While driving down an East Texas country road I spotted this scene. The autumn trees and the late afternoon sun made these golden bales of hay shine just a little bit more. Fortunately I had my camera with me. (c) James Q. Eddy Jr.

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Scientists' efforts to free whale stuck in the Baltic Sea cause online firestorm

NPR | By Rob Schmitz

Published April 2, 2026 at 3:41 AM CDT

German scientists face a social media firestorm as they try to save a humpback whale in the Baltic Sea.

Rob Schmitz

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.