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Trump Says He'd Vouch For A$AP Rocky Amid Growing Demands For The Rapper's Release

By Abigail Clukey • 5 hours ago

President Trump said he told Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven in a phone call on Saturday morning that he would "personally vouch" for the rapper A$AP Rocky's bail. Rocky has been detained in Sweden since July 3.

A Change.org petition calling for Rocky's release is gaining traction online, with over 600,000 signatures as of late Saturday afternoon.

'The Git Up': Dissecting The Country Rap Chart-Topper

By editor • 5 hours ago

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

And finally today, one of the definitive songs of the summer so far has been "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OLD TOWN ROAD")

LIL NAS X: (Singing) Riding on a horse - ha. You can whip your Porsche. I've been in the valley, you ain't been up off that porch. Now, can't nobody tell me nothing.

MCCAMMON: Is it rap? Is it country? That's the question that's been playing out for a while now, sparked by the song's removal from Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart back in March. And then along came a new song.

ProPublica Report: Black Americans Lose Big Under Longtime Property Provision

By editor • 5 hours ago

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

And finally today, one of the definitive songs of the summer so far has been "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OLD TOWN ROAD")

LIL NAS X: (Singing) Riding on a horse - ha. You can whip your Porsche. I've been in the valley, you ain't been up off that porch. Now, can't nobody tell me nothing.

MCCAMMON: Is it rap? Is it country? That's the question that's been playing out for a while now, sparked by the song's removal from Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart back in March. And then along came a new song.

Keeping Cool In The D.C. Heat Wave

By Kavitha Cardoza • 5 hours ago

A heat wave has much of the U.S. in its grips, including in Washington D.C. But some residents have found ways to cope.

Trump Administration Revising U.S. Citizenship Test

By editor • 6 hours ago

The Trump administration is planning changes to the U.S. citizenship test. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it is revising the test to ensure that "it continues to serve as an accurate measure of a naturalization applicant's civics knowledge."

U.K. Fears Iran Is Taking A 'Dangerous Path' After Seizure Of Tanker

By editor • 10 hours ago

The U.K. Foreign Office is summoning the Iranian charge d'affaires following Iran's seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

The Stena Impero was traveling to a port in Saudi Arabia, when, according to Iran's Fars News Agency, the ship collided with an Iranian fishing boat. Iran's Revolutionary Guards took control of the tanker, and Iran says the vessel and its crew will remain in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas during an investigation of the accident.

Notre Dame Fire Revives Demand For Skilled Stone Carvers In France

By Eleanor Beardsley • 12 hours ago

A little over three months after Paris' Notre Dame caught fire, French officials say the cathedral is still in a precarious state and needs to be stabilized. Ultimately, they aim to restore the monument, a process that will take years.

When that work begins, there will be a new demand for experts who have the same skills required to build Notre Dame 900 years ago. In the workshops of the Hector Guimard high school, less than three miles from the cathedral, young stone carvers are training for that task.

California Condors Reach A Milestone Moment

By editor • 12 hours ago

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It's been a little more than three months since Notre Dame burned. French officials say the 856-year-old cathedral is still being stabilized. When restoration work truly begins, there'll be a demand for people with the skills to rebuild the historic structure.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley visited a class of aspiring stone carvers and sends this report.

(SOUNDBITE OF STONE CHISELING)

How Constantly Changing Immigration Policies Affect Migrants Already In Danger

By Reynaldo Leanos Jr. • 12 hours ago

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It's been a little more than three months since Notre Dame burned. French officials say the 856-year-old cathedral is still being stabilized. When restoration work truly begins, there'll be a demand for people with the skills to rebuild the historic structure.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley visited a class of aspiring stone carvers and sends this report.

(SOUNDBITE OF STONE CHISELING)

The Week In Politics: Trump's Remarks Attacking 4 Congresswomen

By Ron Elving • 12 hours ago

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It's been a little more than three months since Notre Dame burned. French officials say the 856-year-old cathedral is still being stabilized. When restoration work truly begins, there'll be a demand for people with the skills to rebuild the historic structure.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley visited a class of aspiring stone carvers and sends this report.

(SOUNDBITE OF STONE CHISELING)