National

States Face Language Barriers To Health Exchange Sign Up

5:17pm September 27, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

Polling shows that many Americans aren't quite sure how the Affordable Care Act will affect them, and it may be even more confusing for immigrants and people who don't speak English as their first language. Illinois has a large immigrant population, and the state has been working to resolve language barriers as it gets ready to launch its insurance marketplace.

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National

Dear Lawyers: Order In The &*%# Court!

1:33pm September 27, 2013

by Tanya Ballard Brown

Some attorneys have gotten nasty and others want it to stop. In New York, a group has decided to tackle the decrease in civility through song.

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How Recycling Bias Affects What You Toss Where

6:07am September 27, 2013

by NPR Staff

People tend to throw whole pieces of paper in the recycling bin — and fragments of paper in the trash. Research on the trend finds that we may be acting on unconscious prejudice about what is worth recycling.

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College Board 'Concerned' About Low SAT Scores

7:19pm September 26, 2013

by Claudio Sanchez

Roughly 6 in 10 college-bound high school students who took the SAT in 2013 performed poorly. The sponsor of the test wants to work with schools to help students do better, but some say the group is really concerned with trying to keep the test relevant.

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National

Putting Good Deeds In Headlines May Not Be So Good

7:19pm September 26, 2013

by Tovia Smith

Good Samaritans are celebrated in the press for doing the right thing all the time, but does all that attention lower expectations for everyday behavior?

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A former encampment. Fresno officials have dismantled three shantytowns.

Fresno Officials Dismantle Homeless Encampments

7:19pm September 26, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

City officials are planning to remove a large homeless encampment on the outskirts of downtown. The California city, where 1 in 4 people live below the poverty line, has taken down three other large encampments in recent weeks. The moves have been controversial and displaced hundreds of people.

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Jonah Engle has written for Foreign Policy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The New York City Independent.

Big Pharma And Meth Cooks Agree: Keep Cold Meds Over The Counter

5:11pm September 26, 2013

In 2006, Oregon successfully made pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient of meth, a prescription drug. Since then, Mother Jones' Jonah Engle reports, 24 states have tried to follow suit — and 23 have failed. Engle attributes those failures to pharmaceutical companies' massive lobbying efforts.

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If The Government Closes, 'Essential' Employees Would Work

5:35am September 26, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Unless Congress and the White House come together on a bill to fund federal agencies, a large part of the government will be closed on Tuesday, Oct. 1. If a shutdown occurs, Social Security checks, food stamps and unemployment insurance would not be affected. But some vacation plans could be disrupted.

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National

In Wake Of Colo. Floods, A Scramble To Clean Up Spilled Oil

5:06am September 26, 2013

by Grace Hood

Colorado flooding has prompted an unprecedented challenge for the state's oil and gas industry. The practice of hydraulic fracturing is widespread along the state's Eastern Plains, but overflowing rivers have swept away equipment and caused more than 37,000 gallons of oil to spill into or near rivers.

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Free Syrian Army fighters prepare to raid a house in Dara'a on May 16.

Syrian Rebels: U.S. Distracted By Focus On Chemical Weapons

5:06am September 26, 2013

by Deborah Amos

Syrian rebel groups say the pipeline of weapons, ammunition and nonlethal aid pledged by the U.S. has slowed in recent weeks, as the Obama administration has shifted focus to destroying President Bashar Assad's chemical weapons. The rebels have a broader goal: destroying the Assad regime.

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