Bill Chappell

1 week ago | wbez.org | Bill Chappell

The IRS started accepting tax returns on Jan. 27 — and by the April 15 federal deadline, the agency expects to receive more than 140 million individual tax returns. That means millions of people will be asking one question: When will I get my refund money? About 28% of the 11.7 million returns processed by the IRS resulted in direct-deposit refunds in the first week of filing, according to the IRS. When the current filing season began, “the IRS was coming in in a strong position.

1 week ago | boisestatepublicradio.org | Bill Chappell

Lightning strikes kill millions of trees each year — but it turns out that some large tropical trees can not only survive a strike, but also benefit from its effects, according to a recent study. The lightning's immense power cleanses these trees of parasitic vines. It also zaps trees nearby, reducing competition. One tree called Dipteryx oleifera, a towering presence in Panama's forests, is particularly adept at thriving after enduring events that are deadly to most other trees.

2 weeks ago | opb.org | Bill Chappell

Comedian and actor Russell Brand is facing criminal charges in England over rape and sexual assault allegations that span some six years. He's seen here attending the Republican National Convention in July. Actor and political pundit Russell Brand is facing multiple charges of rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police announced on Friday, listing charges that span more than six years.

4 weeks ago | boisestatepublicradio.org | Bill Chappell

An extraordinary breach of U.S. security is stunning security and intelligence veterans, after a journalist was added to a Trump administration group chat on Signal, where senior leaders discussed plans for a military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The breach left military and intelligence experts asking the same questions as the public: Why would top U.S. officials use a free messaging app to discuss classified military plans? How could a journalist be added to their group chat?

1 month ago | wabe.org | Bill Chappell |Patrick Saunders

Are you a lucky winner of a gift card? Maybe you have a surprise IRS refund waiting, or you need to click a link to verify your bank account. You might even owe toll charges from a state where you’ve never driven the highways. Those scenarios are some of the most common pretexts used in spam texts, or “smishing,” the use of SMS texts by scammers attempting to compromise data and pilfer money. And if you think the problem is getting worse, you’re not wrong.