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DAMASCUS, Syria - A Syrian court sentenced ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad along with his younger brother to death in absentia on Tuesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria's 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead. The sentences at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus are the first against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family's five decades in power came to an end 20 months ago.

Nadia Gramby cherishes quiet moments with her baby girl River Emmanuel, who's starting to talk. They exchange snuggles and baby coos each morning. "Did you sleep well last night?" Gramby asks her little girl, who has dark curls and a big smile. Besides being a mother of two and a wife, Gramby spends her days and many nights as a midwife caring for other moms and babies across Alabama where she lives and practices.

On a recent sunny day at a neighborhood park in Washington, D.C., dozens of people stretched out on blankets, laughing and picnicking with friends. Dogs happily rolled in the grass. A young dad played catch with a kid. And a line of four National Guard members in full uniform, each armed with a handgun, walked single file through the scene. The troops paused at a corner and formed a circle facing outward, each looking in a different direction.

Minnesota and Wisconsin hold primary elections Tuesday that will determine how Democrats define themselves heading into the November midterm elections. Wisconsin is a swing state in presidential elections and Minnesota has been a stronghold for Democrats over the last two decades. Journalists from across the NPR Network in Minnesota and Wisconsin are covering the races in their communities. Here's what we are watching.

During this year's Days Between - from Aug. 1 to 9 - NPR Music published a series of stories about what keeps drawing people to the Grateful Dead and how they plan to carry the band's legacy forward. These responses have been edited for length and clarity. Being a Grateful Dead fan has always been about a shared experience. And yet the reasons people become fans are as different as the number of people you ask. So people to share their stories of how they became Deadheads.

HOPE HULL, Ala. -- Willie Dixon and Mary Gatson are sitting in the fellowship hall of Beulah Primitive Baptist Church in Lowndes County awaiting a Congressional town hall, and discussing the last-minute changes to Alabama's voting landscape. "Create enough chaos, and people will give up and go home," Dixon predicted. Voters in parts of Alabama will head to the polls today for the second time this primary season.

Catch up on what you missed with our Education newsletter, sent weekly. This year brings a new challenge for Armaghan Khan and many other teachers in the nation's second-largest school district: Ban screen time for younger students, and significantly limit it for older kids. "This is going to be a big impact for me," says Khan, who's spent his career in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

By Available On Air Stations On Air Now Playing KJZZ On Air Now Playing Jazz PHX On Air Now Playing Classical KBACH Some voters in Alabama will be casting ballots for a second time in their congressional primary Tuesday. It's the result of a redistricting effort that followed a Supreme Court ruling. Copyright 2026 NPR NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott can be heard telling stories from her native South. A Martínez is one of the hosts of Morning Edition and Up First.

Available On Air Stations On Air Now Playing KJZZ On Air Now Playing Jazz PHX On Air Now Playing Classical KBACH President Trump's deployment of the National Guard hits the one year mark next week. The presence of armed, uniformed troops on the street has become increasingly normalized in the capital. Copyright 2026 NPR Kat Lonsdorf is reporter for NPR, often covering national security and international stories.

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's parliament on Monday approved legislation that would introduce a conditional pardon for thousands of Kurdish militants in a bid to advance the government's peace initiative with their insurgent group. Legislators voted 468-88 in favor of the measure that would only come into effect after Turkish authorities have verified that the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has fully disarmed.