National

Agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have spent months testing new plastic weapons, and report that the guns can be lethal and hard to detect. The findings come just as a federal law that requires guns to be composed of at least some metal to help people in schools and airports detect them is set to expire.

The magazine hasn't hit newsstands, but some say it glorifies alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Rolling Stone's editor stands by the use of the photo to help tell the story of "an incredibly normal kid" who turned into "a monster."

Faced with harsh criticism over its vast surveillance operation, the NSA and its allies are pushing back. They say their intelligence collection is being done in response to demands from the executive branch of the U.S. government and not on its own. The NSA says it is currently working on 36,000 pages of what it calls "requirements" — intel speak for intelligence assignments it gets from branches of the U.S. government.

Government's top tech officials — including U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park — showed up on Capitol Hill to give a status report of the troubled HealthCare.gov system. As the administration unveils enrollment numbers, the tech officials outlined technology metrics of progress.

Over the five months since Edward Snowden began leaking secret documents to the media about American spying, President Obama has adjusted his response to the disclosures. At first, he suggested the concern was misplaced, but more recently, his message has been that something needs to change.

The Smithsonian Institution has millions of fossils, sculptures and other historic artifacts in its vast collections. Twenty of them are now available for 3-D printing — and viewing from every conceivable angle — online.

Emery Go Round is a free shuttle, provided by businesses in Emeryville, Calif. Not only did the popular shuttle help solve one of the most annoying problems for transportation planners known as the last mile, it helped the city reinvent itself as a home to headquarters for Pixar, Jamba Juice and Peet's Coffee.

Rather than traffic jams, kayak commuter Stephen Linaweaver has to look out for container ships. Every day, he paddles in his blue boat from the Port of Oakland to his job in San Francisco. His route may not be shorter than yours — but yours probably doesn't include harbor seals.

It's the moment many victims of former Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger have been waiting decades for: In federal court in Boston on Wednesday, relatives of those killed by Bulger will face the former gangster and describe their pain.

New ordinances adopted in the South Florida city require that new homes feature freshwater cisterns and be built higher than the current flood plain level. Says Key West's planning director, "We are, in all senses of the word, vulnerable to sea level rise."