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Shrimp Trawling Comes With Big Risks Commercial fishermen have the highest rate of on-the-job fatalities of any occupation in the country. The winches that shrimpers use to pull in their nets pose particular hazards, an analysis of deaths and injuries finds. |
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In The Iditarod Race, 'Pee Pants' Get An Endurance Test   It will take more than a week for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which began Saturday, to cover nearly 1,000 miles. But every minute counts — and several mushers are trying out special pants that allow them to race without stopping for bathroom breaks. |
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Young Chinese Translate America, One Show At A Time China's so-called fan subtitle groups are trying to change the country's thinking. Every week, thousands of young Chinese gather online to translate popular TV shows like The Newsroom into Mandarin. Some do it for fun, but others see it as a subtle way to introduce new ideas about free thought and questioning authority into Chinese society. |
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Plague Of Locusts Has Israelis Asking: Are They Kosher For Passover? Some have proposed a culinary approach to the millions of locusts that made their way from Egypt to Israel this week: Eat 'em up. Plenty of world cuisines can offer inspiration, but there's a catch: Rabbis don't agree locusts are kosher. |
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Senate Approves Nomination Of John Brennan As CIA Chief The nomination survived an epic, nearly 13-hour filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul, who demanded an explanation of the Obama administration's targeted killing program. |
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The Scariest Jobs Chart Ever Isn't Scary Enough America's still-awful job market, in two charts. |
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Ahmadinejad Says Chávez Will Rise With Christ; Is Chastised By Cleric An influential cleric said Ahmadinejad, a close ally to Hugo Chávez, should have left religion out of his letter to the Venezuelan vice president. |
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Thousands Flee Northern Syria After Latest Airstrikes Syrian rebels have captured a provincial capital, Raqqa, in the north of the country. The Syrian government has responded with airstrikes, which has set off an exodus of refugees heading to the Turkish border. |
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Venezuelans Mourn The Fiery Leader They Had Deep Connections To Thousands of Venezuelans have been lining the streets of Caracas, grieving the death of their-larger-than-life leader, Hugo Chavez. The outpouring of emotion reflects the huge impact that "El Comandante" had on Venezuelans — and gives a sense of the void he'll leave behind. |
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How Did Strom Thurmond Last Through His 24-Hour Filibuster? In 1957, Sen. Strom Thurmond prepared for his filibuster against civil rights legislation with steam baths — to become dehydrated so he wouldn't need a bathroom break. He got at least one chance to relieve himself, however. This week, Sen. Rand Paul gave up when nature's call became too urgent. |
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To Make Mice Smarter, Add A Few Human Brain Cells For more than a century, neurons have been the superstars of the brain. Now researchers say that when they placed human versions of another type of brain cell into mice brains, the mice grew up to be faster learners. This supports the hypothesis that these glial cells — and not just better-known neurons — play an important role in learning. |
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South Florida Beaches Reopen After Shark Scare The Palm Beach County beaches were closed earlier this week as a precautionary measure after thousands of migrating sharks were spotted near shore. |
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Holder Responds To Paul About Drone Strikes On U.S. Soil "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?" the attorney general asks. "The answer to that question is no." |
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Please Tell Us You've Done This Too: Ever Worn Mismatched Shoes? NPR's supposedly sharp news blogger is surprised when he looks down to see that his left foot didn't know what his right foot was wearing. |
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Newtown, Conn. Students Are Granted A Waiver On Exams The tests are required by federal "No Child Left Behind" laws. Officials offered the unprecedented waiver to give some relief to the victims of the shooting rampage that killed 20 first-graders. |
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China's Citizens Hide As Much As $2.34 Trillion In Income, Researcher Says China's citizens do not report as much as $2.34 trillion of what they make every year, hiding "gray income" that represents nearly 20 percent of the country's GDP, Chinese economics scholar Wang Xiaolu says, in a report from the news site Global Voices. |
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Rand Paul Talks His Way Into The Political Big Time Paul's epic-length filibuster not only drew attention to an issue of increasing concern to Congress, but also helped raise his own profile. The Kentucky Republican has long been considered a presidential aspirant. |
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NPR's Brenda Box, An Excellent Editor, Wicked Wit And True Friend, Dies You didn't hear her voice on the air or know of her influence over our coverage, but Brenda was the kind of editor journalists dream of. She would get the best from correspondents and quietly fix their mistakes. If she liked what she read or heard, she'd give it her ultimate blessing: "Cool beans." |
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To Save A Life, Odds Favor Defibrillators In Casinos Canadian researchers wondered whether automated defibrillators that can save the lives of people suffering cardiac arrest are being put where they're needed most. A study found a mismatch between public locations where the devices are available and where cases of cardiac arrest are most likely. |
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Startup Wants To Redefine How Local Foods Get To Your Door Demand for local foods is growing, but in many places, there still aren't efficient networks for getting them to consumers. A San Francisco startup called Good Eggs is trying out a new model: It's acting as the middleman, letting customers order from lots of different local producers and then delivering straight to their homes. |
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Facebook Set To Unveil Big Changes To Your News Feed The company hasn't said much about the changes, but the more than 1 billion Facebook users are touchy about their news feed. In the past, they've grumbled about everything from small cosmetic tweaks to big changes in privacy policy. |
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Facebook Unveils Big Changes To Your News Feed The new look is visually richer and will look the same across platforms — be it mobile or desktop. In the past, they've grumbled about everything from small cosmetic tweaks to big changes in privacy policy. |
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The city of Detroit has been in the headlines after the state announced plans to appoint an emergency financial manager. But how are smaller cities dealing with a budget that's in the red? To find out more, host Michel Martin speaks with Diana Garza, mayor of Floresville, Texas. Garza is new to the job — a position that pays $100 a month. |
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Bin Laden's Son-In-Law Arrested, Brought To U.S. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith may be best known for his appearance in videos. He was sitting next to bin Laden when the al-Qaida leader took credit for the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Ghaith may appear in a Manhattan court on Friday. |
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U.N. Security Council Approves New Sanctions On North Korea Security Council members voted to impose tough new financial and trade restrictions on Pyongyang in hopes of halting its nuclear program. |
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Will Breaking Bread Break The Deadlock In D.C.? The president dined Wednesday with Republicans. He has lunch today with the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee. Next week: More discussions with Republicans over a meal. |
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Egypt's Locust Plague Threatens Israel An Egyptian scientist says some 20 swarms have invaded the country in the past three months and more are waiting in the wings. |
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Today: First Key Votes On Gun Laws Since Newtown Shootings The Senate Judiciary Committee takes up four proposals. They include a new ban on assault-style weapons. While the bills are likely to get the committee's OK, they face opposition after that. |
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Mixed Signals: Jobless Claims Dip; Layoff Plans Rise As many eyes turn to Friday's employment report, new data offer a somewhat conflicting picture. |
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Suspect In New York City Hit-And-Run Surrenders To Police Julio Acevedo, who had eluded authorities since the hit and run on Sunday, turns himself in at a Pennsylvania convenience store. |
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Top Stories: Sen. Paul's Filibuster; North Korea's Warning Also: Obama looks for "spring thaw" with Congress; Chávez's final words; Berlusconi's conviction; and winter storm moves into New England. |
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Nearly 13 Hours Later, Sen. Paul Ends His Filibuster; Here's The Video The senator said he "would speak, until I can no longer speak," and he hit that wall early Thursday. His goal was to get the Obama administration to pledge it won't use drone attacks against American citizens on U.S. soil. He's put a bright spotlight on the issue. |
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Book News: Who's Afraid Of Sheryl Sandberg? Also: Self-portraits of famous authors; why two major spring novels have the same title; and literary statues from around the world. |
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BP Bows Out Of Solar, But Industry Outlook Still Sunny The energy giant says it has "thrown in the towel on solar." The industry has evolved since BP entered the ring, currently emphasizing cheap production rather than research and development. BP says it just wasn't making money, though it will continue investing in other renewable resources. |
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Obama Looks For A Spring Thaw With Congress To Start Melting Deficit With across-the-board spending cuts now on autopilot, there's a momentary lull in Washington's budget brinksmanship. So the president is using this window to try to craft a more lasting approach to the federal debt. |
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Challenge To Michigan's Gay Marriage Ban Grows From Adoption Case A federal judge could rule as soon as Thursday in the case, which comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is also set to deal with gay marriage later this month. In Michigan, a lesbian couple sued because the state bans same-sex couples from adopting kids. Then, the judge invited them to go even further. |
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With Budget Cuts For Ports, Produce May Perish Nogales, Ariz., is home to one of the nation's busiest ports of entry. Trucks line up for inspection before heading to grocery stores in the U.S. But the sequester is forcing the ports to make cuts, leading some to fear higher prices for food and strained relationships with foreign trading partners. |
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In Post-Revolution Egypt, Fears Of Police Abuse Deepening Widespread police brutality under Hosni Mubarak helped fuel the uprising of 2011. But two years later, many say the police have begun to act like armed gangs, meting out collective punishment in restive areas. The police say they are the victims, under attack by anti-government protesters. |
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Two months ago, the popular political blogger left the comfortable world of big media and struck out on his own. His bold new plan: Ask readers to pay to subscribe to his blog. |
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In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. But critics say golden rice is also a clever PR move for a biotech industry driven by profits, not humanitarianism. |
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Syrian Rebels Seize U.N. Peacekeepers The U.N. Security Council demanded the immediate release of the 21 peacekeepers who were seized in the Golan Heights area between Syria and Israel. A Syrian rebel group called the Martyrs of Yarmouk claimed responsibility. |
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Law Targets Sexual Violence On College Campuses When President Obama signs an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday afternoon, the law will include new requirements for how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault. |
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U.S. Spent Too Much In Iraq, Got Little In Return, Watchdog Report Says Iraqi and U.S. officials interviewed for the report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said the $60 billion the U.S. spent on reconstruction efforts in Iraq "should have accomplished more." The findings could portend what lies ahead for the U.S. in Afghanistan where it is also engaged in reconstruction. |
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House Gives OK To $982 Billion Short-Term Spending Bill The House has approved a bill to fund the federal government through the end of September. The continuing resolution introduced by Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), who heads the Appropriations Committee, would avoid a potential government shutdown on March 27. |
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Time For The Fed To Take Away The Punch Bowl? The stock market's long climb has some people concerned it may be a bubble about to burst — a bubble artificially pumped up by the Federal Reserve's easy-money policy. That's led to calls — even from within the Fed — for an end to the central bank's extraordinary efforts to keep interest rates low. |
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Fossils Suggest Giant Relatives Of Modern Camels Roamed The Canadian Arctic   The High Arctic was a warmer place 3.5 million years ago. The surprising find can tell us a lot about our future and global warming. |
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Salami Suicide: Processed Meats Linked To Heart Disease And Cancer Love that bacon, but realize that porking up on processed meat ups the risk of cancer and heart disease. That's the word from a big new study that tracked the eating habits of almost a half-million Europeans over 20 years. |
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The Venezuelan leader had many critics, but he managed to stay in power for 14 years with his theatrical style and the loyal backing of the country's poor. |
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Loved Or Loathed, Hugo Chavez Was The Ultimate Showman The Venezuelan leader had many critics, but he managed to stay in power for 14 years with his theatrical style and the loyal backing of the country's poor. |
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Obama's Outreach To GOP: More Optics Than Opportunity? President Obama recently acknowledged that he doesn't have the supernatural powers necessary to do a mind meld, Jedi or otherwise, with Republicans in Congress. But as a dinner invitation shows, he can at least still get meetings with them. |
