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Sunday

Pelosi confirmed details of her trip to Asia, but did not say if she'll visit Taiwan

A man uses a magnifying glass to read a newspaper headline reporting on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Asia visit, at a stand in Beijing, Sunday, July 31, 2022. Andy Wong/AP hide caption

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Andy Wong/AP

Pelosi confirmed details of her trip to Asia, but did not say if she'll visit Taiwan

The speaker of the House will stop in four Asian countries this week, but made no mention of a possible stop in Taiwan. Rumors she might visit the island democracy has fueled tension with China.

On a stunning Hawaiian mountain, the fight over telescopes is nearing a peaceful end

Mauna Kea is considered sacred to Native Hawaiians. It also happens to be ideal for observatories. Andrew Richard Hara/W. M. Keck Observatory hide caption

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Andrew Richard Hara/W. M. Keck Observatory

National

On a stunning Hawaiian mountain, the fight over telescopes is nearing a peaceful end

Mauna Kea is considered sacred to Native Hawaiians. It also happens to be ideal for space observatories. Now, a long running fight over the mountain's future may be coming to an end.

Meet the Fed, the latest superpower to emerge from Washington's shadows

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee at the headquarters of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday after he announced the Fed was raising interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Meet the Fed, the latest superpower to emerge from Washington's shadows

Few voters may be thinking of Jerome Powell as they go to the polls in November, but all will be coping with economic conditions strongly influenced by Powell's Federal Reserve Board.

Saturday

Biden is still feeling well after testing positive for COVID again, his doctor says

President Biden takes his face mask off on Thursday during a meeting on the U.S. Economy with CEOs and members of his Cabinet in the South Court Auditorium of the White House. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Biden is still feeling well after testing positive for COVID again, his doctor says

A day after the president's physician said Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 again, the doctor said Biden continues to feel well, despite testing positive on Sunday again.

China announces military exercises as Pelosi's possible trip to Taiwan looms

A security guard stands near a sculpture of the Chinese Communist Party flag at the Museum of the Communist Party of China on May 26, 2022, in Beijing. China said it was conducting military exercises Saturday, off its coast opposite Taiwan. Ng Han Guan/AP hide caption

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Ng Han Guan/AP

Asia

China announces military exercises as Pelosi's possible trip to Taiwan looms

China said it was conducting military exercises off its coast after warning U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to scrap possible plans to visit Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

In the first vote of its kind in years, the House wants to revive ban on certain guns

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference Friday. The House has passed legislation to revive a ban on semi-automatic guns. The bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

In the first vote of its kind in years, the House wants to revive ban on certain guns

The legislation is likely to stall in the Senate, and Republicans have dismissed it as an election-year strategy by Democrats.

A teenager's 'I Voted' sticker design hits a nerve, and now everyone wants one

Would earning this sticker motivate you to vote? Hudson Rowan hide caption

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Hudson Rowan

A teenager's 'I Voted' sticker design hits a nerve, and now everyone wants one

When 14-year-old Hudson Rowan drew his spider-robot-humanoid character for an "I Voted" sticker competition, he didn't realize just how far the illustration would travel.

A teenager's 'I Voted' sticker design hits a nerve, and now everyone wants one

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States look to regulate weed alternatives like delta-8 as sales explode

Delta-8 products are set for testing at Virginia Commonwealth University's forensic science lab. These products come in different forms and packaging, many of which are designed to look like candies or cereal. Crixell Matthews/VPM News hide caption

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Crixell Matthews/VPM News

Shots - Health News

States look to regulate weed alternatives like delta-8 as sales explode

VPM News

Delta-8 is a hemp product designed to get users high, but misleading labels or added chemicals have caused people to get sick. And a lack of federal regulation or guidance has states stepping in.

States look to regulate weed alternatives like delta-8 as sales explode

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Friday

Drugs, electric cars, taxes
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Drugs, electric cars, taxes

We assess the Inflation Reduction Act: Will there be unintended consequences from taking on Big Pharma? Will electric vehicles become cheap? And does the tax department need more money?

Drugs, electric cars, taxes

Listen · 9:07
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The Senate passed a bill to help sick veterans. Then 25 Republicans reversed course

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others attend a news conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday, the day after Senate Republicans blocked a procedural vote to advance PACT Act. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

National

The Senate passed a bill to help sick veterans. Then 25 Republicans reversed course

Veterans groups are slamming GOP senators for blocking a bill that would have given health care and benefits to veterans affected by from toxic chemicals and burn pits in wars dating back to Vietnam.

The Senate passed a bill to help sick veterans. Then 25 Republicans reversed course

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The families of Americans who are wrongfully detained are very much done being quiet

Alexandra Forseth (left) and Gabriela Zambrano Hill stand in front of a mural of their father, Alirio Jose Zambrano, at an event hosted by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign in Washington, D.C., on July 20. The State Department says both their father and an uncle, Jose Luis Zambrano, are wrongfully detained in Venezuela. Shuran Huang for NPR hide caption

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Shuran Huang for NPR

The families of Americans who are wrongfully detained are very much done being quiet

For years, families of those held abroad have been warned that speaking out could put their loved ones in greater danger. Today, many see going public as their best card to play.