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George Floyd's murder put Minneapolis in the spotlight. Justin Ellis' new book, 'The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis is the Story of America,' says the city embodies a contradiction - liberal ideals alongside deep racial disparities.

With his latest album U, Baauer aims to inject good vibes into the world. It's a sunny collage of disco, house, breakbeats and more, influenced by the sounds of 2000s dance music.

The 52-foot cowboy has been an icon of the State Fair of Texas since 1952. Today, he met his match — a blaze that left nothing but his hands and skeleton.

A small number of corrupt farmers and insurance agents are scamming the nation's crop insurance system. They're staging crop damage and filing phony claims, to the tune of $160 million last year. Using a bag of cocktail ice and a camera, one tomato-farming couple took the government for millions of dollars.

A new reality TV show aims to promote fashion and understanding between gay men and their straight counterparts. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy features a group of five gay men, experts in food, fashion and culture, who come to the rescue of straight men in need of a makeover. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with David Collins, the show's executive producer.

Hookworm, a chronic infection that causes anemia and malnutrition, was once a problem in the U.S. Now, it's a disease of the world's poorest. A small band of scientists are working on a vaccine, with the help of a community in Brazil.

As resistance to traditional insecticides grows in head lice, some researchers are abandoning poison shampoos and taking a different approach, from electrocution and suffocation to a lotion that acts as a shrinkwrap.

The Justice Department is offering grants to cities and police departments across the country, but recipients must cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Russia says it will airlift hundreds of its citizens out of Iraq beginning Thursday. The move comes despite the release earlier this week of three Russian and five Ukrainian hostages. Recent kidnappings of foreign nationals have prompted several governments to urge their citizens to leave Iraq. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas releases In My Heart, a CD of 17th and 18th century Italian love songs sung in the Bel Canto or "beautiful song" style. It's a type of operatic singing characterized by rich tonal lyricism and brilliant display of technique. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Vargas.

For some it's a symbol of identity. For others, a challenge to the state. NPR's Itay Stern reports on the debate over the Palestinian flag in Israel.

Meet the fourth and fifth grades who are superstars on the Internet: An elementary school chorus from Staten Island known as PS22, where kids learn to be their most authentic selves through singing.