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A version of this story was originally published on Jan. 8, 2025. It has been updated to reflect the wildfires currently bringing smoke to the U.S. Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota prompted more air quality alerts Friday in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S., as well as in the Upper Midwest. Michigan saw a statewide air quality advisory on Wednesday, and Minnesota's air quality reached the hazardous "purple" alert level.

George Orwell famously wrote that it takes a constant struggle to see what's in front of one's nose. That may be truer than ever. These days we barely register things that 20 years ago would've seemed downright bizarre — like people staring down at their phones in busy crosswalks. The unnatural comes to seem natural. Until it doesn't. This has happened with the proliferation of data centers all over America.

Updated July 17, 2026 at 10:13 AM CDT A version of this story was originally published on Jan. 10, 2025. It has been updated to reflect the wildfires currently bringing smoke to the U.S. Interest in air filters and purifiers is spiking as wildfire smoke spreads, including questions about how to build a homemade air purifier.

Sign up for the Planet Money newsletter. The world is confusing. Economics can help. KENOSHA, Wis. — People are holding on to their vehicles longer these days, so spending on car repairs is on the rise. That's good news for Snap-on. The company has been making high-end tools for auto mechanics for over a century. "Vehicle repair is one of the great businesses," says CEO Nick Pinchuk. "Everybody's got to get their vehicles repaired.

For new discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines, follow NPR's Short Wave podcast. In the city of Mashhad in northeast Iran, there's a natural history museum associated with local Ferdowsi University that gets all manner of donations, including animals that died in the road and injured birds. With all these specimens pouring in, the research team quickly ran out of space.

English writer Jem Calder's debut novel, I Want You To Be Happy, reports from the frontlines of modern-day dating. His book is good – but the news is not. A man in his mid-30s who recently broke off his engagement with his longtime girlfriend meets a young woman at a crowded London bar. He's a copywriter, she's a 23-year-old barista. Despite his intention not to talk about his breakup, he finds himself "shouting specific details directly in her ear." "Pretty intense," she yells back. He apologizes.

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani security forces raided multiple militant hideouts in the country's northwest region, killing Pakistani Taliban and seizing a cache of weapons, the military and local officials said. The military said Friday it used intelligence sources to target militants in operations carried out over the previous day that killed 24 members of the outlawed Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatist groups.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration advise consumers to avoid eating shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Health officials analyzed 190 cases of cyclospora in Michigan where a person who fell ill reported eating at Taco Bell. Officials found that 90% of those people said they ate iceberg lettuce.

This weekend, Waco Independent Film Festival – or Waco Indie – is celebrating its tenth year running with its biggest festival yet! The festival is taking over downtown Waco, with four film venues, nightly parties and almost 140 short and feature length films. The celebrations kicked off Thursday night with the red carpet and continue through Sunday. As media partners for the festival, we’re celebrating by bringing you a taste of some of the films you might get to see this weekend.

In late June, shortly after the United States and Iran agreed on a ceasefire, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced an operation to move trapped ships and more than 11,000 seafarers out of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic international waterway has been effectively closed by the Iranian regime since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February.