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National

Wednesday

Business

Fed Lifts Interest Rate, Ending Four Years of Drops

Federal Reserve policymakers lift a key short-term interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, to 1.25 percent. It's the first time in four years the Fed has raised its target for short-term interest rates. Members of the Fed's Open Market Committee issued a statement saying it believes future rate increases can be made "at a pace that is likely to be measured." NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Fed Lifts Interest Rate, Ending Four Years of Drops

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All Things Considered

New York Braces for Protests at Republican Meet

A variety of protests are expected to take place at this summer's Republican National Convention in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and protest organizers have not come to an agreement on where the demonstrations will be allowed to take place. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

New York Braces for Protests at Republican Meet

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Media

Neo-Radio Succeeds by Cutting the Noise

A new style of commercial FM radio station -- based on eclectic music and informed commentary -- represents a backlash against the rest of the industry's consolidation, narrow playlists, and copycat sounds. Stations that have tried the new format have shot up the charts. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.

Neo-Radio Succeeds by Cutting the Noise

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Radio Expeditions

Coral Reefs in the Balance, Part 3

As part of the Radio Expedition collaboration with National Geographic, NPR's Christopher Joyce travels to Asia to report on the damage done to tropical fish populations and the reefs they live on by divers filling the demand for exotic fish species.

Coral Reefs in the Balance, Part 3

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Religion

When Faith Clashes with Corporate Policy

For years, courts have refereed disputes over accommodating religion in the workplace. But what happens when an employee's religious beliefs collide with the company's secular vision? NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports in the conclusion to a three-part series on religion in the workplace.

When Faith Clashes with Corporate Policy

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Law

Tribunal to Try Cuba Detainees

The Pentagon announces the formation of a military tribunal to preside over the first trials of terror suspects held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. An Australian and two alleged bodyguards of Osama bin Laden will be the first defendants. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and Michael Greenberger, law professor at the University of Maryland.

Tribunal to Try Cuba Detainees

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Economy

Handover in Iraq Fueling Slide in Oil Prices

The early transfer of power in Iraq this week has accelerated a downward trend in oil prices. Crude oil prices fell below $36 a barrel Tuesday. That's more than 15 percent off the peak price early this month. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Handover in Iraq Fueling Slide in Oil Prices

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Morning Edition

Bush, Kerry Court N.M. Vote

With its largely Latino population, New Mexico's demographics are unlike those of other states. Yet President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are running as tight a race there as in the rest of the country. Both candidates are campaigning hard for the battleground state's swing voters -- middle-class, suburban whites. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer.

Bush, Kerry Court N.M. Vote

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Morning Edition

Wooing Minorities, Kerry Promises Immigration Reform

Speaking before the Hispanic organization La Raza, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry promises to reform immigration laws to ease citizenship rules for working immigrants. Kerry told the cheering crowd in Phoenix, Ariz., he would also work with Mexico to improve border security. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Wooing Minorities, Kerry Promises Immigration Reform

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Law

Supreme Court Upholds Alien Tort Claims Act

Rejecting pleas from the Bush administration and the business community, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that victims of torture, genocide and other human rights crimes can sue their tormentors for damages in U.S. courts under the 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Supreme Court Upholds Alien Tort Claims Act

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World

U.S. Military Lessons in Iraq

The U.S. military is expected to take a less visible role in security now that Iraqis have assumed limited control of their country. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports on what lessons the American military learned during 15 months of occupation in Iraq.

U.S. Military Lessons in Iraq

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Economy

Looming Interest Rate Hike Spurs Higher House Prices

With the Federal Reserve expected to start the first of several interest-rate hikes Wednesday, the housing market is already preparing for the impact. As the era of historically cheap mortgages closes, the prospect of higher interest rates is creating a sense of urgency among would-be buyers. Hear NPR's Jack Speer.

Looming Interest Rate Hike Spurs Higher House Prices

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Your Money

Rate Hike: End of Cheap Money

Federal Reserve plans for a small increase in short-term interest rates mean an end to the four-year period of falling interest rates. With the economy heating up, the Fed wants to keep inflation in hand. If the Fed raises the interest rate from 1 percent to 1.25 percent, it is expected to be the beginning of the end of a period of historically low interest rates. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

All Things Considered: Fed Raises Rate

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Obituaries

Remembering Sis Cunningham

Folk musician Sis Cunningham has died at age 95. Cunningham, whose given name was Agnes, co-founded and edited Broadside magazine. Through it, Cunningham and her husband published many influential songs of the 1960s. Hear folk songwriter Pete Seeger and NPR's Robert Siegel.

Remembering Sis Cunningham

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Race

Los Angeles' History as a Haven for Blacks

After World War II, millions of African Americans fled the U.S. South, seeking relief from racism and poverty in the cities of the North and West. Historian Josh Sides argues Los Angeles became a haven, offering black residents a chance to realize the American ideals of steady work and home ownership. NPR's Tavis Smiley speaks with Sides about his new book, LA City Limits: African American Los Angeles from the Great Depression to the Present.

Los Angeles' History as a Haven for Blacks

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