Data centers are expensive, unpopular — and could be a tipping point in the midterms Anger over the data center boom has spilled into politics with voters unseating local politicians who support them. It's become an issue hard to ignore in the midterm elections.

"Since Meta began construction on the data center in Louisiana, residents have complained that their water is 'brown' or 'like rust' and smells like 'disinfectant.'" www.npr.org/2026/04/20/g...

What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos’s Private Retreat For the richest men on Earth, everything is free and nothing matters.

"When you can buy your way out of any mistake, when you can fire anyone who disagrees with you, when your social circle consists entirely of people who need something from you, the basic mechanism by which humans learn that other people are real goes dark." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

Wall Street’s Elite Team of Coffee Tasters Who Keep the Global Market Running The pros who sit around and sniff beans and slurp coffee help set prices for arabica. They’re struggling to find new recruits.

Interesting look at the work of coffee graders: www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...

Some Wikipedia editor is not happy with Peter Magyar, who has defeated Viktor Orban:

Voters in a Missouri town have ousted two council members who supported tax breaks for an AI data center: www.kcur.org/politics-ele...

From mall to torture site: Venezuela debates El Helicoide prison's future Once a futuristic shopping mall, El Helicoide became one of Venezuela's most feared prisons. Now, as the country changes, so does its fate — erase it, rebuild it, or remember what happened inside.

"A debate has emerged over what to do with El Helicoide, an imposing prison in the center of the Caracas that was initially meant to be a futuristic shopping mall, but was left unfinished." www.npr.org/2026/03/20/n...

Jane Arraf and Hadeel Al-Shalchi reported from Amman, Jordan; Daniel Estrin reported from Tel Aviv, Israel; Ruth Sherlock and Durrie Bouscaren from Turkey; Jennifer Pak from Beijing; Tovia Smith from Boston; Julia Simon from San Francisco; Jawad Rizkallah from Beirut; Jackie Northam from Maine; Michele Kelemen, Camila Domonoske, Deepa Shivaram, Ayana Archie and Alex Leff from Washington.

This is @npr.org ❤️

So proud to work for a news organization (WITH NO PAYWALLS!) that is not gutting our Middle East coverage, but expanding it.

📻 🌍 🎧

Journalists love to say something is "interesting" because that's the only word you can use if you're not allowed to publicly express opinions.

Every ad on the DC Metro system is for a government contractor, either something to do with cybersecurity or the military. Every single ad I see.

Every business wants your review. What's with the feedback frenzy? Customers want to read reviews and businesses need reviews to attract customers. But the constant demand for reviews could be creating a feedback backlash, experts say.

All the emails I constantly get to rate my experience inspired my latest article: www.npr.org/2026/02/26/n...

If any PR people follow me here, I am a GENERAL ASSIGNMENT reporter. Every time I write about something I immediately get a bunch of emails related to that topic. Chances are I'll be covering something else next time!

Trump's many tariff tools mean consumer prices won't go down, analysts say The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's signature tariffs. But the president has other tariff tools, and consumers shouldn't expect cheaper prices anytime soon, economists say.

I wrote about tariffs, oh joy: What Trump's many tariff tools and sticky prices mean for consumers

www.npr.org/2026/02/25/n...

The Trump administration is increasingly trying to criminalize observing ICE ICE officers often tell people tracking and watching them that they are breaking federal law in doing so, but legal experts say the vast majority of observers are exercising their constitutional right...

"Increasingly, the Trump administration is attempting to criminalize the actions of people tracking and observing its immigration officers." www.npr.org/2026/02/18/n...

How Epstein and Maxwell used an elite Midwest arts school to prey on girls Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell lavished money on the Interlochen Center for the Arts to gain access, documents show — even funding an on-campus lodge they stayed in. In the process, two teenage...

"What emerges is a portrait of Interlochen as an institution that celebrated openness, but that in accepting Epstein's financial support became unwittingly associated with his crimes." www.npr.org/2026/02/19/n...

People gather at an information booth at the base of a very tall statue of an arm holding a torch, in a photo from 1876. (Sepia Times / Universal Images Group / Getty)

Hundreds of small boats and rowers cluster together in a broad canal in Venice. (Giovanni Battista Brusa / The J. Paul Getty Museum)

A view of downtown Manhattan, including a partially-finished Brooklyn Bridge, from 1876. (Joshua H. Beal / The New York Public Library)

Two portraits of Native Americans, from 1876. (Corbis / Getty)

150 Years Ago in Photos: A Look Back at 1876 - A collection of images showing events and sights from around the world in 1876—the year the United States celebrated its 100th anniversary with the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

DHS says immigration agents appear to have lied about shooting in Minnesota Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg during the incident. Another Venezuelan man was also accused of attacking an immigration officer.

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg during the incident. Another Venezuelan man was also accused of attacking an immigration officer.

Meet Minnesota Bathrobe Lady Sam Stroozas of MPR News | Minnesota Public Radio Earlier this week, an unexpected and fast-moving incident unfolded in St. Paul, Minnesota involving both federal and local law enforcement. As crowds gathered and questions mounted, one of our MPR New...

hello minnesota and beyond! thank you for your kind messages. it is very weird to be the news when you cover the news. i love this beautiful state and journalism, and i am hopeful for better days. but we will be forever changed bc of the last two months.

The 800th 'The Simpsons' episode is set in Philadelphia. But Portland is in its DNA As The Simpsons celebrates a landmark episode, a tour of creator Matt Groening's hometown reveals the real-world Portland landmarks behind characters like Ned Flanders and Sideshow Bob.

I did not know that Sideshow Bob's last name is Terwilliger and that he's named after a dangerous stretch of Portland highway: www.npr.org/2026/02/12/n...

Border czar Tom Homan: Immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota coming to an end Homan addressed reporters Thursday morning at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the base for the ongoing federal immigration operation in Minnesota.

The immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota is ending, said Tom Homan, the border czar for President Donald Trump.

“I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said.

A Brief History of Children Today Are Growing Up Too Fast

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ICE attorney to judge: ‘This job sucks’ A federal judge admonished DHS for repeatedly defying court orders to release detainees, as government lawyers described widespread noncompliance during Minnesota’s immigration crackdown.

"Le said that she submitted her resignation, but ultimately chose to stay at the U.S. Attorney’s Office because no one could be found to replace her." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

After anti-ICE school walkout, Midland ISD police seek to identify organizers Hours after Midland High School students participated in a national anti-ICE protest movement last week, Midland ISD’s police department shared a social media post asking for tips on who shared fliers...

Texas police are investigating a student walkout to protest ICE. Police "did not respond to requests for comment on what criminal violation the anti-ICE protest organizers may have committed that would warrant a police investigation." www.marfapublicradio.org/news/2026-02...

Reporter's Notebook: He was my fruit vendor for years. I saw immigration agents take him NPR's Adrian Florido had been buying fruit from the same fruit-cart vendor in his Los Angeles neighborhood for years. On Tuesday, Florido was there when federal immigration agents whisked him away.

"Someone who brought so much simple joy to my neighborhood for almost 20 years had been whisked away before my eyes. ... That corner will never be the same." www.npr.org/2026/01/29/n...

Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...

BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

A List of Complaints from 1926

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Unsafe E. coli levels recorded near Arlington after massive sewage spill in Potomac | ARLnow.com Tests of water samples from the Potomac River are reporting dangerously high levels of E. coli following a rupture in a sewage pipe upstream from Arlington. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network recorded ba...

This seems like a big deal that isn't being talked about: www.arlnow.com/2026/01/27/u...

Videos Show Moments in Which Agents Killed a Man in Minneapolis

“Footage shows Mr. Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, when the agents took him to the ground and shot him.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

The story of 'synergy,' the word we love to hate It's not just the quintessential corporate jargon word. "Synergy" goes back hundreds of years, with history in Christianity, medicine and psychology.

I got to make fun of corporate speak: “The story of 'synergy,' the word we love to hate”

www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...

This story now features me talking about said travel guide on the radio

Where we went: NPR's U.S. travel guide for the curious NPR's staff traveled a lot in 2025. From a Mardi Gras workshop to a festival celebrating the mythical Mothman, here are some places and events we thought you might want to check out, too.

I spent a lot of time putting together NPR's first (that I know of) travel guide. Lot of interesting stuff in here worth checking out: www.npr.org/2025/12/18/n...