NPR Top Stories
Greece Roiled By General Strike Over Austerity Plan
Greek police fired tear gas to disperse protesters throwing rocks and firebombs outside Parliament as tens of thousands of people marched through Athens to protest measures to cut the country's debt. The strike grounded all flights and brought public transport to a halt.
Trade Deficit Shrinks As Auto And Oil Imports Drop
The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly shrank in January, reflecting a big drop in imports of oil and foreign cars. American exports also fell, a potential blow to hopes that the economic recovery will be aided this year by U.S. sales abroad.
Talks With Taliban To Decide Afghanistan's Future?
The emerging consensus in Afghanistan is that military action alone will not win the war against the Taliban and a political solution will be necessary. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reached out to some Taliban leaders. But analysts say the Taliban and the U.S. are not ready for full-scale negotiations — yet.
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Terrorism Recruits No Longer All Fit The Mold
Colleen LaRose, a petite, 46-year-old blonde from the Philadelphia suburbs, had dropped out of high school and was married several times. She had been arrested for writing bad checks and for drunken driving. She did not fit the terrorist profile — but more and more, that profile seems to be falling by the wayside.
Early Election Results: Iraqi PM Winning In 2 Provinces
Preliminary election results released by Iraq's electoral commission show Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is winning in two Shiite provinces in southern Iraq.
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Electric Vehicles May Energize Elkhart's Future
Elkhart, Ind., is known as the RV-making capital of the world. The mayor wants to claim a new title: The electric vehicle capital of the world. Stimulus grants and other incentives are attracting companies planning to build electric vehicles to Elkhart. It's hoped the electric vehicles will fill the void created by a serious slump in recreational vehicles sales.
First-Time Weekly Jobless Claims Decrease Slightly
The number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits slipped by 6,000 last week. But the four-week average of claims climbed, reflecting a sharp increase in claims last month.
Bachelet Says Chile Is In Good Shape For Pinera
A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake capable of tremendous damage struck central Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital for a minute and a half and setting off a tsunami.
Biden Tries To Wrangle Israel, Palestinans To Table
Wrapping up a three-day visit, the U.S. vice president urges both sides to get past the uproar sparked by an Israeli plan for new settlement construction in disputed east Jerusalem and focus on U.S.-mediated peace talks. "If each waits stubbornly ... this will go on for an eternity," Biden says.
Foreclosures Slow Considerably In February
Fears remain about the hundreds of thousands of homeowners who are still being evaluated for help under loan modification programs. Many analysts say most of those borrowers will eventually lose their homes, sparking a new round of foreclosures later this year.
Mass School Closures Approved In Kansas City, Mo.
Facing potential bankruptcy, the board that governs the once flush-with-cash Kansas City school district is taking the unusual and contentious step of shuttering almost half its schools.
House Leaders Ban Earmarks To Corporations
With the midterm elections approaching, Democrats and Republicans are battling to claim the clean-ethics crown. That's one reason why Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the Appropriations panel said he's killing off one of lawmakers' most lucrative perks: corporate earmarks. Most of the earmarks come from the subcommittee that oversees defense spending.
Obama Campaigns For Heath Overhaul In Missouri
President Obama says the time for talk is over and that Congress needs to take an up-or-down vote on the health care overhaul plan. He traveled to St. Charles, Mo., to sell his plan Wednesday. It was his second trip outside of Washington this week to try to win congressional support for the plan. He also helped raise some cash for Democrats made vulnerable by the long legislative fight.
Insurance Mandate May Need Strict Penalties
The health care plans before Congress require individuals to purchase insurance. But the penalty for violating the individual mandate may be so low that healthy people might be tempted to pay it instead of buying insurance. That would leave insurers with less healthy customers, prompting companies to raise their rates, prompting more people to drop out, and so forth.
Panel: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Not Common
Cesarean birth rates are steadily rising and still less than 10 percent of women have successful vaginal births after cesareans. A National Institutes of Health panel has been examining the clinical risks and benefits of vaginal births after cesareans — as well as legal, ethical and economic considerations.
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Letters To Haiti Provide A Different Kind Of Help
To show support for schoolchildren devastated by the earthquake, fifth-graders in Northridge, Calif., sent the kids letters that included poems, comic strips and stickers. The students in California and those in Haiti say they'd like to be pen pals for life.
'Al-Qaeda 7' Controversy: Detainees And Politics
Justice Department attorneys who once helped represent terrorism detainees are at the center of a raging dispute. Conservatives say that the politically appointed lawyers are influencing U.S. policy to help their former clients.
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Expert: House, Senate Democrats Have Trust Deficit
The divide on Capitol Hill is commonly depicted as Democrats versus Republicans and for good reason — the greatest rift in Congress is indeed partisan. But there's also a cleft between members of the same party, Democrats specifically, with a split between House and Senate members.
Obama: Time To Crack Down On Health Care Fraud
The president denounced waste, inefficiency and downright fraud in the government's health care system on Wednesday as he sought to rally public support for his revamped overhaul plan.
As Lice Grow Treatment-Resistant, Drug Could Help
Lice in children has been treated for years with lotions, creams and shampoos. But the little critters are becoming more and more resistant. Now an oral drug already used to treat certain parasites in people appears to kill lice as well. Researchers say it could be an alternative when standard treatments fail.
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