National

Need To Break-Up With Someone? Call The Shop

For a fee, you can hire someone to do anything, including end your relationship. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Mackenzie Keast, co-founder of the Breakup Shop, about his business of breaking hearts.

Doctors Look To Prevent Abuse In Midst Of Opioid Epidemic

The U.S. is in the grips of a prescription drug epidemic, fueled in part by an explosion in opioid prescriptions over the past several decades. Roughly half of those prescriptions are written by primary care doctors. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Dr. Wanda Filer, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, about her experience prescribing opioids and what doctors can do to prevent abuse.

Puerto Rico Calls On Congress For Help In Billion Dollar Debt Crisis

by Greg Allen

Puerto Rico has a billion dollars in debt payments due January 1 and the U.S. territory's governor says the island may default. If forced to choose between making debt payments or paying for vital public services, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla says he will choose Puerto Ricans. The heightening crisis has spurred Congress to take action, but it might not come until the island is insolvent.
Submerged roads and houses are seen after several days of heavy rain led to flooding, in an aerial view over Union, Missouri, on Tuesday.

'Dangerous' Missouri Flooding Expected To Worsen

by Laura Wagner

Mississippi River Valley flooding has already caused the deaths of at least 18 people in Missouri and Illinois. The water is expected to rise to an all-time high, according to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.