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A New Report Says The COVID Recession Has Pushed Social Security Insolvency Up A Year The new projections in the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees reports indicate that the program will be unable to pay full benefits in 2034. Last year's estimated exhaustion date was 2035. (Image credit: Bradley C Bower/AP) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3yECopa

Florida Is Blocking Money From 2 School Districts Over Mask Mandates, Defying A Judge A judge ruled Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on school mask mandates "is without legal authority" and can't be enforced. But that's not stopping the state board of education from withholding paychecks. (Image credit: Marta Lavandier/AP) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3zz7H5U

Because Of The Pandemic, Some Quinceañeras Are Celebrating 17th Birthdays This Year Quinceañeras are an important tradition in many Latino cultures, but COVID-19 restrictions canceled party plans. Those delays are bringing a new twist to these celebrations. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3mJWewO

After A Bitter Fight With Democrats, Texas Republicans Pass New Voting Restrictions The legislation now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it. Once he does, Texas will become the latest GOP-run state to enact new voting restrictions. (Image credit: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3mP3wPZ

Chicago School Bus Drivers Have Quit In Droves Over COVID Vaccine Mandate Chicago Public Schools says 10% of their school bus drivers quit on Friday as they're unwilling to get mandated vaccines. The district is now offering cash to parents who drive their kids to school. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3zxJKM9

Lawmakers Want To Know What Went Wrong With Afghanistan Lawmakers criticized the Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. They now want to reassert Congress' authority and continue efforts to evacuate Americans and allies. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/2WygAyt

Winds Have Been High As The Caldor Fire Threatens California's South Lake Tahoe Firefighters are hoping for favorable conditions today to help them keep the Caldor Fire from getting loose in the city of South Lake Tahoe, California. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3gQQEVH

Southern California Has Jobs For Incoming Afghans — But Not Much Affordable Housing Afghans making their way to some California communities have run into a challenge that many residents face — affordable housing. Costs have made it difficult to find long-term places to live. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3yx8nHy

Jury Selection Begins In The Fraud Trial Of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of the health technology corporation Theranos, promised miracles with just a finger prick of blood. Jury selection in her fraud trial begins Tuesday. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/38vNoKC

COVID Vaccinations Are On The Rise Again, Says White House Due to more mandates around the U.S., White House COVID advisors say first-time vaccination rates are now on the rise after a slowdown this summer. Millions of unvaccinated children are now in school. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3gP9DQd

What It Was Like Entering The Kabul Airport Alongside The Taliban NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Nabih Bulos, Middle East correspondent for the Los Angeles Times , about the Taliban's takeover of the Kabul airport. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3DISZfh

New Orleans's Recover From Hurricane Ida's Damage Has Been Slow Recovery is slow going in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida stormed ashore on Sunday. Rescue crews are still trying to get into hard hit areas as residents cope with the prospect of no power for weeks. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3jzde73

New England Patriots Opt For Rookie Quarterback NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Kyle Hightower, Associated Press reporter in Boston, talk about the New England Patriots cutting quarterback Cam Newton, and starting rookie Mac Jones instead. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3zA0y5d

After 3 Failed Attempts To Flee Afghanistan, A Family Clings To Hope NPR's Leila Fadel talks with Syvash, one of the thousands of Afghans trying to leave the country. Over the last two decades, he's worked on various projects for both the U.S. and the European Union. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3kFfmJN

New Orleans Mayor Cantrell On The City's Loss Of Power Brought By Hurricane Ida NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with LaToya Cantrell, mayor of New Orleans, about the damage from Hurricane Ida that has left residents without power for days. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3zyEYhA

Widow Of Soldier Killed In Kabul Bombing Said He Was 'Brilliant' One of the 13 U.S. service members to die after the Kabul airport bombing was Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, a 23-year-old special operations soldier from Tennessee. His widow, Alena, remembers him. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3Dw5R8e

Biden Speaks On The End Of War In Afghanistan And Evacuations U.S. troops have left Afghanistan, ending America's longest war. Biden has detailed outreach efforts to Americans in Afghanistan. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3Bv41CE

Hate Crimes Reach The Highest Level In More Than A Decade The 6% spike in hate crimes reported by the FBI for 2020 follows a recent upward trend in incidents. But some experts and advocacy groups say the true number is probably even higher. (Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3kHGIio

These 7 Black Men Were Executed For An Alleged Rape. Now, They Have Been Pardoned Prior to abolishing the death penalty in March 2021, Virginia had executed more people than any other state. That included seven Black men who the governor said were executed without due process. (Image credit: Dan H./Flickr) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3jyFjuU

Nia DaCosta Is The 1st Black Female Director To Debut Atop The U.S. Box Office The 31-year-old director and screenwriter's horror film Candyman — a reboot of the 1992 classic — made history as it raked in more than $22 million in its opening weekend. (Image credit: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Fe) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3BrJrD7

Historic Karnofsky Shop In New Orleans Collapses During Hurricane Ida Among the buildings lost to Hurricane Ida was 427 South Rampart St., where Louis Armstrong spent much of his childhood with the Jewish family he worked for. They encouraged him to get into music. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3gMKDsO

Lack Of Bus Drivers Is Hampering The Start Of The School Year A Minnesota school district can't find enough bus drivers — it's offering $3,000 hiring bonuses and paying families to drive their own children. Many districts across the nation need bus drivers. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3t1bFBF

Evacuations Are Ordered As Caldor Fire Races Toward Lake Tahoe Some 30,000 people are now under orders to evacuate from the Lake Tahoe Region, as the out-of-control Caldor Fire is spreading rapidly in extremely windy and hot conditions. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/38pgUlt

16 Years After Hurricane Katrina, News Orleans Is Forced To Deal With Ida Hurricane Ida roared ashore in southern Louisiana on Sunday, and left behind much destruction. Many trees are down and roofs were ripped off homes and businesses. Power is out in many areas. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/2Y19IK7

News Brief: America's Longest War Ends, Ida Damage, Mask Mandate Bans The U.S. military is out of Afghanistan. Hurricane Ida left behind a path of destruction in Louisiana. The federal government is looking into five states' efforts to stop schools from requiring masks. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3DAivTw

He Is The Last American Soldier To Leave Afghanistan U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue was the very last American service member to leave the country Monday. He's commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps. (Image credit: Handout/U.S. Central Command via Getty I) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/2Y5xu7L

Months After The Vaccine, Your Antibodies May Actually Fight COVID Better With boosters shots rolling out soon, the big question is: Am I still protected against COVID-19 if I've only had two doses of the vaccine? Turns out, you may have more resilience than you think. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3sYmLYn

Louisiana Power Provider Shares How — And When — The Company Will Repair Outages NPR's Leila Fadel talks with Rod West, vice president of Entergy, which provides power to New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. He discusses the city's power outages and how long they may take to fix. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/38phAaj

Here's The Latest On Ida, The Tropical Storm Thrashing The Gulf Coast At least one person is confirmed dead from Ida, but officials expect the death toll to rise, as rescue efforts get underway in Louisiana. Ida continued to move north, bringing rain and heavy winds. (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3mTyV3s

A Nebraska Plant Used A Toxic Ethanol Source. A Town Is Now Living With Contamination Normal gasoline is blended with ethanol made from corn. But a Nebraska plant used surplus crop seeds treated with pesticides, leaving a town with tons of toxic waste, bee die-offs and health issues. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3zuAwAk

Hundreds Of Thousands Left Without Power After Hurricane Ida Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida. Crews in the state are fanning out to help. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3gM2Cj7

Reservation Communities Change Their Response To Increasingly Common Megafires The Warm Springs Reservation in central Oregon is living with the effects of wildfire and smoke. Recent experiences have changed how the community approaches management of these blazes. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3BkK2Xg

Full FDA Approval Triggers More Universities To Require The COVID-19 Vaccine The FDA's decision to fully approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has opened the door for a growing number of colleges and universities to mandate the vaccine for their communities this academic year. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3gKMBdx

CDC Advisers Review The Pfizer Vaccine's Benefits And Risks An advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is meeting Monday to consider whether any changes are needed to its existing recommendations for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3zvhYjF

New Orleans Parish President Hunkers Down Through Hurricane Ida With Members NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Kirk Lepine, Plaquemines Parish president, about the impact of Hurricane Ida In New Orleans, La. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3jvfqfE

Hospital President In Louisiana Describes Hurricane Ida's Impact NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Dr. John Heaton, president and chief medical officer of LCMC Health, about the state of the system's hospitals post-Hurricane Ida. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3DouyTY

Troops Are Out Of Afghanistan, Ending The Longest War In American History U.S. troops destroyed equipment before leaving Afghanistan, ending ending 20 years of military engagement in the country. More than 2,400 troops and tens of thousands of Afghans lost their lives. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/2YbR6Y7

Months After The Vaccine, Your Antibodies May Actually Fight COVID Better Than Ever With boosters shots rolling out soon, the big question is: Am I still protected against COVID-19 if I've only had two doses of the vaccine? Turns out, you may have more resilience than you think. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3mIdtP7

How Climate Change Made Hurricane Ida Bigger And More Powerful Hurricane Ida rapidly gained strength right before it hit Louisiana on Sunday. Abnormally hot water in the Gulf of Mexico acted as fuel for the storm. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3Dt8VSx

As Withdrawal Deadline Nears, Kabul Airport Crowds Grow Increasingly Desperate NPR's Leila Fadel talks with Washington Post 's Afghanistan bureau chief Susannah George about Sunday's drone strike that killed a civilian family, including several children. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/2WAfPof

Rental Assistance Programs Are Swooping In To Help As Evictions Resume In Memphis, evictions have resumed. But there's a concerted effort to keep people in their homes, using innovative strategies to get federal rental assistance to those who need it. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3Dvgt7l

Diplomats Are Leaving Afghanistan As U.S. Airlift Operations Come To A Close The U.S. drawdown from Afghanistan includes American diplomats who moved embassy operations to the airport in Kabul. They're now leaving too as the White House decides how to deal with the Taliban. from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3jvxJ4A

As School Board Meetings Get Hostile, Some Members Are Calling It Quits More and more school board members, largely unpaid volunteers, are resigning or questioning their service as meetings have devolved into shouting contests between deeply political constituencies. (Image credit: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) from National : NPR https://ift.tt/3gNkjyV