U.S. News and National Top Stories NPR coverage of national news, U.S. politics, elections, business, arts, culture, health and science, and technology. Subscribe to the NPR Nation RSS feed.

National

This February 2021 photo released by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a protected gray wolf near Yosemite, Calif. California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP hide caption

toggle caption
California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

The country's two biggest reservoirs are on the Colorado River. Water levels at Lake Powell have dropped steeply during the two-decade megadrought. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The wooden door panel that saves Rose's life in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic was one of hundreds of iconic Hollywood props, and several from the movie, auctioned off in a five-day sale last week. Heritage Auctions hide caption

toggle caption
Heritage Auctions

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by the Dali container vessel sending vehicles into the Patapsco River as viewed from Riviera Beach MD on March 26, 2024. Carol Guzy/Carol Guzy for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Carol Guzy/Carol Guzy for NPR

A Baltimore bridge collapse timeline; Disney and DeSantis settle legal battle

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241367201/1241367900" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

The coal power plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, owned by Rocky Mountain Power, is scheduled to be decommissioned next year. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kirk Siegler/NPR

Why a town on the front line of America's energy transition isn't letting go of coal

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1240708556/1241357638" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by the Dali container vessel, as seen from Riviera Beach, Md., on Tuesday. Carol Guzy for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Carol Guzy for NPR

For Baltimore-area residents, bridge collapse means longer commutes and uncertain prospects

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241262910/1241438941" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have called off their lawsuit stemming from a yearlong legal dispute. It involves the district that's home to Disney's central Florida resort. Walt Disney World Resort via Get hide caption

toggle caption
Walt Disney World Resort via Get

In Florida, there's détente in the battle between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241296687/1241357632" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Since announcing her pregnancy and plans for an abortion, Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch has undergone the medical procedure and continues her work in the state Senate, where she hopes her story will change hearts and minds. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Ross D. Franklin/AP

An Arizona lawmaker announced she was getting an abortion. Here's what happened next

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241107949/1241288453" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Victoria Micieli, director and scientist at the Center for Parasitological and Vector Studies of the national scientific research institute CONICET, classifies different species of mosquitoes at a laboratory in La Plata, in Argentina's Buenos Aires Province, on Tuesday. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images

The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, on Tuesday. The Port of Baltimore, which has the highest volume of auto imports in the U.S., is now temporarily closed. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse is expected to disrupt supply chains

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241134460/1241157848" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

People walk through a busy street in Chinatown in New York City. About 11% of Chinese Americans live in poverty, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of the container ship Dali after the bridge collapsed in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday. Jay Fleming hide caption

toggle caption
Jay Fleming

6 presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse; former RNC chair dropped from NBC

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241131210/1241135753" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

The PRRI poll found that the vast majority of those who are unaffiliated are content to stay that way. Just 9% of respondents say they're looking for a religion that would be right for them. Hanan Isachar/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Hanan Isachar/Getty Images

People say they're leaving religion due to anti-LGBTQ teachings and sexual abuse

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1240811895/1241116201" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Residents look on after a cargo ship ran into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. Conspiracy theorists online quickly spread narratives to millions online that the accident was part of a nefarious scheme. Rob Carr/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Rob Carr/Getty Images

What's the best way to revitalize a language? In the Lakota Nation, that's very much up for debate. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jackie Lay/NPR