A new podcast explores the history of the Texas Rangers

An intense winter storm finally passed through Texas on Thursday, but residents will feel the impact of the storm for more time. The storm led to power outages in hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. The weather in the state is part of a major ice storm hitting the...

When Texas and Arizona's Republican governors began busing immigrants out of their states last year, they said it was in protest of Democrats' federal immigration policies. At the time, some Democrats railed against the practice, especially when migrants were misled about where they were going. Now, NPR's Laura Benshoff reports on why some Democrats have now also adopted busing too.

Connecticut lawmakers are frustrated after the Army again rebuffed repeated requests for a briefing about how it decided against Sikorsky for its future long-range assault aircraft contract. Members of the state’s congressional delegation say they have received only vague answers about why the proposal from Texas-based Textron Inc.’s Bell was...

A case before a federal judge in Texas could dramatically alter abortion access in the United States – at least as much, some experts say, as the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision last year, which overturned decades of abortion-rights precedent. A decision is expected...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A revised curriculum for a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies downplays some components that drew criticism from conservatives including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had threatened to ban the class in his state. In the official framework made public on Wednesday,...

The number of human-bear conflicts in Connecticut skyrocketed last year. A 10 year-old boy was injured in October after being attacked by a black bear in a backyard in western Connecticut. Meanwhile, officials reported 67 home break-ins statewide in 2022, a record number that wildly outpaces annual numbers from the previous five years.

Let's turn now to the backlash the College Board is facing over its new AP course in African American studies. The College Board oversees the SAT and the AP, the Advanced Placement program. And this week, it released a revised curriculum for the African American studies class. Critics have said a pilot of the program that launched last year included certain themes, certain authors. They note the updated framework has removed some of them. And the timing of the College Board's press release unveiling the updated framework happened to come after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis threatened to ban the course, saying it was, quote, "indoctrinating" students. Well, the College Board is defending the changes.

Trekking along the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake — the largest remaining saltwater lake in the western hemisphere — can feel eerie and lonely. "These might even be my footprints from last week," says Carly Biedul, pointing to indents in the mud. Biedul is a biologist with the Great Salt Lake Institute. She's bundled up in an orange puffy jacket, gloves and hat. Most important she's wearing thick, sturdy, rubber boots.

SOCORRO DIAZ: (Speaking Spanish). ROMERO: When Diaz arrived, she found the house full of ash. After days of handling and breathing in the residue without a proper mask or gloves, she says her skin itched. Her head hurt. Her nose bled. DIAZ: (Speaking Spanish). ROMERO: Diaz says she doesn't fault...

The U.S. State Department says Secretary Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to Beijing amid concerns about a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over U.S. airspace. The Pentagon said Thursday it had "very high confidence" that the high-altitude surveillance balloon came from China and is being used to collect information from sensitive sites.

A shot of cold weather is expected to hit Connecticut Friday and Saturday with wind chills falling well below zero. Temperatures are expected to drop late Thursday and persist through Friday and Saturday. Evening temperatures could reach the single digits or lower. The National Weather Service (NWS) said wind chills...

When Heather Rowan gave birth to her son, Theodore, she and her husband were eager to take advantage of a new state program that provides paid time off for parents. Rowan, a social worker from Putnam, says she brought a folder of paid leave materials to the hospital the day she was induced so that she could get their applications in right after Theodore was born.

Residents at the Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center were left in their beds for hours without trips to the bathroom or diaper changes and received food late and cold, while nursing aides reported having as many as 20 residents to care for during some shifts, according to an inspection report released by the state.

A federal district court judge in Connecticut ruled this week that the Biden administration must stop the enforcement of a Trump-era rule that terminated Medicaid benefits for some enrollees on the health program for low-income and disabled individuals. Judge Michael Shea issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that the U.S. Department...

A bill has been proposed in the Connecticut legislature that would allow immigrants, both documented and undocumented, the right to vote in municipal and state elections. The proposal, H.J. No. 12, suggests amending the Connecticut Constitution to grant voting rights to the estimated 240,000 immigrants currently living in the state, of which roughly 120,000 are undocumented immigrants.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be the first Cabinet secretary in the Biden Administration to visit China. His trip this weekend comes as tensions between the U.S. and China continue to boil.

Lawmakers drank thick milkshakes brought to them by the Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association as they listened to farmers, ranchers and community leaders from around the state talk about their needs and wants for the 2023 farm bill. The Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg served as the perfect curtain opener for House...

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, was named the top Democrat of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday as members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation take on familiar committee and leadership roles — this time in a newly divided Congress. The biggest difference for the delegation...