Judge bars warrantless ICE arrests in Oregon absent flight risk

Law enforcement officers look out from a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility Oct. 21, 2025, in Portland, Ore. Jenny Kane/AP hide caption toggle caption Jenny Kane/AP PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. immigration agents in Oregon must stop arresting people without warrants unless there's a likelihood of escape, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S.

Watchdog: Trump’s EPA Files Record-Low Lawsuits Against Polluters

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin speaking at EPA headquarters in 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images North America The Environmental Protection Agency enforces the country's environmental laws. But a new report shows the Trump EPA has initiated a record low number of actions against polluters, compared to

Researchers Find No Clear TikTok Censorship, Stay Cautious

After a U.S.-led investor group took over the social media platform's U.S. operations earlier this year, some users claimed political topics were quashed. New research contradicts their claims. Riccardo Milani/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Riccardo Milani/AFP via Getty Images As a consortium of investors led by Oracle's Larry Ellison took control of

Probe into Judge Mark Wolf Ended by Retirement

Former U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, pictured here, retired last year. Newly released records show a misconduct inquiry was underway that was terminated when he retired. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images New information is emerging that could complicate the retirement last year

Moltbook: A Social Network for Autonomous AI Agents

A screenshot of the Moltbook communities page. Screenshot by NPR hide caption toggle caption Screenshot by NPR Can computer programs have faith? Can they conspire against the humans that created them? Or feel melancholy? On a social media platform built just for artificial intelligence bots, some of them are acting like it. Moltbook was launched

Supreme Court Clears California’s Midterm Congressional Map

California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Los Angeles during a 2025 campaign event on Proposition 50. Voters approved the ballot measure, allowing the state's Democratic leaders to temporarily replace the state's congressional map to help Democrats win five additional U.S. House seats. Ethan Swope/AP hide caption toggle caption Ethan Swope/AP The Supreme Court is

Is America Sliding Toward Dictatorship?

TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. My guest, Robert Kagan, used to describe Donald Trump as antiliberal. Then he upped it to authoritarian, and now Kagan says that Trump is getting close to becoming a dictator. Kagan writes, "President Trump has managed in just one year to destroy the American order

Two Chinese Journalists Detained After Reporting Alleged Local Corruption

Two independent journalists were detained by Chinese officials after they published a report alleging corruption by a local official in southwestern China, rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday, condemning the incident. Police in Chengdu said they were investigating a 50-year-old man surnamed Liu and a 34-year-old surnamed Wu on suspicion of making

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi Killed at Home in Zintan

Libyan officials on Wednesday said Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of former Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, was killed in a shooting at his residence in the western Libyan city of Zintan. Seif is thought to have been seeking a return to public life in a country still bitterly split between rival governments and armed groups. Who was Seif

HRW: 2025 could be tipping point for global human rights

The year 2025 may come to be seen as a "tipping point" when democratic institutions were severely damaged and human rights suffered as a result, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). In its annual report, released on Wednesday, the New York-based non-profit warned that the reelection of US President Donald Trump has emboldened autocratic regimes
back to top