Colonial Americans were drinking coffee long before they dumped tea into Boston Harbor or fought a war for independence. The establishments that served it were already brewing revolutionary ideas.

The Airbnb-style company Swimply said there have been about 275,000 private pool reservations so far this year.

In a test of a new state law, doctors in Eugene went up against a national physician staffing firm seeking to replace them. Their success is getting attention across the U.S. as other states consider similar laws.

Heat threatens U.S. 250th celebrations, Russian advances slow as Ukraine hits back, infighting risks derailing Democrats' House hopes.

On the eve of America's 250th birthday, NPR's Michel Martin asks House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York about the Democratic Party's midterm future.

When the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, it took ownership of the Pribilof islands, home to the Russian-American Company's commercial fur-seal enterprise — and to the Unangax^ people who were forced to harvest the seals as "wards of the state." Indigenous residents continued to live under government supervision until 1983, when Congress finally transferred local control of the Pribilof Islands to the Unangax^ people themselves. From Theo Greenly of Alaska Public Media.

The heat dome encasing much of the eastern U.S. is reviving concerns about protecting workers from the heat. Many states have laws in place but some, including Florida, have rolled them back.

The designer of today's American flag remembers the day he created it for a student project.

After 90 minutes of play, the electronic board signaled 10 minutes of added time, and it was difficult to imagine at that point just how much drama would be packed into the coming minutes.

The 5-year-old seal has a social media following twice the size of Tasmania's population, and his antics include bending traffic bollards and blocking roads.