NPR News

President Obama's plan to jump-start the economy starts with increasing the minimum wage and avoiding sequestration. Host Michel Martin talks about those challenges and others, like rising gas prices and expanding waist lines. She's joined by NPR's senior business editor Marilyn Geewax and Wall Street Journal economics reporter Sudeep Reddy.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

South African Olympian and Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail, but the hearing brought to light bizarre details about the murder charges against him. So will the case turn into another O.J. Simpson fiasco? Host Michel Martin asks the barbershop guys for their thoughts.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

For one of these night photographs to turn out, the stars have to align — almost literally.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Kids whose parents have talked to them about the dangers of drugs are more likely to think that using isn't OK. That message can become mixed when parents bring up their own experience. There's no need to lie to a child, but parents should be careful about offering too much information.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

If you can't tell what politicians in Washington are talking about, you're not alone. But eventually terms such as "sequester" and "reconciliation" can become less impenetrable, if only because of their constant repetition.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Oscar Pistorius case has tapped into two long-running and emotionally charged issues in South Africa: the fear of crime and violence against women.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

A glass of wine can be a welcome sight after a long day watching the kids, but fruit fly moms use alcohol from fermenting fruit to protect their offspring from marauding wasps. That's just one of the ways the tiny flies are using booze to survive the slings and arrows of existence.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Jets quarterback reversed a decision to attend the opening of a new facility for the First Baptist Church in Dallas, whose pastor has disparaged other religions and homosexuals.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Winter Storm Q has dumped up to 17 inches in parts of Kansas but brings much-needed relief to the region's drought-stricken farmers.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Olympic and Paralympic sprinter is accused of premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend. He says it was a horrible accident. Prosecutors say he knew what he was doing.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Also: The U.K. issues Jane Austen postage stamps; in the U.S., biographer Paula Broadwell's promotion in the Army Reserves is suspended; it's Edward Gorey's birthday; and an anti-bullying poem goes viral.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Amish don't drive and don't connect to the electrical grid. Yet a growing number of Amish people are leaving farming for manufacturing. That means they need tools — and power.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Amish don't drive and don't connect to the electrical grid. Yet a growing number of Amish people are leaving farming for manufacturing. That means they need tools — and power.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo's populist Five Star Movement is soaring in the polls ahead of elections this weekend. His rallies have attracted tens of thousands of Italians tired of a poor economy, widespread corruption and political patronage. But there are concerns that no one knows what Grillo's movement stands for.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Bees and flowers communicate in colors, scents and shapes. Now scientists have discovered that bumblebees can also sense flowers' electric fields. This sixth sense helps them remember and recognize nectar-rich blooms while foraging.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Treating people for HIV isn't just beneficial for those infected but also helps the entire community. Two studies show that where HIV drugs are widely available, the risk for new HIV infections drops dramatically and overall life expectancy increases by more than a decade.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

At the height of the housing boom, condominium towers popped up on the Miami skyline faster than you'd believe. Once the market crashed, those towers sat vacant. Now, led by foreign buyers, condos are selling again as developers try new, more stringent financing rules.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

In China, authorities can send people to re-education through labor camps for years without trial. Beijing says it is considering reforms to the notorious system, though it's not clear what that might mean. The people who know the camps best — former prisoners — say closing them is long overdue.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Today, Rowena Gore-Simmons runs a center for formerly incarcerated women. But Rowena once served time herself, when her now-teenage daughter was 4. While she was in prison, Rowena dedicated herself to being a better mother when she got out.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Using American slavery to make a point about contemporary politics can be downright tricky business, as some public figures have recently learned firsthand.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us