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NPR News: 07-09-2026 11PM EDT

Explore episode Jul 10, 2026
Arts
Bonnie Tyler: A Voice Larger Than Life

NPR News: 07-09-2026 11PM EDT · Jul 10, 2026 Arts

Bonnie Tyler, the British singer behind 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' and 'Holding Out for a Hero,' died at 75. Her fifty-year career peaked in the 1980s with producer Jim Steinman, whose maximalist sound turned Tyler's gravelly, over-the-top belting into an era-defining signature.

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Maine Democrats Race to Replace Senate Nominee

At 3:35 · chapter starts 2:55

With the clock ticking and a critical Senate seat hanging in the balance, Maine Democrats are scrambling. Although Graham Plattner has not officially withdrawn from the race, the state party has released a statement announcing a new nominating convention to select his replacement — and made a point of promising that Plattner's supporters and the grassroots movement he built will be central to the process. Party leaders know the math: without that coalition, beating Republican incumbent Susan Collins — one of the most durable politicians in the state's history — becomes a much steeper climb. And the bureaucratic deadline is unforgiving: a new nominee must be registered with the Maine Secretary of State in less than three weeks. The Maine Senate seat is one of the few Democrats believe they can flip in their bid to retake chamber control in November.

News
David Hearn Pleads Not Guilty in Lincoln Memorial Case

NPR News: 07-09-2026 11PM EDT · Jul 10, 2026 News

Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn pleaded not guilty in DC Superior Court to felony property destruction tied to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. His attorneys called the charges a 'concocted narrative,' while US Attorney Janine Piro announced six others have been arrested on related charges.

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Arts
Howard Ashman and the Broadway Formula That Made Disney Billions

Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire · Aug 10, 2026 Arts

Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.

Arts
Lion King: The Musical Is the Highest-Grossing Entertainment Product in History

Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire · Aug 10, 2026 Arts

The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.