URL: NPR

US News

Saturday, October 17, 2026

• Suspect in deadly Oregon elementary school shooting was a former student
  Authorities say the 16-year-old suspect in a school shooting that killed three children and one teacher at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon was once a student there.
  
• $86m in teen pregnancy prevention funds diverted to Trump-linked contractor
  NPR has learned that $86 million in teen pregnancy prevention funds meant for local grantees nationwide is instead going to a single large contractor with ties to the Trump administration.
  
• Journalist Ronan Farrow on Elon Musk's trillion-dollar political influence
  Elon Musk, the world's first trillionaire, has influence across the economy and politics. NPR's Scott Simon talks to reporter Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker about Musk's campaign spending and more.
  
• Meet Catherine Ericson, an official New York leaf peeper in Lake Placid
  For the past 10 years, Catherine Ericson has spent her autumns tracking the changing leaves around Lake Placid in upstate New York, as one of the state's official leaf peepers.
  
• Trump promised a swing district blitz. He's going to a lot of very red states
  President Trump's midterm travel blitz ahead of Election Day includes several red states he won easily 2 years ago, showing the electoral landscape is more challenging for Republicans.
  
• No Kings turns its focus to voting this weekend. Here's what we know
  The coalition behind nationwide anti-Trump protests is shifting its strategies this weekend to focus on voter turnout. Organizers say Saturday's events are a nonpartisan effort to get people to the polls.
  
• Weddings are expensive. How about a grocery store cake?
  About a third of couples are willing to save money on cake and dessert, according to the wedding-planning site Zola.
  
• Coastal homes burn as hot winds fuel California fires
  High winds are fueling a fast-moving fire that has burned homes in Southern California. Flames engulfed expensive coastal properties and prompted thousands to evacuate.
  
• How a retired Navajo Nation doctor earned a MacArthur genius grant for public art
  Chip Thomas, a retired physician on the Navajo Reservation, is well known for his large photograhpic murals. Now, he's been recognized with a MacArthur "genius" grant.
  

Friday, October 16, 2026

• Mayor of Bend shares how her community is doing after elementary school shooting
  NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Mayor of Bend Melanie Kebler about how the community is grieving the three children and teacher who were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday.