Accessibility links
U.S. News and National Top Stories NPR coverage of national news, U.S. politics, elections, business, arts, culture, health and science, and technology. Subscribe to the NPR Nation RSS feed.

National

Friday

Life Sentence for Shoe Bomber

Richard Reid, the al Qaeda follower who tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes, is sentenced to life in prison. Reid gets the maximum sentence after declaring himself a soldier of war. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.

Life Sentence for Shoe Bomber

Listen · 4:13
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/954256/954257" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

California Pension Fund in Record Age-Bias Settlement

The nation's biggest public pension fund agrees to pay a record $250 million to settle age-discrimination claims. The case involves 1,700 California public safety workers who were disabled in the line of duty. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

California Pension Fund in Record Age-Bias Settlement

Listen · 3:32
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/954260/954261" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Presidential Panel Debates Title IX

Education Secretary Rod Paige weighs whether to change the way schools are required to comply with Title IX, the federal law that requires equal opportunities for male and female student athletes. A presidential commission debated the 31-year-old law and recommended less-than-sweeping changes. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

Presidential Panel Debates Title IX

Listen · 4:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/954258/954259" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Terror Victims Compensation

A new law says money coming from the frozen assets of foreign countries must be released to victims of terror attacks if they win damage awards in court. A federal judge heard the claims of Americans seeking Iraqi assets this week, and various other Americans likely will try to claim some of the money. NPR's Libby Lewis reports.

Terror Victims Compensation

Listen · 4:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/957090/957091" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Snowless Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Lose Tourists

Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota are missing out on needed tourism revenue due to a lack of snowfall. They get creative and try to attract winter tourists to come for all kinds of indoor winter fun. NPR's David Schaper reports.

Snowless Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Lose Tourists

Listen · 3:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/957620/957621" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

U. of Michigan Affirmative Action Plan Finds Support

The University of Michigan's affirmative action program draws support from unexpected groups in the face of a Supreme Court challenge supported in part by the Bush administration. Retired military officers and Fortune 500 companies urge justices to leave the race-based admissions policy alone. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

U. of Michigan Affirmative Action Plan Finds Support

Listen · 4:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/952554/952555" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Committee Proposes Modest Changes to Title IX

A Bush administration panel recommends only minor changes to Title IX, the law that has paved the way for major growth in women's sports. NPR's Lynn Neary talks with NPR's Jackie Northam.

Committee Proposes Modest Changes to Title IX

Listen · 3:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/952552/952553" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Fake IDs Help Investigators Make Border Crossings

Congressional investigators testify before a Senate committee that using false identification, they entered the United States repeatedly from Canada, Mexico and Jamaica. And Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announces that customs, immigration and other border inspectors will be combined into one new bureau to improve efficiency. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

Fake IDs Help Investigators Make Border Crossings

Listen · 3:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/952546/952547" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

War, Oil Worries Snag Economy

Economic growth comes to a near standstill in the fourth quarter of 2002, as the gross domestic product rose by an annual rate of just 0.7 percent. Concerns over a possible war in Iraq and rising oil prices prompt many businesses to hold off on new spending. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

War, Oil Worries Snag Economy

Listen · 4:32
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/952558/952559" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Estrada Nomination May Launch New Senate Battle

The Senate Judiciary Committee votes along party lines to endorse Miguel Estrada for a federal circuit court post. He's the first judicial nominee sent to the full Senate under Republican management. Democrats say Estrada's record doesn't merit a lifetime appointment and hint at a filibuster to defeat him. NPR's David Welna reports.

Estrada Nomination May Launch New Senate Battle

Listen · 3:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/952550/952551" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Science

Bush Calls for More Research on Earth-Friendly Cars

President Bush proposes more than $1 billion over the next five years to develop advanced automotive technologies, including environmentally friendly cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to Dan Sperling of the University of California, Davis.

Bush Calls for More Research on Earth-Friendly Cars

Listen · 3:51
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/949676/949677" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Business

Mississippi River Commerce Struggles as Water Levels Dip

Water levels in St. Louis reach their lowest in more than a decade, affecting the barge transportation business and companies that depend on the Mississippi River to transport cargo. Tom Weber of member station KWMU reports.

Mississippi River Commerce Struggles as Water Levels Dip

Listen · 3:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/949666/949667" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Science

Bush Plan to Fight AIDS

The U.N. special envoy for AIDS in Africa praises President Bush's pledge to combat global AIDS. Half of the $15 billion program would be spent on treatment, a third on prevention and the rest on care. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to Rachel Swarns of The New York Times.

Bush Plan to Fight AIDS

Listen · 3:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/949672/949673" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Bush Intelligence-Sharing Plan

President Bush proposes the "Terrorist Threat Integration Center," a new surveillance initiative aimed at improving coordination among the FBI, the CIA and other federal intelligence agencies. But some analysts say it won't overcome decades-old rivalries between U.S. spy agencies. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Bush Intelligence-Sharing Plan

Listen · 4:16
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/949658/949659" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Bush Plan for Faith-Based Drug Treatment Draws Criticism

President Bush proposes a new drug treatment program that would allow alcoholics and addicts to use federal vouchers at rehabilitation centers, including those run by religious organizations. The plan renews debate over the constitutional separation of church and state. NPR's Barbara Bradley-Hagerty reports.

Bush Plan for Faith-Based Drug Treatment Draws Criticism

Listen · 4:05
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/949660/949661" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">