PRI: Latest Stories

Public anxiety is growing over the United Kingdom's National Health Service — a national institution that guarantees tax-funded medical care to anyone in the UK. But parts of the NHS have begun to erode in the last decade — and there are concerns about US involvement in the system.

US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron underlined sharp discord among NATO members ahead of the alliance's 70th anniversary celebrations. But despite the clashes, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Karen Pierce says NATO is here to stay.

In the aftermath of protests in Iran, authorities acknowledged that protesters were shot dead. Marco Werman speaks with the deputy director at the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Omid Memarian, about the situation in the country.

America faces a shortage of early childhood teachers. One program in Portland, Oregon, is trying to address it while helping immigrants overcome challenges in moving up the workforce.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which dates back to 1949, is celebrating its 70th anniversary as leaders gather in London this week. But French President Emmanuel Macron recently warned that NATO was "experiencing brain death." The World speaks with ambassadors Gerard Araud and Ivo Daalder about Macron's comments and the future of the alliance.

Recent research estimates that as much as a credit card’s worth of plastic makes its way into our bodies each week. A new bill aims to drastically reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the nation’s waste stream.

TikTok blamed the removal of the video on a “human moderation error.” But the ordeal has reignited concerns that the Chinese-owned, short video app is censoring US-generated content to appease Beijing.

The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, isn’t just keen to see members of the Trump administration squirm. The impeachment drama presents a golden opportunity to portray the United States as a nation tearing itself apart — while China, so the narrative goes, is a bastion of harmony and stability. But what might the Chinese politburo say about Trump’s impeachment inquiry behind closed doors?

How “Penelope Ashe” pulled off the biggest literary caper of the century.

Cheesy? Or best Christmas movie ever?

The director talks about the influences on her trippy new film, “Knives and Skin.”

Opponents of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline say it threatens waterways and wildlife habitats along its route. Last month's spill from the original Keystone pipeline just helped them make their case.

Many Republicans say a "black ledger" acquired by Sergii Leshchenko is a forgery and that it was publicly released to link President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, to corruption in Ukraine.

Wynton Marsalis and the evolution of the swing rhythm, but with a classical twist.

Women over 65 in France make up about a quarter of all victims of femicide, but they are largely left out of the conversation, or their deaths are being misclassified.

Former Hong Kong politician Emily Lau explained the impact of Hong Kong's recent district council elections that were overwhelmingly won by pro-democracy candidates.

The Trump administration reportedly wants $5 billion per year to cover the cost of US forces in South Korea. That's more than five times more than what it currently pays.

Robbie Robertson considers himself a storyteller. He says he learned that at the Six Nations Indian Reserve. "I witnessed elders who told stories that just went right deep into my soul," Robertson said.

Earth’s rainforests are astonishingly biodiverse ecosystems that can drive the climates of faraway continents, but they’re disappearing in the name of the kind of economic development that values rainforests more when logged, mined, or turned into farmland. A new book argues that the world’s rainforests are most valuable when kept intact.

Why the MacArthur “genius” grant-winning cartoonist found deliverance in a much derided comic strip.

Setting the record straight on Willa Cather’s misunderstood 1918 masterpiece.

The House Intelligence Committee heard testimony from Fiona Hill and David Holmes.

For the first time, The World Health Organization is including a section on traditional Chinese medicine in its upcoming guide for diagnosing and classifying diseases.

Currently, about a dozen small, mostly rural carriers rely on this Chinese equipment to deliver internet, phone and other services to customers.

One of the most celebrated cinematographers working today on beauty, night shoots and why he holds his own camera.

A century of fire suppression has turned much of the West into a tinderbox. Prescribed fire could help bring nature back into balance, but it’s currently far more common in the Southeastern US than in the West, where it’s sorely needed.

The children have been unable to speak to their parents in China. No one knows when — or if — the families will be reunited.

Sondland described broad involvement at the upper levels of the Trump administration in a pressure campaign against Ukraine.

Former US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, spoke with Marco Werman about the US' decision to recognize Israeli settlements in the West Bank as legal. He explains the ramifications this decision could have for peace in the region.

The US and China don’t have the best relationship right now. Could panda diplomacy be why Bei Bei the panda is leaving the National Zoo?

This is the show that changed the Broadway musical — and how New York City sees itself.

One Uighur activist living in Virginia started speaking out to protest his mother's detainment in a Chinese "re-education camp." Now, he's calling on the US to do more to protect other Uighurs in China.

Nicholas Christakis, a doctor, sociologist and author of “Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society,” explains the science behind humans' ability to work together and problem-solve within a community.

In the second day of televised impeachment hearings, one former diplomat says it's been distressing to watch the testimony of Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly removed from her post as US ambassador to Ukraine earlier this year.

Under President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s ascendant religious right is winning a war over sexual health information — and sexual health educators find themselves increasingly marginalized.

The impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump moved to open hearings Wednesday. The central issue in the inquiry is what responsibility the president may carry for abandoning public duty in favor of private interests.

The Turkish president has managed to navigate a threatened political crisis with the US. Turkish historian and writer Soner Cagaptay says it's because he's a masterful tactician.

When Kinari Webb first visited Borneo’s Gunung Palung National Park in the 1990s as a student, the rainforest was being deforested at a frightening rate. Webb went on to found the nonprofit, Health in Harmony, which aims to keep the forest healthy by keeping people healthy.

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments that will determine the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The World explores which way the justices could rule — and what the outcomes could mean for DACA recipients.

As the Supreme Court hears arguments around the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, some DACA recipients are not waiting to see how the justices will rule. One woman moved to Canada in search of stability.

Under the terms of an executive order, refugees may not be able to keep arriving without affirmative consent from cities and states.

Plastic has long been made from oil, but today it’s increasingly made from ethane, a component of natural gas. To turn ethane into the building block of plastic, petrochemical companies are investing in ethane cracker plants, raising concerns about what these facilities could mean for air pollution and climate change.

Why have so many attempts to reform our market-driven health care system failed, and how might that history inform us about the challenges that lie ahead?

Russ Mantle has achieved a milestone by riding 1 million miles in 68 years.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was a historic moment for East Germans, with a "before" and "after" that resonates 30 years later. The World’s Carol Hills asked three former East Germans to recall how it all went down.

Security experts say election infrastructure in the US could be vulnerable to the types of hacking operations that took place in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

Muslim American candidates across the country are celebrating wins in races for city councils, school boards and state legislatures — a few in traditionally Republican areas. But the candidates often pay a price.

Indigenous protesters in Chile took down statues of Spanish colonizers and other heroes during demonstrations last week. Local media called the destruction acts of vandalism, but the Mapuche, the largest Indigenous group in Chile, are demanding more political autonomy and representation.

Since October, hundreds of young protesters have taken to the streets in Baghdad, as well as a few other cities in Iraq. They are asking for an overhaul of the government and accusing ruling elites of corruption and being out of touch with the public.