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At some point in our World Cup travels, as NPR journeyed from city to city talking to fans and watching games, producer Liz Baker pointed out a detail I'd missed: the beautiful, intricate soccer-themed designs on many of the women's manicures. This is how we ended up asking photographers to capture the gorgeous fingertips and fashions of the tournament.

WASHINGTON — Poor air quality persisted in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states on Saturday, as smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Minnesota and Canada continued to spread and envelop skylines. The National Weather Service (NWS) said heavy rain and storms could help clear the air in the northeast and mid-Atlantic this weekend, while dangerous levels of air pollution will still hang over the Midwest.

Two U.S. service members were killed, one is missing and four others were medically evacuated after Iranian attacks on in Jordan on Friday, according to the U.S. military. The four American service members who were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals have since been discharged, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post on Saturday.

In Montgomery County, overall property values are up. According to Auditory Karl Keith, they’ve gone from $39 billion to nearly $46 billion, or a nearly $7 billion increase to the county's total real estate value. These changes come after the county's 2026 property reappraisal affecting more than 260,000 property owners. A reappraisal is a state-mandated update of all property values. Keith also emphasized property taxes will not increase at the same rate as property value.

The word "courageous" has been fixed to Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's name ever since Jan. 15, 2009. That's when the US Airways captain steered Flight 1549 to a safe water landing on the frigid Hudson River, with both engines shut down from a bird strike — shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport. All 155 people on board survived to tell the story for the rest of their lives.

The U.S. has been at war for more than 20 of the past 25 years in three major conflicts all in the same region. First, Afghanistan, then Iraq, now Iran. U.S. presidents said overwhelming American miliary firepower would decide all these wars swiftly. Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. military needed just weeks to oust the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 and President Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003.

It's a hearty breakfast favorite in the South American country - Tigrillo. And its main ingredient is Ecuador's huge green plantain. The dish is full of flavor, energy and keeps you full for hours! Copyright 2026 NPR

In Portland, Ore., two nature aficionados have combined their love of the outdoors with their love of drag, providing guided walks in a local park that include all the sparkle and pizzazz of a drag show. Copyright 2026 NPR

As rainfall saturates Texas this week, Lorena Guillen reflects on the year it has been since she and her husband tried to save a family from their RV park in the massive Hill Country floods last year. Copyright 2026 NPR

They do things a little differently in Nebraska. They're the only state in the union with a unicameral legislature — meaning they have just one chamber. They eat chili with cinnamon rolls. And they have a unique way of supporting cultural programming — thanks in part to Johnny Carson. The late, famed talk show host grew up and attended college in the Cornhusker State, and went on to become one of Nebraska's most loyal philanthropists. "Johnny wrote a check for half a million dollars.