Accessibility links
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

Business

Questions About Business Reopenings And New Safety Guidelines

Atlanta hair salon owner Regina Hirschell checks in. Then an NPR business editor and Jennifer Nuzzo of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security answer listener questions about business reopenings.

Questions About Business Reopenings And New Safety Guidelines

Listen · 8:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848852101/848876194" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Your Health

What Happened Today: A New Unemployment Number, Questions About Masks

As states reopen, more and more places are now requiring people to wear masks. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, takes listener questions about masks.

What Happened Today: A New Unemployment Number, Questions About Masks

Listen · 11:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848852037/848869549" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Business

More Questions About Business Reopenings And Safety Guidelines

An NPR business editor and Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, answer listener questions about businesses that can reopen and safety guidelines to follow.

More Questions About Business Reopenings And Safety Guidelines

Listen · 3:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848852132/848877425" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Governor Temporarily Closes All Beaches And State Parks In Orange County, Calif.

Beachgoers flocked to Orange County seashores on Sunday, as pictured here in Huntington Beach. An order announced Thursday, by California Gov. Gavin Newsom will prohibit people from visiting any beaches or state parks in Orange County. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Coronavirus Updates

Governor Temporarily Closes All Beaches And State Parks In Orange County, Calif.

The order is much more targeted than had been announced in a California Police Chiefs Association memo that said Newsom would require all California beaches and state parks to close.

Federal Stay-At-Home Guidance Ends; A Potential New Test For COVID-19

Andom Yosef, 38, works at Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota, one of the countrys largest known coronavirus clusters. Yosef tested positive for COVID-19. Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Federal Stay-At-Home Guidance Ends; A Potential New Test For COVID-19

The federal stay-at-home guidance ends on Thursday. Some governors are planning to open up their states, but others say it's too soon.

Federal Stay-At-Home Guidance Ends; A Potential New Test For COVID-19

Listen · 11:35
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848279255/848812284" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

National Security

Top U.S. Intelligence Agency Rules Out The Theory That The Coronavirus Is Manmade

The agency that oversees the U.S. intelligence community has released an unusual public statement ruling out the theory that the coronavirus was manmade.

Top U.S. Intelligence Agency Rules Out The Theory That The Coronavirus Is Manmade

Listen · 3:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848716241/848812473" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
NYC Subways To Close Every Night For Disinfection

An empty New York Subway car is seen on March 23, 2020 in New York City. The city will soon be halting subway service each night to disinfect for the coronavirus. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

NYC Subways To Close Every Night For Disinfection

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the plan to shut down the subway system each night "a massive undertaking." Essential workers will be able to take alternative transportation at no cost.

Though Closed To The Public, Bryce Canyon Still Teems With Life

Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah has been closed to visitors since early April. Peter Densmore/National Park Service hide caption

toggle caption
Peter Densmore/National Park Service

Coronavirus Updates

Though Closed To The Public, Bryce Canyon Still Teems With Life

Ranger Peter Densmore has a front row seat on the beginning of spring in the national park. With the absence of visitors, prairie dogs have overrun the roads and other wildlife have grown bold.

Though Closed To The Public, Bryce Canyon Still Teems With Life

Listen · 3:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848009686/848551894" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Activists Refuse To Pay Rent As New York Struggles With The Coronavirus Outbreak

With New York having the largest coronavirus outbreak among U.S. states, activists and community organizers are putting together strikes, refusing to pay rent on May 1.

Activists Refuse To Pay Rent As New York Struggles With The Coronavirus Outbreak

Listen · 3:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848666523/848666524" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Race

Black Mississippians Are Being Hit Especially Hard By The Coronavirus

Shalondra Rollins tested positive for COVID-19 and died three days later. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with reporter Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today about lessons to learn from Rollins' story.

Black Mississippians Are Being Hit Especially Hard By The Coronavirus

Listen · 4:35
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848666558/848666562" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Media

Newspapers Are Reassigning Sports Journalists As Pro Seasons Are Put Off

As sports events are canceled, newspapers around the country are now reassigning sports journalists to cover other subjects — including the pandemic.

Newspapers Are Reassigning Sports Journalists As Pro Seasons Are Put Off

Listen · 3:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848666637/848666638" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Business

Texas Bookstore Owner Considers Reopening As State Lifts Some Quarantine Restrictions

Restaurants, retailers and malls in Texas are allowed to reopen on May 1. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Kyle Hall, an independent bookstore owner, about his plans on getting back to work.

Texas Bookstore Owner Considers Reopening As State Lifts Some Quarantine Restrictions

Listen · 4:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848666495/848666496" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Energy

Regulators Consider Capping Oil Production For 1st Time In Nearly 50 Years

KUT 90.5

Both demand and prices for crude oil have plummeted due to the economic shutdown. Now, U.S. oil regulators are debating whether to cap production — for the first time since the 1970s.

Regulators Consider Capping Oil Production For 1st Time In Nearly 50 Years

Listen · 3:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/848666568/848666569" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript