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Chinese customers stroll past a clothing shop at Taikoo Li Sanlitun in Beijing. China's powerful Politburo has endorsed the ruling Communist Party's strategy for growing the economy by encouraging more consumer spending and weeding out unproductive companies to promote "survival of the fittest."

Chinese customers stroll past a clothing shop at Taikoo Li Sanlitun in Beijing. Vincent Thian/AP hide caption

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Vincent Thian/AP

U.S. vs. China: Inside a great power rivalry

Chinese consumers are spending less amid trade war and economic headwinds

Chinese consumers have less and less confidence to splurge, which spells trouble for government efforts to jump-start consumer spending to offset deflation and mitigate the trade war with the U.S.

Chinese consumers are spending less amid trade war and economic headwinds

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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost addresses the crowd from the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost addresses the crowd from the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Main Character of the Week

Chicago celebrates cultural victory with native son, Pope Leo XIV

The likelihood that the newly elected pope has consumed a Chicago style hot dog is not zero. And that means something.

Chicago celebrates cultural victory with native son, Pope Leo XIV

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Two men are now convicted of charges related to cutting down a historic tree in England. A combination of pictures shows, top, the Sycamore Gap tree along Hadrian's Wall near Hexham, northern England on June 4, 2023, and bottom, the felled Sycamore Gap tree, on Sept. 28, 2023.

A combination of pictures shows, top, the Sycamore Gap tree along Hadrian's Wall near Hexham, northern England on June 4, 2023, and bottom, the felled Sycamore Gap tree, on Sept. 28, 2023. Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Europe

2 men convicted of cutting down the beloved Sycamore Gap tree in 'mindless' destruction

Prosecutors say that as news of the crime spread, the two men exchanged messages relishing the outrage and sadness they caused. The tree in northern England was believed to be about 200 years old.

WATCH

Katie Gavin: Tiny Desk Concert

Katie Gavin is the kind of performer whose dynamism knows no bounds. Whether she's performing with her pop band MUNA or solo, Gavin is a captivating presence.
Barbara Hannigan Conductor-Singer Photo: Marco Borggreve

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Review

Music

Under the spell of Hildegard: A new album reboots ancient music

The 12th century abbess, scientist and composer inspires new interpretations of her music, and new works, on an album spotlighting soprano Barbara Hannigan.

Classical Review Electric Fields

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Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. is photographed at the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Jan. 20, 2023, in Bethesda, Md. He has vowed to fight President Trump's firing of him from his post on the commission.

Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. is photographed at the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Jan. 20, 2023, in Bethesda, Md. He has vowed to fight President Trump's firing of him from his post on the commission. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images

National

Trump fires all 3 Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission

The Consumer Product Safety Commission works to protect Americans from dangerous products and issuing recalls and warnings. It's the latest attempt by Trump to exact control over independent agencies.
A measles advisory is shown tacked to a bulletin board outside Gaines County Courthouse on April 09, 2025 in Seminole, Texas.

A measles advisory is shown tacked to a bulletin board outside Gaines County Courthouse on April 09, 2025 in Seminole, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America

Public Health

Measles math: What to know about 1,001 measles cases across the country

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the numbers of measles cases in the country on Friday. Here's what they say and what it means for public health in the U.S.
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark speaks to the press near ICE agents at a demonstration outside an immigrant detention centre in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Wednesday. The mayor arrived at the gates of Delaney Hall to inspect the previously vacant prison that is being converted into an immigrant detention center. Delaney Hall has the ability to hold over a 1,000 people, and the detention facility, privately owned by The GEO Group, holds a contract with the federal government to house people arrested by ICE.

Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark speaks to the press near ICE agents at a demonstration outside an immigrant detention centre in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Wednesday. The mayor arrived at the gates of Delaney Hall to inspect the previously vacant prison that is being converted into an immigrant detention center. Delaney Hall has the ability to hold over a 1,000 people, and the detention facility, privately owned by The GEO Group, holds a contract with the federal government to house people arrested by ICE. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Newark, N.J., mayor released after chaotic arrest at ICE center protest

 WNYC Radio

Federal agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in a chaotic scene outside a newly reopened federal immigration detention center he's been protesting for the past week, accusing him of trespassing.
The Laughlin Steel Corporation's open hearth furnace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1955.

The Laughlin Steel Corporation's open hearth furnace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1955. Martin/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Martin/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Americans still dream about factory jobs. Can they be brought back?

Trump's administration said they want tariffs to boost US manufacturing, and most Americans want more factory jobs here. But what makes us nostalgic for factory work?

The fantasy vs. reality of Trump's "smokestack nostalgia"

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Brandon Fernandez, second from left, with AmeriCorps colleagues in North Carolina this year, where they were helping with disaster recovery after Hurricane Helene. He and others struggled to hold back tears when their deployment was cut short.

Brandon Fernandez, second from left, with AmeriCorps colleagues in North Carolina this year, where they were helping with disaster recovery after Hurricane Helene. He and others struggled to hold back tears when their deployment was cut short. Courtesy of Brandon Fernandez hide caption

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Courtesy of Brandon Fernandez

Politics

Trump's gutting of AmeriCorps hits hard, for both volunteers and communities

The Trump administration slashed funding for the national service agency and fired most of its staff. 32,000 people, mostly young adults, were forced to stop work immediately.
William Rogers worked as a correctional officer at CoreCivic from 2016 to 2020. He's a vocal critic of the plan to reopen the facility as an immigrant detention center.

William Rogers worked as a correctional officer at CoreCivic from 2016 to 2020. He's a vocal critic of the plan to reopen the facility as an immigrant detention center. Zane Irwin/Kansas News Service hide caption

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Zane Irwin/Kansas News Service

National

Cities aiming to thwart immigrant detention centers wield a secret weapon: local laws

As the Trump administration moves to quickly expand immigration detention space, a series of standoffs have emerged between city officials and the private prison companies.

Prisons closed due to serious problems set to reopen as migrant detention centers

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White South Africans supporting US President Donald Trump and South African and US tech billionaire Elon Musk gather in front of the US Embassy in Pretoria, on February 15, 2025 for a demonstration. Trump and Pretoria are locked in a diplomatic row over a land expropriation act that Washington says will lead to the takeover of white-owned farms. Trump, whose tycoon ally Elon Musk was born in South Africa, said on February 7, 2025 the law signed in January would "enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation". It allows the government, as a matter of public interest, to decide on expropriations without compensation -- but only in exceptional circumstances. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP) (Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)

White South Africans supporting US President Donald Trump and South African and US tech billionaire Elon Musk gather in front of the US Embassy in Pretoria, on February 15, 2025 for a demonstration. MARCO LONGARI/AFP hide caption

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MARCO LONGARI/AFP

Exclusive

Africa

The first Afrikaners granted refugee status are due to arrive in U.S.

Three months ago, President Trump signed an executive order telling white Afrikaans South Africans they could apply for refugee status in the U.S. The first group has been swiftly processed and is set to arrive on U.S. soil Monday

First Afrikaners granted refugee status due to arrive in U.S.

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Faithful take photos the black smoke billows from the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new Pope, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Faithful take photos the black smoke billows from the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new Pope, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Emilio Morenatti/AP/AP hide caption

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Emilio Morenatti/AP/AP

Conclave 2025

What it was like inside St. Peter's Square when the new pope was announced

As Cardinal Robert Prevost's name was announced, a sound of shock rose up. It was something few people had anticipated — the new pope is from the United States.
A satellite map of North America, highlighting the U.S.-Canada boundary line.

The U.S.-Canada border, as seen in this satellite map, mostly runs along the 49th parallel — and wasn't chosen at random. Planet Observer/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

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Planet Observer/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Politics

Trump calls the U.S.-Canada border an 'artificial line.' That's not entirely true

President Trump has repeatedly described the U.S.-Canada border as an "artificially drawn line." But experts say just because it was man-made doesn't mean it's not legitimate.
David Steiner, a FedEx board member and former CEO of Waste Management seen here in 2013, has been selected to be the next postmaster general by the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board.

David Steiner, a FedEx board member and former CEO of Waste Management seen here in 2013, has been selected to be the next postmaster general by the U.S. Postal Service's governing board. Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Politics

David Steiner of FedEx is tapped to be the U.S. Postal Service's new leader

The U.S. Postal Service's governing board has named David Steiner, a board member of USPS competitor FedEx, to be the next postmaster general following the controversial term of Louis DeJoy.
The shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stands in the middle of the Susquehanna River on October 10, 2024. One of the plant's two reactors partly melted down in 1979, but the second one operated for decades before it was closed. It is now set to be restarted as early as 2028, pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stands in the middle of the Susquehanna River on October 10, 2024. One of the plant's two reactors partly melted down in 1979, but the second one operated for decades before it was closed. It is now set to be restarted as early as 2028, pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Exclusive

Politics

Trump tightens control of independent agency overseeing nuclear safety

NPR has learned that rules must now be vetted by the White House and that the administration is drafting an executive order that could loosen radiation limits.
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