, stealing $2M worth of Nike and other goods

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Train heists aren't just a thing of the Old West. A series of brazen train robberies has emerged across the western United States and authorities say the thieves focus on high-value containers. (Image credit: Tom Pennington) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/8QZKGoO

Trump took down police misconduct database, but states can still share background check info

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In the flurry of first-day executive orders, President Trump revoked a 2022 police accountability package, including a system to flag misconduct. (Image credit: Matt Rourke) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/50MkCfQ

Pentagon directs removal of trans service members from military

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Service members and recruits who are diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria are to be separated from the U.S. military in accordance with an executive order issued a month ago by President Trump. (Image credit: Jim Watson) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/xOrukzo

Gene Hackman, who thrived playing the tough guy, dies at 95

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Fresh Air 's Terry Gross.'/> Hackman epitomized a 1970s, edgy, tightly wound masculinity. He appeared in more than 100 movies and TV shows, and won Oscars for his performances in The French Connection and Unforgiven. (Image credit: Evening Standard) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/0kGYJpZ

As Elon Musk continues sweeping cuts to the US government: 'People are really scared'

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DOGE has eliminated thousands of federal jobs and canceled more than 1,000 contracts. Harvard professor Elizabeth Linos warns, "We're seeing harms that are not going to be easily undone." from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/fudJsSe

A pattern emerges in Elon Musk's federal shakeup: 'Break first, ask questions later'

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Five weeks in, there's an emerging pattern in how the Trump administration moves to target federal employees. And it begins with Elon Musk bringing in tactics he's employed at his various businesses. (Image credit: Jim Watson) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/J3xjTPu

Trump suspends the head of 'The Nation's Report Card'

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Peggy Carr, a federal official who leads one of the country's most extensive student testing programs, known as The Nation's Report Card, was placed on administrative leave. (Image credit: Alex Brandon) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/9XbApQt

Upheaval and firings at CDC raise fears about disease outbreak response

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Staff and observers worry that the agency may not be prepared for emerging threats including bird flu and insect-borne diseases. (Image credit: Smith Collection/Gado/CDC) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/oFcWLp1

21 DOGE staffers resign, saying they won't help 'dismantle' public services

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Twenty-one members of the United States DOGE Service have resigned, they said in an anonymous letter, citing DOGE's ongoing work dramatically reshaping the federal government. (Image credit: Jose Luis Magana) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/Y7UWRwh

DHS memo lays out plans to detain migrants at Fort Bliss and other U.S. bases

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The Trump administration is developing plans to build immigration detention facilities on bases nationwide, a step that could significantly expand the military's role in immigration enforcement. (Image credit: U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/ZiIOc9A

Mikaela Shiffrin seals legacy as one of skiing's greatest with historic 100 World Cup wins

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After a bruising crash last November, Mikaela Shiffrin dominated the slopes on Sunday and made skiing history once again. (Image credit: Stefano Guidi) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/mHGP5DZ

A French surgeon is on trial accused of raping or abusing 299 people, mostly children

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The trial comes as French activists are pushing to lift taboos that surround sexual abuse. The most prominent case was that of Gisèle Pélicot, who was raped by her now ex-husband and dozens of others. (Image credit: Aurelien Morissard) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/duplHns

Trump officials will put 4,700 USAID employees on leave and eliminate 1,600 jobs

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The decision comes in the wake of a judge's ruling that such a move will not cause irreparable harm to the employees. There will be exceptions for several hundred employees in roles deemed critical. (Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/PSkQ1bN

Center-right opposition wins German election, with the far right coming in 2nd

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Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz won a lackluster victory in a national election Sunday, while the far-right Alternative for Germany doubled its support, projections showed. (Image credit: Markus Schreiber) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/k7ZPwLy

'What did you do last week?' email stokes confusion and anger among federal workers

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Elon Musk's claim that federal workers who ignore a mass email will lose their job isn't supported by the email's request — or OPM guidance that says responses to its mass emails are "voluntary." (Image credit: Bryan Dozier) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/2JhzXvp

Elon Musk tells federal employees to document work in email or be fired

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Federal workers across the U.S. government received an email on Saturday, with an apparent ultimatum. Musk has used a similar tactic at companies he owns. (Image credit: Jose Luis Magana) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/1HBQeEw

Who is Trump's pick for chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine?

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Caine is a career fighter jet pilot who defended Washington, D.C., during the 9/11 attacks and been adored by Trump since they met in Iraq during Trump's first term. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/buZ10K5

Politics

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We look at President Trump's embrace of Vladimir Putin as he turns his back on U.S. ally, Ukraine, as well as mass firings at government agencies and how that will affect the services they provide. from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/I9vCpVy

The Netherlands will return more than 100 bronze artifacts to Nigeria

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The artifacts were stolen by British soldiers in the late 19th century and eventually made their way to a Dutch collection. (Image credit: Freek van den Bergh) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/8cNAaid

'See you in court': Trump and Maine's governor spar over trans athlete order

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The Maine Principal's Association said it would continue to allow trans girls to compete in school sports, saying President Trump's recent executive order is in conflict with state law. (Image credit: Win McNamee) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/9pPW0Al

Federal judge wants 'adversarial' review of NYC Mayor Eric Adams-DOJ deal

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Corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams are on hold while a judge seeks legal input on whether the DOJ can dismiss them. (Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/G5KeupI

After mass layoffs, some federal agencies are trying to bring employees back

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A number of federal agencies, from HHS to the USDA, have laid off employees only to rescind those terminations days later. An expert says it "suggests something about mismanagement of government." (Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/O8oPsmT

IRS cuts over 6,000 jobs in the middle of tax season

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The IRS is cutting more than 6,000 jobs this week, as part of the Trump administration's downsizing of the overall federal workforce. The job cuts at the IRS come in the middle of the tax-filing season. (Image credit: Tasos Katopodis) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/21Lgy6O

Mexico warns the US not to 'invade our sovereignty' in fight against cartels

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As the US officially designates six Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, Mexico's president warns the United States against any violation of its territory. (Image credit: Marco Ugarte) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/UuW6Cak

Kennedy Center evacuates due to bomb threat targeting Shen Yun

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A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center says the threat targeted Shen Yun, a touring dance troupe that is banned in China, because it is associated with the religious group Falun Gong. (Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin) from NPR Topics: News https://ift.tt/YEwo9Nv