NPR News

People get drinking water from a water collecting point at a slum area, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. World Water Day will be observed on March 22, to aim to highlight the importance of freshwater and advocate for sustainable management of this vital resource.

1 in 4 people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water, the U.N. says

The Associated Press

The U.N. World Water Development Report 2023 painted a stark picture of the huge gap that needs to be filled to meet U.N. goals to ensure all people have access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.

The TikTok Inc. building is seen in Culver City, Calif., on March 17, 2023. TikTok on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, rolled out updated rules and standards for content and users as it faces increasing pressure from Western authorities over concerns that material on the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app could be used to push false information.

TikTok CEO set to tell lawmakers in Washington: ByteDance 'not an agent of China'

Bobby Allyn

The boss of the hit video-sharing app will deliver remarks to lawmakers in Washington on Thursday in an attempt to assuage growing fears about the app's connections to China.

GOOD Meat cultivated chicken fillet cooked in a pot, with asparagus and mushrooms. The dish was created without killing a bird.

FDA gives 2nd safety nod to cultivated meat, produced without slaughtering animals

Allison Aubrey

GOOD Meat, which grows chicken and other meat from animal cells in a production facility, is the second company to cross this hurdle. The move brings no-kill meat closer to sale in the U.S.

Caroline Ouko holds a portrait of her son, Irvo Otieno, as attorney Ben Crump (left) and her older son, Leon Ochieng (right) look on at the Dinwiddie Courthouse in Dinwiddie, Va., on Thursday.

A hospital surveillance video shows Irvo Otieno pinned to the floor before his death

Rachel Treisman

The 28-year-old Black man died at a Virginia mental health facility earlier this month. A grand jury indicted 10 deputies and hospital workers on charges of second-degree murder.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that depositors at small banks could be eligible for the same kind of protection extended to customers at two regional banks that failed this month. Yellen made the remarks at a speech she delivered to the American Bankers Association on March 21, 2023.

Janet Yellen says the U.S. is ready to protect depositors at small banks if required

Scott Horsley

The Treasury Secretary said the administration is committed to protecting the U.S. banking system and customers who trust their money to it.

A group of protesters hold photos of Jeffrey Epstein in front of a New York City federal courthouse in July 2019. A Southern District judge ruled this week that three lawsuits against banks that Epstein used can move forward.

Can banks be sued for profiting from Epstein's sex-trafficking? A judge says yes

Emily Olson

A trio of lawsuits allege that JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank actively enabled Jeffrey Epstein to run a sex-trafficking ring for underage girls. A judge partially denied a motion to dismiss.

An unhoused individual sleeps under an American flag blanket in New York City on Sept. 10, 2013. In 2021, approximately 11% of Americans lived below the federal poverty line.

Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor

Dave Davies

Poverty, by America author Matthew Desmond says if the top 1% of Americans paid the taxes they owed, it would raise $175 billion each year: "That is just about enough to pull everyone out of poverty."

At Monday night's Love Rising event in Nashville, Tenn., artists including Allison Russell, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Joy Oladokun and Amanda Shires, along with drag artists, united against new legislation targeting drag performances and transgender people.

'Where am I going to be free to be who I am?'

Jewly Hight

Due to a new Tennessee law limiting drag performances, many drag artists, as well as trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming musicians, worry about their prospects in Nashville and beyond.

Need a consultant? This book argues hiring one might actually damage your institution

Greg Rosalsky

A new book argues the consulting industry is weakening businesses, harming the government, and distorting the economy.

'Benjamin Banneker and Us' traces generations of descendants of the mathematician

Ericka Taylor

Rachel Jamison Webster learned she is related to Benjamin Banneker at a cousin's wedding. The news was unexpected, not only because of Banneker's place in history but also because the author is white.