NPR is reporting that California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of online child safety bills that include some of the strongest protections in the United States. It said Iran-backed Houthi fighters gained ground in Yemen, raising concerns about higher oil and gas prices, and that Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman returned to the big screen in "Practical Magic 2."
NPR said its "Whatever happened to..." series, launched in 2018, follows up on past stories each year in late August and early September. This year's installments examined whether Taliban punishment threats against women are being carried out in 2026, whether contaminated syringes remain a problem in a Pakistani region nearly a decade after an HIV outbreak among children, and whether efforts to end child marriage in the U.S. and elsewhere have made progress. It said many follow-ups were sobering, while one on kindness toward strangers drew reader responses showing kindness is alive and well.
NPR is reporting that the escalating trade war between the U.S. and Canada is disrupting automotive supply chains, raising costs and causing delays. It said auto parts often cross the border several times during production, and new tariffs are complicating that system. Those added costs could eventually reach car buyers.
NPR said election officials are preparing for possible disruptions during the midterms. One official who did not have permission to speak publicly told NPR that statewide training sessions have included scenarios in which law enforcement seeks to seize ballots or election materials before results are certified. NPR said such a seizure could complicate ballot tracking and chain of custody, though legal experts say the scenario is unlikely because a judge would have to approve it.
NPR is reporting that the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is disproportionately impacting children, whose immune systems are less developed. It said children have made up 1 in 4 confirmed cases in this outbreak but represent 1 in 3 overall deaths. The region's healthcare system is already struggling to treat children suffering from malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and measles, and NPR said ongoing conflict, affected by cuts to foreign aid, has disrupted routine vaccinations and other essential assistance.
NPR also said its "Throughline" podcast released an episode on renewed interest in Luddites amid the rise of AI, examining what the 19th-century rebellion can teach about technology and human agency.