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Books

Naval vessels participate in a Taiwanese military drill near the naval port in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on Jan. 27, 2016.

Naval vessels participate in a Taiwanese military drill near the naval port in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on Jan. 27, 2016. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Review

Year of Global Elections

These dictators are different. 'Autocracy, Inc.' explains how

The dictators of today aren't united by ideology, writes Anne Applebaum: They operate like companies, focused on preserving their wealth, repressing their people and maintaining power at all costs.

Jon M. Chu directs Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on the set of Wicked.

Jon M. Chu directs Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on the set of Wicked. Universal
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Universal

Movie Interviews

'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu says creativity isn't magic — it's hard work

Chu takes his inspiration from his dad, a Chinese immigrant who worked both the front room and the kitchen of their family-run restaurant: "The guy that in the back of the kitchen, that was my hero."

'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu says creativity isn't magic — it's hard work

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Someone Like Us

Someone Like Us Penguin Random House hide caption

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Penguin Random House

Review

Book Reviews

'Someone Like Us' is a fresh, idiosyncratic novel about immigrating to the U.S.

Dinaw Mengestu's ingenuity and eloquence as a writer are on display in this novel about an Ethiopian American man who returns home only to learn that his father has just died.

'Someone Like Us' is a fresh, idiosyncratic novel about immigrating to the U.S.

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Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

A cuttlefish swims on seagrass. Cuttlefish can change the color and texture of their bodies. cinoby/Getty Images hide caption

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cinoby/Getty Images

Short Wave

Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved the ocean. They'd swim and snorkel, following around parrotfish in the water. Later, they tried to learn everything they could about the brightly-colored tropical fish – how some create a mucus cocoon at night to protect it from parasites, or how they help keep coral reefs healthy.

Dancing yeti crabs, morphing cuttlefish, other stories from the deep sea

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a meeting in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2023.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a meeting in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2023. Sergei Guneyev/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Sergei Guneyev/AFP via Getty Images

World

Expert on dictators warns: Don't lose hope -- that's what they want

Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum says that today’s dictators — including Putin and Xi — are working together in a global fight to dismantle democracy, and Trump is borrowing from their playbook.

Autocracy, Inc

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LeVar Burton has portrayed the Black experience "from our enslavement to the stars"

LeVar Burton on Wild Card Etienne Laurent/Getty Images hide caption

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Etienne Laurent/Getty Images

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

LeVar Burton has portrayed the Black experience "from our enslavement to the stars"

LeVar Burton has three roles he'll forever be known for: Kunta Kinte on the TV series Roots, Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and host of Reading Rainbow. Those roles have had profound impacts on people and he now understands, as he puts it, "my job is to be LeVar Burton." He talks to Rachel about the tension of that job, his changing definitions of success and learning to embrace the chaos.

LeVar Burton has portrayed the Black experience "from our enslavement to the stars"

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Scenes of destruction at the Factor Druk printing house, one of Ukraine's largest, can be seen days after it was hit in a Russian missile attack, on May 27.

Scenes of destruction at the Factor Druk printing house, one of Ukraine's largest, can be seen days after it was hit in a Russian missile attack on May 27. Laurel Chor for NPR hide caption

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Laurel Chor for NPR

Ukraine invasion — explained

Ukraine's bookstores are thriving, but a top printing plant took a deadly hit

Ukraine's bookstores have expanded despite the war, fueled by interest in works by Ukrainian writers, some who have been killed by Russian forces. But a Russian missile struck a top printing plant.

Bookstores have come under attack in Ukraine. But interest in reading is only growing

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The political evolution of J.D. Vance

Trump's pick for Vice President, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) arrives on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

The political evolution of J.D. Vance

When President Biden heard that Donald Trump had picked J.D. Vance to be his running mate, he called the Ohio senator "a clone" of Trump. But when Vance first gained national attention, he was one of Trump's loudest critics.

The political evolution of J.D. Vance

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This absorbing debut novel about writing takes its cue from 'Mrs. Dalloway'
Practice, by Rosalind Brown/Macmillan

Review

Book Reviews

This absorbing debut novel about writing takes its cue from 'Mrs. Dalloway'

Rosalind Brown's debut novel, Practice, centers on an undergraduate student trying to write an essay on Shakespeare. Along the way, we are treated to the fleeting insights of the the brain at work.

This absorbing debut novel about writing takes its cue from 'Mrs. Dalloway'

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Simmering over summer books
Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Review

It's Been a Minute

Simmering over summer books

We're at the peak of summer, which means sunny days on the grass with a good book! Bestselling authors Tia Williams and Jean Chen Ho join host Brittany Luse to give their recommendations for great summer reads. They also offer some armchair theories on why we love a gossipy summer novel.

Simmering over summer books

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The Sunday Story: The love that shaped Whoopi Goldberg
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Festiva

Up First

The Sunday Story: The love that shaped Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is an icon of entertainment. She's played many roles in Hollywood, and she has perhaps been most inspirational for the way she has shown up as herself. But before the acclaim, Whoopi Goldberg was known as Caryn Johnson and in her own words, "A little bit different.. and out there."

The Sunday Story: The love that shaped Whoopi Goldberg

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Nikki Giovanni doesn't think about her legacy. But here's a moment she felt proud

Nikki Giovanni on Wild Card Michael Loccisano/Getty hide caption

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Michael Loccisano/Getty

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

Nikki Giovanni doesn't think about her legacy. But here's a moment she felt proud

At 81, Nikki Giovanni isn't afraid of getting older. And the legendary poet also isn't spending any time thinking about her legacy. She's mostly focused on having fun and being able to look back on her life and feel like she did her duty. She talks to Rachel about the myth of a happy family, what she's learned on safaris and why she's fascinated with Mars.

Nikki Giovanni doesn't think about her legacy. But here's a moment she felt proud

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Cory Richards

Self-portrait after the avalanche, first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II, Karakorum Himalaya, Pakistan, Feb. 4, 2011. Cory Richards hide caption

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Cory Richards

Author Interviews

This photographer nearly died mountain climbing. His memoir details the mental toll

Former National Geographic photographer details his struggles with mental health while climbing the world’s mountains

In 'The Color of Everything," photographer shares how being bipolar shaped his life

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Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

Grammy award-winning soul singer Mavis Staples Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

This week, the legendary singer and civil rights figure Mavis Staples is turning 85 and there's no sign of her slowing down: She released a new song, "Worthy," and a children's book, Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples.

Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer shares her leadership philosophy in her new book.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer shares her leadership philosophy in her new book, True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between. Simon and Schuster hide caption

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Simon and Schuster

Politics

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has “complete confidence” in Biden’s candidacy

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer about her new book True Gretch: What I've Learned About Life, Leadership and Everything in Between.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has 'complete confidence' in Biden’s candidacy

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Jill Ciment met her husband Arnold Mesches when she was his teenage art student.

Jill Ciment met her husband Arnold Mesches when she was his teenage art student. Random House/Random House hide caption

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Random House/Random House

Author Interviews

She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship

Ciment met her husband in the 1970s. At the time of their first kiss, he was a married father of two; she was his art student. In her memoir Consent she reconsiders the origin story of their marriage.

She was 17. He was 47. #MeToo changed how she thinks of their relationship

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