National

How The Heck Do You Pay Off Your College Loans?

2:12pm December 18, 2015

by Eric Westervelt

It's easy for parents and students to get lost in the college loan and debt jungle. Yet another plan aimed at helping students reduce debt burden takes effect this month. Will it help?

LeBron James a moment before he crashed into Ellie Day while in pursuit of a loose ball during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Diving For A Loose Ball, LeBron James Sends Fan To Hospital

1:57pm December 18, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Ellie Day, the wife of PGA golfer Jason Day, was taken away by stretcher from her courtside seat on Thursday night after the Cleveland Cavaliers forward crashed into her while chasing a ball.

Attorney General Eric Holder (right) listens to Viola Murphy, mayor of Cool Valley, Mo., before his meeting with local community leaders in August 2014. Murphy is a vocal critic of new municipal regulations.

National

After Ferguson, Unintended Consequences Of Municipal Overhaul

1:45pm December 18, 2015

by Jason Rosenbaum

Lawmakers tried to rein in ticketing after the protests that followed Michael Brown's death. But small, predominantly African-American communities may take a bigger hit than cities like Ferguson.

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Senior Airman Frances Gavalis tosses unserviceable uniform items into a burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq in 2008. The military destroyed uniforms, equipment and other materials in huge burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some veterans say those pits are re

Veterans Say 'Burn Pits' Created Toxic Clouds That Made Them Sick

1:36pm December 18, 2015

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, open-air pits were used to incinerate refuse including plastics and human waste. Now, U.S. veterans are claiming these burn pits caused chronic ailments.

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National

Mayor Emanuel Tries To Smooth Chicago Crisis; Protesters Insist He Must Go

1:26pm December 18, 2015

by David Schaper

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel faces a big crisis following the fallout from the police shooting of Laquan McDonald. Protesters daily call for him to resign.

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Year-End Budget Deal Lifts Ban On American Oil Exports

1:26pm December 18, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro interviews Jason Bordoff, professor and founding director at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. He was also the former White House energy advisor to President Obama. Bordoff talks about the part of the budget deal this week which lifts the ban on oil exports, and what it means for consumers, industry, the economy and the environment.

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Construction has begun on the Tri-Faith Initiative's new campus on the edge of of Omaha, Neb. Here, a view of Temple Israel.

In America's Heartland, Building One Home For Three Faiths

1:18pm December 18, 2015

by Frank Morris

Three faith communities in Omaha, Neb. — one Christian, one Jewish, one Muslim — are leaving their old places of worship and building a new, single campus for their mosque, synagogue and church.

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Robin Wright's fictional character Claire Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards is a favorite of TV critics and fans. But the demographics of real U.S. women who have abortions are very different from the TV character's.

On TV, Women Who Have Abortions Are Younger, Whiter And Wealthier

11:38am December 18, 2015

by Lisa Aliferis

An analysis of TV shows finds that fictional characters getting abortions are better off than the average American who has an abortion, and are also less likely to already be raising children.

U.N. Security Council Takes Aim At Islamic State's Funding Sources

10:24am December 18, 2015

It's hoped the plan will disrupt the financing of ISIS. Renee Montagne talks to Matthew Levitt, a former senior official in the Treasury Department's terrorism and financial intelligence branch.

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National

Friend Of San Bernardino Shooter Charged With Aiding Terror Plot

8:02am December 18, 2015

by Phil Ewing

Enrique Marquez, a friend of San Bernardino, Calif., shooter Syed Farook, was charged Thursday with conspiring to provide support for terrorism. He also purchased two of the rifles used in the attack.

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