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A knee-high pipe sticking out of the ground not far from a school. A gurgle in a pond on rolling farmland. A patch of forest undergrowth hiding a long-forgotten, leaking oil well.⁠ ⁠ Relics like these dot the country from California to Pennsylvania: unused, unplugged oil and gas wells. They're called orphan wells. They should have been plugged when their useful life was over. But many weren't.⁠ ⁠ These unplugged wells can leak oil, natural gas and toxins into waterways and air. Because natural gas, also known as methane, is a potent greenhouse gas, these wells are adding to climate change.⁠ ⁠ And nobody knows how many are out there.⁠ ⁠ "It is entirely possible that we have a million or more undocumented wells in the United States," says Mary Kang, an associate professor at McGill University who has extensively researched methane emissions from these old wells.⁠ ⁠ This old problem is attracting new scrutiny, and a multibillion dollar effort to fix it.⁠ ⁠ Step one: Figuring out where they are.⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in our bio for more.⁠ ⁠ Photos: @septemberdawnbo • September Dawn Bottoms for NPR

The Trump administration plans to close an office at the Environmental Protection Agency tasked with protecting the most vulnerable Americans from environmental harms. Now many of the tools communities used to figure out where pollution is happening have disappeared but people continue to fight on.⁠ ⁠ Swipe to read and tap the link in our bio for the story.⁠ ⁠ Images: @rjckseen • Ryan Kellman/NPR

Every summer, grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club -- better known as Wimbledon -- fill with thousands of tennis fanatics who wait, camp and party in line for some of the best seats at the world's most prestigious tournament.⁠ Correspondent: @lafrayer • Lauren Frayer/NPR⁠ Producer: Catie Dull/NPR

Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil is seeking $20 million in damages against the Trump administration over the alleged harm caused by his arrest and detention.⁠ ⁠ Mahmoud Khalil claims he experienced lasting harm while in immigration detention. Khalil is one of the first students arrested in the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists. He was detained for some hundred days before being released last month.⁠ ⁠ In his filing, Khalil accused immigration agents of arresting him without probable cause and under false pretenses. He also claimed that he lost 15 pounds due to stress and inadequate food, as well as that he was forced to miss the birth of his first child.⁠ ⁠ In a statement, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin called his claims "absurd," asserting that the government acted within its authority.

The new top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee is coming to the job at a moment when Democrats are craving more direct confrontation with President Trump and Republicans in Congress. Also, a confrontation erupted Thursday between protesters and federal officials carrying out a raid on a Southern California farm.⁠ ⁠ Swipe to read. Tap the link in our bio for more.

In his first press conference after the deadly floods last weekend, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said unequivocally that the area did not have an emergency alert system. “We have no warning system,” he said on the morning of July 4, just hours after the Guadalupe River topped its banks. When pushed about why evacuations did not occur earlier, Kelly doubled down. “We didn’t know this flood was coming. Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming. … This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.” And when asked Tuesday at what time warnings were issued, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said he was focused on search and rescue. “It’s not that easy, and you just push a button. Okay? There’s a lot more to that, and we’ve told you several times,” he said. A reporter then asked, “Did it happen?” to which Leitha responded, “I can’t tell you at this time.” But The Texas Newsroom has learned that not only does the county have a mass-alert system for public emergencies, first responders asked that it be triggered early Friday morning. The Guadalupe River rose as much as 26 feet in 45 minutes around 4 a.m., said Lt Gov. Dan Patrick. According to emergency radio transmissions The Texas Newsroom reviewed, volunteer firefighters asked for what’s called a “CodeRED” alert to be sent as early as 4:22 a.m. Dispatchers delayed, saying they needed special authorization. Tap the link in @KUT_Austin’s bio to read more from @TexasPublicRadio’s Paul Flahive and The Texas Newsroom’s @LaurenMcGaughy. Photo: @limpatricia97

In the aftermath of catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, a fleet of volunteers is working to make sure people in the area have access to hot meals in hard-hit neighborhoods. ⁠ ⁠ "Everybody here in Kerr County lost someone or knows someone that lost someone," Mercy Chefs CEO Gary LeBlanc tells All Things Considered host Juana Summers. "So for those 70 or 100 volunteers that are with us every day, it's therapy for them. They want to get out and do something."⁠ ⁠ LeBlanc says they are providing as many as 5,000 hot meals to the community each day.⁠ ⁠ "Neighbors helping neighbors is always the best way to recovery."⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in our bio for the story. ⁠ ⁠ Images: @katiehayesluke • Katie Hayes Luke for NPR⁠ ⁠ 1. Anthony Torres, from New Mexico, volunteers with Mercy Chefs and prepares food on July 7 in Kerrville, Texas.⁠ 2. Flood damage is seen out of the car window in Ingram.⁠ 3. Coach Tate DeMasco delivers hot meals and cold drinks to neighborhoods and relief workers along the Guadalupe River. ⁠ 4. Volunteers take a break from cleaning out flood-damaged homes near Hunt on July 8.⁠ 5. Coach Tate DeMasco delivers hot meals and cold drinks to neighborhoods and relief workers along the Guadalupe River.⁠ 6. Piles of ruined furniture and belongings sit outside homes in Kerr County, Texas.⁠ 7. Fred Tally Jr., takes a break from cleaning out flood damage from his rental home near Hunt.⁠ 8. Cynthia Ornelas is outside her sister's home near Hunt. On July 8, she was able to get to her sister's home after the floodwaters receded. ⁠ 9. Ornelas lives nearby in Kerrville and has been helping clean out her sister's home.⁠ 10. Amber Jone, from Boerne, Texas, spent the day helping strangers clean out their flood-damaged home in a hard-hit area near Hunt.

Phoenix Tailings in Massachusetts is one of just a handful of American companies prepared to refine rare earths. Like other American rare earths companies, they say it was hard to get investment, in part because China had so much marketshare. Then this year, things changed -- China cut off exports. And now, for the first time in decades, the U.S. may make rare earth minerals again.⁠ ⁠ Correspondent: Emily Feng/NPR⁠ Producer: Catie Dull/NPR

Have you noticed people using emojis like 🍇 when they mean ‘rape’ on social media? Or 🖐🏻when talking about white people? Or maybe you’ve seen people use the 🔫 emoji or the phrase "pew pews" when talking about gun violence. People on TikTok and other social media apps are changing the way they speak to bypass what they perceive as algorithmic blocks. This week on the pod, Parker talks to Dr. Kendra Calhoun, a linguistic anthropologist and sociocultural linguist at @illinois1867, and @xiandivyne, a TikTok content creator, about the ways that people are changing how they talk about certain topics online. 🎧 Listen to this week’s episode via link in bio 🔫🍇🖐🏻 🖼️ Jackie Lay/ NPR

After more than 100 people died from flooding in central Texas, the community of Hill Country came together to grieve. On Wednesday night, the community held a vigil at the local high school football stadium in Kerrville with worship, prayer and songs. Pastor Ricky Pruitt of the Church of Christ helped lead it.

Thousands of people from around the world are flocking to Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo today to celebrate Moo Deng's first birthday.⁠ ⁠ The baby pigmy hippo has been a social media sensation for most of her life. To celebrate her day, she took a few naps and ate watermelon and vegetables before being hosed down for a shower. She also got a 44-pound hippo-sized birthday cake.⁠ ⁠ Baby pygmies are native to West Africa and are endangered: There are only a couple thousand left in the world.⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in our bio to read more about the baby pygmy hippo.

“Materialists” director Celine Song (@helloellephanta) shares the advice that helps guide her life.⁠ ⁠ Song’s films, “Past Lives” and “Materialists”, invite viewers to just slow down — to take in silence, a gaze, the moments in between words. In her conversation with Rachel, Song describes the power of laziness and why enjoying a good meal is something close to prayer.⁠ ⁠ Watch the full interview at the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ Host: @rachelnpr • Rachel Martin /NPR⁠ Producers: Lee Hale and Alicia Zheng/NPR