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Demonstrators participate in the "Stop the AI Race" protest march in San Francisco on July 11, 2026. Researchers who spoke to NPR say the leading AI companies are too focused on racing to develop more capable and autonomous AI systems while safety is falling behind.

Anthropic and OpenAI CEOs call for AI development to slow down, OpenAI to delay IPO

Dario Amodei and Sam Altman are the latest to urge caution amid fears the industry is racing too fast to build powerful AI while safety measures lag.

Clockwise from upper left: Holly Sox, Catarino Escobar, Frank Thompson, Bill Breeden, Craig Baxley and Ron McAndrew have all been affected by work related to executions.

Carrying out executions took a secret toll on workers — then changed their politics

NPR spoke with 26 people who were involved with more than 200 executions across the country. Most said their health suffered and they had little support to help them cope with their unusual jobs.

President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak during a visit to Crawford High School in Crawford, Texas, on Nov. 15, 2001. The appearance wrapped up a summit of the newly elected presidents in Texas.

With Bush in 2001, Putin sought to charm students at a rural Texas high school

Back in 2001, Vladimir Putin was seeking respect from world leaders while pledging a new openness in Russia. That's what brought him to tiny Crawford, Texas, at the invite of President George W. Bush.

Mustafa Abed arrived at the airport in Portland, Ore., on April 17. Severely injured as an infant during the battle to liberate Fallujah from al-Qaida, his leg was amputated and he later received medical treatment in Portland, where he returned for further care almost a decade later.

Mustafa Returns: Iraqi Boy's Hope For A Prosthetic Leg Proves Complicated

He was injured as a baby and doctors were able to save his life, but not his leg. Now a teenager, he's in Oregon for a second time, hoping for a second prosthesis to replace the one he outgrew.

10 new books in March offer mental vacations

March is always a big one for books – this year is no different. We call out a handful of upcoming titles for readers to put on their radars — offering a good alternative to doomscrolling.

How High School Debate In 1990s Kansas Explains The Present: A Novel Argument

Author Ben Lerner's new semi-autobiographical book, The Topeka School, finds a competitive-debate whiz kid navigating adolescence — and perhaps the precursors to today's American politics.

A woman walks past a wrecked van near the northwestern Syrian village of Barisha. Local residents and medical staff tell NPR that noncombatant civilians were killed and injured in the van the night of the U.S. raid on the compound of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Syrians Say U.S. Helicopter Fire Killed Civilians During The Raid On Baghdadi

A Syrian man says his arm was blown off and two friends were killed by U.S. helicopter fire during the assault on an ISIS leader. A defense official said the military will review what happened.

Cookbook celebrates the tradition of Gullah Geechee cuisine

An 89-year-old first-time cookbook author, Emily Meggett, celebrates the cuisine of South Carolina's Gullah Geechee community and its African and Southern traditions.

"Everything that we are as human beings is in our brain," Dr. Theodore Schwartz says.

For this brain surgeon, the operating room is 'the ultimate in mindful meditation'

Dr. Theodore Schwartz has been treating neurological illnesses for nearly 30 years. He says being a brain surgeon requires steady hands — and a strong bladder. His new book is Gray Matters.

Louisa Lim's 'Indelible City' examines the U.K.'s handover of Hong Kong to China

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with former NPR Beijing correspondent Louisa Lim about her new book: Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong.

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