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Updated August 28, 2026 at 5:32 AM CDT The confirmed death toll has passed 500 people after devastating flash floods that hit the Nepal-Tibet border early Wednesday, sweeping away roads, bridges and entire villages, with more than 1,000 still missing. The U.S. State Department said about 90 Americans are among the people unaccounted for. The State Department said, as of Thursday morning, was not aware of any confirmed deaths of U.S. citizens.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has established a minimum reward of $25,000 in cases where people went missing or were killed in Indian Country, part of a broader effort to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities. The new minimum applies to more than 50 unsolved homicides and missing-person cases in tribal communities. Most of the cases are less than 10 years old, though a dozen have been unsolved for more than two decades, an AP analysis found.

Congress has about six years to shore up the Social Security trust fund, which is expected to run out of reserves by the end of 2032. Enacting a solution is liable to be a significant political battle, likely involving cutting benefits for some Americans or raising taxes on higher earners, or both. And so far, congressional leaders haven't made it a top-tier issue. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno proposed raising the payroll tax for some Americans.

Last year, Sandra Alonso needed a new powered wheelchair to get around her city of Tampa, Fla., after wearing out her old one. So she ordered the same model because she knew she could easily fold it and lift it without anyone's help. "It's just the perfect chair for me," she said. Unfortunately for Alonso, the chair is made in China, and when she bought it last year, tariffs on Chinese goods were a sky-high 145%. She paid an extra $3,500.

The universe is a strange place — filled with exploding stars, ancient galaxies, and unseen worlds. Now, astronomers are about to get a brand new tool to explore it. For new discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines, follow NPR’s Short Wave podcast. The $4.3-billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled for launch Aug. 30.

Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly. Congressional Democrats are preparing for a new kind of midterm challenge: the risk that President Trump will attempt to undermine November's elections by claiming fraud or interfering in the voting process.

Loading... More than a thousand people are missing and at least 400 people are dead after flash flooding tore through Nepal and Tibet early Wednesday. According to initial assessments, a massive chunk of ice snapped off a glacier and tumbled thousands of feet into the valley below. Rock, ice and mud plunged down for miles, washing away communities along the river. Scientists say glaciers in this region, and around the world, are increasingly unstable because of human-caused global warming.

AMMAN, Jordan — The U.S. has announced new economic sanctions aimed at loosening Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz while counting on Middle East oil producers to quickly build new pipelines bypassing the key shipping route. But energy analysts say replacing shipping capacity through new infrastructure anytime soon is unlikely. The result is expected to be continued higher prices for consumers.

The house is unmissable. Its colorful exterior, a painted forest of faces. Latino artists, activists and musicians, suspended mid-motion, grin down at passersby. A spotted jaguar sprawls across the garage door.

Dolly Parton died this week at 80. So did Tim Curry, who's arguably as iconic to fans of a certain movie, also at 80. They say celebrity deaths come in threes …