About two weeks ago, a council in Sydney’s west voted to ban books about same-sex families. A former mayor and current councillor led the charge, brandishing a book he said his constituents complained about. Though he hadn’t read the book himself, he claimed residents wanted their kids kept safe from “sexualisation." The motion prompted immediate o…

A weekday morning wrap-up of both national and local news stories.由WBUR

The MTA could fall $25 billion short in its next capital spending plan — expected to cost more than $55 billion — and look to fare hikes and service cuts to help make up the difference, if the transit authority doesn’t get the revenue it is counting on from its embattled congestion pricing program, a new state report found. Alfonso A. Castillo repo…

The Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded access to benefits for vets who left the military with other-than-honorable discharges — in particular those kicked out for homosexuality.由Quil Lawrence

Teachers in Saskatchewan have overwhelmingly rejected the government's latest contract offer. Now what? We ask our political panel.

The transitional council could begin cementing a new transitional government, and a multi-national force led by Kenya is expected to deploy into the country in the next couple of weeks.由Leila Fadel

Could president Biden do more? NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Jonah Blank a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and a former foreign policy adviser for Biden when he was in the Senate.由KUOW Staff

Andy Serkis, the actor who portrayed Gollum, the tormented creature obsessed with the One Ring to rule them all, in Lord of the Rings, will reprise the role in two films centered around the character.由KUOW Staff

In 2000, a representative of FC Barcelona was talking with the future star's father. To show the team's commitment, he wrote the contract on a napkin, which could sell for over $600,000.由KUOW Staff

There's a fund that commercial airlines pay into for things such as safety inspections, but commercial space companies don't pay into that fund. (Story aired on All Things Considered on May 9, 2024.)由Wailin Wong

A pier for the delivery of food and other supplies to Gaza is complete and is expected to be installed off the coast of Gaza in the coming days. Aid groups say there are a lot of unanswered questions.由Leila Fadel

Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, tells NPR's Steve Inskeep why he is breaking ranks with many in his party to support Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election.由KUOW Staff