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In February, ahead of the Texas statewide primary, Carlos Vanegas at the Harris County Elections Office in Houston pushes a cart with mail-in ballots to be sent to voters. The county ultimately rejected thousands of the mail ballots it received back. Scott Dalton for NPR hide caption

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Scott Dalton for NPR

Almost 25,000 mail-in ballots were rejected in Texas for its March 1 primary election

KUT 90.5

More than 12% of mail ballots were rejected for the primary. That's a far higher rejection rate than in previous contests.

In Severance, Adam Scott plays a man who gets a chip inserted in his brain in order to separate his work life from his home life. The series was recently renewed for a second season; the season finale of its first season airs April 8. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

For 'Severance' star Adam Scott, there's no separation between work and home

Fresh Air

In the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama, Scott plays a man who has a chip implanted in his brain that allows him to sever his work and home lives. In reality, Scott says, it's not so easy to separate the two.

For 'Severance' star Adam Scott, there's no separation between work and home

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Then-White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino delivers a recorded address for the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020, in the empty Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The House approves criminal contempt referrals for 2 Trump aides over the Jan. 6 attack

The House voted to hold former Trump White House advisers Dan Scavino Jr. and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress and refer the matter to the Justice Department for possible prosecution

Internally displaced people arrive at a center in Zaporizhzhia, northwest of Mariupol, on Wednesday. Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

Today in the Russia-Ukraine war: Russia leaves the north and hundreds evacuate from Mariupol

All Russian ground forces have left the areas near Kyiv, Kharkiv and Chernihiv, and Ukrainians are the landmines Russians planted near the cities. More than 500 people were evacuated from Mariupol after days of failed attempts. See those and more of the day's top news.

Emily Wales, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, speaks to a group of abortion rights advocates outside the state Capitol in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The Oklahoma House gave final legislative approval to a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony. Sean Murphy/AP hide caption

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Sean Murphy/AP

Oklahoma's vote to ban most abortions comes at a key moment for reproductive rights

It's the latest conservative legislature to approve a new restriction on abortion, as the country awaits a Supreme Court decision that could upend Roe v. Wade.

A pop-up clinic inside Los Angeles International Airport offered free vaccinations and boosters for holiday travelers last December. A new round of vaccinations may be needed before next winter. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Advisers to FDA weigh in on updated COVID boosters for the fall

The vaccines now in use are based on the form of the virus that circulated at the beginning of the pandemic and are less effective against the omicron variant. New options are in the works.

Advisers to FDA weigh in on updated COVID boosters for the fall

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) listens during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Building on April 05, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A clash over immigration policy derails a Senate COVID aid bill

Senate Republicans, with the support of some Democrats, want to use the $10 billion spending bill to block the expiration of a policy that has made it easier to deport migrants during the pandemic.

Activists hold Ukrainian flags as they protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a rally at Lafayette Square, across from the White House, in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25. New U.S. sanctions Sanctions are being enacted on top Russian officials and family members, including President Vladimir Putin's adult children. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

New U.S. sanctions target Russia's largest banks and Putin's children

The U.S. joined the European Union and Group of Seven nations in enacting new sanctions on Russia in response to the civilian toll reported in Bucha and elsewhere in Ukraine in recent days.

Graphic novelist George O'Connor treats the Olympians as both a family and as distinct gods and goddesses, each with their own personality. Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / First Second hide caption

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Macmillan Children's Publishing Group / First Second

An author creates graphic novels about Greek gods that don't talk down to kids

George O'Connor spent 12 years turning the Greek gods into best-selling graphic novels for kids. They're faithful to the ancient myths — which often include gender fluidity.

Graphic novels about Greek gods that don't talk down to kids

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U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona delivers remarks in Washington, D.C., in January. The department has extended the freeze on federal student loan payments several times since the pandemic began in March 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The student loan pause has been extended until the end of the summer

The Biden administration extended the freeze on student loan payments yet again, this time until September, and announced a reset for borrowers in default.

Pieter Van Ry, director of the South Platte Renew wastewater treatment facility in Englewood, Colo., stands surrounded by solid-waste separators. Hart Van Denburg/Colorado Public Radio hide caption

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Hart Van Denburg/Colorado Public Radio

Colorado moves toward statewide wastewater surveillance, a powerful public health tool

With 60% of the state's population already covered by wastewater testing, Colorado is aiming to be a sentinel of coming contagion — not just of COVID surges, but of other types of diseases, too.

Colorado is moving toward statewide coverage of wastewater surveillance

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An American crime reporter (Ansel Elgort) allies himself with a frustrated police detective (Ken Watanabe) in the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice. HBO Max hide caption

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HBO Max

'Tokyo Vice' offers a stylized tour of Japan's criminal underworld

Fresh Air

HBO's new eight-part series follows an American crime reporter who intends to take Japanese journalism by storm — but first must learn how to navigate the churning opacity of 1990s Tokyo.

'Tokyo Vice' offers a stylized tour of Japan's criminal underworld

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Rily Hughlett Andi Rice hide caption

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Andi Rice

Struggling Democrats hope growing union support will provide boost in midterms

With support for unions at its highest point since 1965, Democrats hope they can capitalize on that sentiment as they struggle to connect with voters on other issues.

Struggling Democrats hope growing union support will provide boost in midterms

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Despite multiple court orders, their landlord, Douglas Ritter, refuses to restore water service to the apartment where Angel Garcia (above) and his family live. Ritter padlocked the entrance to the basement to prevent anyone from restoring water. He believes his rights to eviction are being denied. Jillian Forstadt/WSKG hide caption

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Jillian Forstadt/WSKG

NY landlords can't evict while tenants wait for aid; some try other ways to clear property

WSKG Radio

Angel Garcia's family, with seven children under age 10, faces eviction.

NY landlords can't evict while tenants wait for aid; some try other ways to clear property

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Maurice Miller lies in bed in his room at a nursing home in Takoma Park, Md., on Thursday. The Biden administration is planning to establish a federal minimum staffing requirement for nursing homes as part of a broader push to improve care for seniors and people with disabilities. Eric Lee for NPR hide caption

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Eric Lee for NPR

Nursing home residents suffer from staffing shortages, but the jobs are hard to fill

To address the problem of poor care, President Biden is calling for a federal minimum staffing requirement in nursing homes. The nursing home industry says there aren't workers to fill the jobs.

Nursing home residents suffer from staffing shortages, but the jobs are hard to fill

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In this photo taken from video footage released by the Roscosmos Space Agency, three Russian cosmonauts sport yellow spacesuits upon arriving on the International Space Station. A NASA astronaut now says it was not in support for Ukraine, but for the Russians' university school colors. Roscosmos/AP hide caption

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Roscosmos/AP

No, Russian cosmonauts were not making a pro-Ukraine statement with their spacesuits

Mark Vande Hei, a NASA astronaut who returned to Earth on March 30, said the yellow and blue colors were from the university the Russian cosmonauts attended.

El Peso Hero saves civilians in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol in a special edition of Héctor Rodríguez's self-published comic book series. The 18-page issue is free, with text in English, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian. Héctor Rodríguez hide caption

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Héctor Rodríguez

A Mexican American superhero saves Ukrainian civilians in a comic book issue

Fed up with Mexico's non-interventionist policy after Russia invaded Ukraine, Héctor Rodríguez sends his Mexican American superhero to Mariupol in the latest issue of the series.

Mexican American superhero saves Ukrainian civilians in comic book issue

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People who fled the war in Ukraine and members of the Ukrainian diaspora pray in an Orthodox church in Krakow on Sunday. Omar Marques/Getty Images hide caption

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Omar Marques/Getty Images

Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, strains to accommodate Ukrainian refugees

More than 150,000 displaced Ukrainians now live in Krakow, increasing the population by 20% in just a few weeks. Now the city is helping them find long-term housing, jobs and spots in schools.

Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, strains to accommodate Ukrainian refugees

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Shelter animals are also suffering the consequences of the war in Ukraine. This week, volunteers at a shelter outside Kyiv, the capital, found more than 250 malnourished dogs that had survived weeks without food or water but also more than 300 that had starved to death. Rodrigo Abd/AP hide caption

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Rodrigo Abd/AP

More than 300 dogs die of hunger and thirst in a Ukraine shelter

Workers were forced to abandon the shelter for weeks as Kyiv was bombarded by Russian troops. Now that the occupying forces are gone, volunteers returned to find hundreds of dead dogs.

Neighborhoods are separated by barriers as part of lockdown measures in Shanghai to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images

Voices from Shanghai: The trials of living through a massive COVID lockdown

China's lockdown and quarantine policy is testing the limits of the city of 26 million. Parents were separated from kids. And there's not enough staff for the elderly residents of care centers.

Suzanne and Jim Rybak, inside the craft room where their son, Jameson, would encourage Suzanne to make colorful beach bags, received a $4,928 medical bill months after it was supposedly resolved. By Gavin McIntyre/Kaiser Health News hide caption

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By Gavin McIntyre/Kaiser Health News

Never-ending costs: When resolved medical bills keep popping up

Kaiser Health News

A family received a $4,928 bill that was settled with the health system 18 months earlier, resurrecting painful memories. Hospital billing experts say this distressing scenario occurs frequently.

A Red/Blue Workshop in La Grange, Texas, was put on by volunteers with the nonprofit Braver Angels, which stages encounters and debates all over the country as a way to reduce political polarization. John Burnett/NPR hide caption

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John Burnett/NPR

Red/Blue Workshops try to bridge the political divide. Do they really work?

More and more nonprofits are bringing Americans with opposing political views together for civil discussions on divisive issues. Critics question whether these encounters produce lasting results.

Left to right: Derrick Palmer and Chris Smalls Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images;Craig Ruttle/AP hide caption

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Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images;Craig Ruttle/AP

Chris Smalls started Amazon's 1st union. He's now heard from workers at 50 warehouses

The Amazon Labor Union was born Friday after an improbable victory for Chris Smalls over Amazon. Smalls and his friend Derrick Palmer spoke to NPR on Twitter Spaces.

Chris Smalls started Amazon's 1st union. He's now heard from workers at 50 warehouses

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To study emotions in animals, scientists need to look beneath feelings to the brain states that produce certain behaviors. Fran Laurendeau/RooM RF/Getty Images hide caption

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Fran Laurendeau/RooM RF/Getty Images

In jumpy flies and fiery mice, scientists see the roots of human emotions

Scientists are trying to understand PTSD and other human disorders by studying emotion-related brain circuits in animals, which research suggests may have a lot in common with the human brain.

In jumpy flies and fiery mice, scientists see the roots of human emotions

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