Poll: Biden’s standing improves, while Trump slumps with Republican voters President Biden’s approval rating has ticked up, and Democrats are growing more confident in him. Trump, meanwhile, is seeing his lowest scores with Republicans in seven years. Read more on NPR

The vast majority of criminal cases end in plea bargains, a new report finds The practice prioritizes efficiency over fairness and innocence, the American Bar Association says, and leads innocent people to be coerced into guilty pleas. Read more on NPR

Fixing the health care worker shortage may be something Congress can agree on The U.S. faces a shortfall of about 450,000 nurses and 120,000 doctors in the coming years. The Senate’s top health committee, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is considering bipartisan solutions. Read more on NPR

The ripple effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine continue to change the world A year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, the repercussions continue to reverberate. Read more on NPR

Ukraine’s birth rate was already unsustainably low. Then war broke out The Russian invasion has cemented the decision for many couples to opt out of having babies, in a country that struggled with incredibly low fertility rates long before the war. Read more on NPR

Seattle becomes the first U.S. city to ban caste discrimination Calls to outlaw discrimination based on caste, a division of people based on birth or descent, have grown louder among South Asian diaspora communities in the United States. Read more on NPR

The Home Depot says it is spending $1 billion to raise its starting wage to $15 The starting wage for associates at The Home Depot is now $15, the company announced Tuesday. Read more on NPR

A discarded cigarette butt and DNA tests solve a 52-year-old murder of Vermont woman A discarded cigarette found near the body of a Vermont school teacher in her apartment nearly 52 years ago helped lead investigators to a neighbor who they say strangled her, Vermont police said. Read more on NPR