No, actually: How does ice skating work?

From NPR. The 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing, and NPR is bringing you the latest from Milan and Cortina. Join host A Martínez and the host of NPR’s “Short Wave” podcast, Emily Kwong, as they break down the physics behind “Quad God” Ilia Malinin’s quadruple axels. 🔔 Subscribe and never miss an episode:…

The science behind ski jumping’s crotch scandal

From NPR. What’s really happening with the Olympics ski jumping crotch scandal everyone is talking about? NPR Science Correspondent Jonathan Lambert breaks down the science behind altering the crotch area of ski suits and how ski jumpers use physics to get extra distance with each jump. 🔔 Subscribe and never miss an episode: bit.ly/4oVAImb 🔔…

One man has been documenting daily deportation flights out of Minneapolis

From NPR. Minneapolis now has daily deportation flights, taking immigration detainees caught up in President Trump’s sweeping federal immigration campaign that started there back in December. One professional airplane enthusiast has been tracking the federally chartered flights. He carefully documents how many people are put on each flight, as the Trump administration declines to release…

Trump unveils TrumpRx.gov, offering discounted drugs

From NPR. President Trump has unveiled a new website called TrumpRx.gov, where consumers can search for discounts on brand-name medications. But they’ll have to pay in cash, instead of using their health insurance. The new program works because Trump wielded a stick against drugmakers: lower prices in the U.S. or face tariffs on your imports.…

Trump calls on Republicans to nationalize voting

From NPR. President Trump says Republicans should take away control of elections from at least 15 states, although he didn’t say which ones. Voting is plainly specified in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution as a right belonging to the states. But Trump made the comments yesterday in a podcast with former FBI Deputy Director…

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter

From NPR. It’s Feb. 2 — or Groundhog Day — and in keeping with tradition, thousands of fans of Punxsutawney Phil turned out to witness his weather prediction this morning. Members of the west-central Pennsylvania Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said Phil saw his shadow Monday, predicting six more weeks of wintry weather. The event has links…

Want your kid to spend less time on their phone?

From NPR. Want your child to spend less time on their phone, tablet or gaming device? Take a look at your own tech habits. According to a study published in 2024, one of the strongest predictors of a child’s screen time is a parent’s screen time.⁠ ⁠ "If you don’t want your teens to be…

Whales teach each other how to bubble-net feed

From NPR. Scientists say new research suggests humpback whales are teaching each other how to do a complicated feeding technique. Bubble-net feeding is when a humpback whale dives below a shoal of tiny krill or fish and starts to swim in a circle beneath. It releases air from its blowhole, creating an ever-tightening ring of…

Destin Conrad drops his second studio album: “wHIMSY.

From NPR. Just months after the April 2025 release of his debut album, “Love on Digital,” Destin Conrad dropped his second studio album, a jazz project titled “wHIMSY.” Both albums climbed the charts, and Conrad snagged a Grammy nomination for best progressive R&B album for “Love on Digital” — his first as a solo artist.⁠…

Lila Iké grew up surrounded by music

From NPR. Lila Iké grew up surrounded by music, in a small town in the green mountains of Jamaica.⁠ ⁠ “Christiana, where I was born and raised, is a community where music literally oozes out of every fabric of the community," Iké told “All Things Considered.” Her memories of music growing up included her mom’s…

Thousands attend vigils at VAs across the country after Alex Pretti’s death

From NPR. In the week since Border Patrol officers killed Alex Pretti, a Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, vigils around the country have celebrated Pretti’s work and denounced ICE’s tactics. Thousands gathered outside the Manhattan VA hospital, filling the sidewalk between massive snowbanks. And hundreds of Pretti’s colleagues at Minneapolis VA held a vigil earlier this…

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz defends the right to peaceful protests

From NPR. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz defended the right to peaceful protests and expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s calls earlier this week to de-escalate its immigration crackdown in his state in an interview Friday with NPR’s “All Things Considered.” “I know who I’m dealing with. I know that they’re not going to keep…

Tim Walz says he won’t “compromise with authoritarianism”

From NPR. After Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz referred to ICE agents as “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote a letter criticizing Walz for his rhetoric, accusing state leaders of not doing enough to “support the men and women who are risking their lives and uphold the rule of law.” In an…

Jeff Reed knows a lot about how wolves communicate

From NPR. After years of eavesdropping and analyzing howls in Yellowstone, Jeff Reed knows a lot about how wolves communicate. A computational linguist, he uses AI and bioacoustics to isolate, record, and interpret the sounds that wolves make in the wild. He co-founded The Cry Wolf Project, the world’s largest bioacoustics study of wild wolves.…

Michael Mayo ascends to new artistic heights

From NPR. With the release of his sophomore album, "Fly," in October 2024, jazz vocalist, composer and songwriter Michael Mayo ascended to new artistic heights.⁠ ⁠ Much like his lauded 2021 debut album, "Bones," the Los Angeles-born singer flexed his jazz-influenced musical prowess on "Fly," enthusing critics with the album’s floating production, expressive songwriting and…

The prediction market industry is booming in President Trump’s second term

From NPR. The prediction market industry is booming in President Trump’s second term. The administration has cleared the way for these services to allow people to bet on sports, policy, world events, even elections.⁠ —————————————————— Follow NPR elsewhere, too: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npr/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@npr • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NPR

FBI agents searched an elections office in Georgia yesterday

From NPR. FBI agents searched an elections office in Georgia yesterday. One local Georgia official who was inside the Fulton County office yesterday says FBI agents were seizing ballots from the 2020 presidential election. Georgia has been at the center of President Trump’s claims that that election was stolen from him. He repeated the lie…

South Carolina’s measles outbreak hits 789 confirmed cases

From NPR. South Carolina is reporting 789 confirmed cases of measles, surpassing the West Texas outbreak last year that resulted in the deaths of 2 school-age children. As NPR’s Maria Godoy reports, the outbreak is now the largest the U.S. has faced in nearly 30 years. Public health officials have reported 89 new confirmed cases…

Rep. Omar rushed on stage at a town hall, sprayed with liquid

From NPR. Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was rushed by a man last night as she was speaking during a town hall event. He used a syringe to spray her with a liquid before he was tackled by security and arrested. A statement from Omar’s office said the congresswoman is ok. After a brief pause…

How Alex Pretti’s friend chooses to remember him

From NPR. Heather Zielinski calls her friend Alex Pretti a “good man.” They knew each other for more than 10 years before he was shot and killed by federal immigration agents last weekend.⁠ ⁠ Zielinski told NPR’s Scott Detrow what she thinks the world should know about him.⁠

Record number of U.S. athletes head to the 2026 Olympics

From NPR. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has named the team of athletes that will compete in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next month. It’s the biggest U.S. delegation yet, with more than 230 U.S. athletes headed to Italy. They range in age from 15-year-old Abby Winterberger, a freeskier from California, to Rich Ruohonen,…

Border Patrol commander out after deaths, unrest in Minnesota

From NPR. The Trump administration is moving a top Border Patrol officer out of Minneapolis and out of his leadership role. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke with President Trump on Monday. Greg Bovino has been the face of the Trump administration’s immigration efforts across the country. Walz said Trump told him he planned to send…

U.S. rock climber reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper

From NPR. American rock climber Alex Honnold became the first person to free climb Taipei 101 in Taiwan — one of the world’s tallest buildings. The whole climb took Honnold, the star of the award-winning documentary “Free Solo,” an hour and half. His first words upon reaching the top? “Sick!” Meanwhile, down on the ground,…