Carrie Kahn

The region drained by the Amazon River, including the Amazon Rainforest, is in the second year of a punishing drought. That has lead to the lowest water levels in more than 100 years for the Amazon and its major tributaries. Millions of people and an array of wildlife depend on those quickly disappearing waters. In a story we first brought you in October, we travel to the region to see the effects.

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Brazil has the biggest— and many say the best— team of surfers heading to the Olympics in Paris. Brazilian surfers are leading competitions and winning fans over in this soccer dominated country.

Israeli Jews prepare to celebrate Passover — the holiday which marks freedom from bondage — with more than 100 captives still in Gaza.

Israel's government is weighing its next steps following the weekend attack by Iran. And in Gaza, there are signs of increased food reaching the north following intense U.S. pressure on Israel.

With support from U.S. forces, Israel's defense systems took down hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles that were launched in what President Biden called "an unprecedented attack."

The number of trucks delivering food and other humanitarian aid to Gaza has surged in the past 24 hours. Distribution remains a difficult challenge.

Cease-fire talks in Egypt have failed to yield a new pause in fighting. Israel has withdrawn a significant number of troops from Gaza, and allowed in some humanitarian aid.

Fallout continues over the Israeli airstrike on a convoy of World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza, killing seven. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized.

Protesters in Israel have staged the largest demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the war began almost six months ago. They called for a ceasefire and for him to step down.

The Palestinian Authority president has announced a newly revamped cabinet, but there is widespread skepticism that it will bring about meaningful reform — or govern Gaza's reconstruction.

The Jewish carnival holiday of Purim, marking the story of the Book of Esther, carries special resonance this year. A look at the celebration in wartime Israel.

The indicted former president of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro is rallying supporters as his legal troubles grow. Tens of thousands of his backers filled blocks of a major boulevard in São Paulo Sunday.

It's carnival time in Rio. Exuberant, nightmarish carnival clowns known as the "bate-bolas" take over the streets of the some of the most marginalized neighborhoods in the city.

Rulings by a Supreme Court justice have drawn criticism and skepticism of Brazil's anticorruption promises. He threw out years of evidence and suspended billions of dollars from corruption cases.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been implicated in a federal police investigation targeting a "criminal organization involved in the attempted coup" last January.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been given 24 hours to hand in his passport. Some of his closest advisors have been targeted in a police investigation into an alleged coup attempt.

The death toll from raging forest fires in Chile has risen to at least 122, doubling in the past 24 hours. Some 300 people remain missing.

The U.S. says it is reviewing its sanctions policy against Venezuela as the country's high court blocks the presidential candidacy of a leading opposition politician.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and claims almost daily they are winning the war. Are they? What has Israel's military achieved and can they defeat Hamas militarily?

From NPR's Books We Love list, our staff recommends the cookbooks "Ed Mitchell's Barbeque," "Invitation to a Banquet," "The Secret of Cooking," "The Migrant Chef," and "Asada."