National

Does smoking pot make it less likely that you'll go to college?

Heavier Teen Pot Smoking Linked To Problems In Young Adults

3:59pm September 10, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Daily smokers are less likely to graduate from high school or college and are at higher risk of suicide, according to an analysis of three long-term studies of teenagers in Australia and New Zealand.

Randen Patterson left a research career in physiology at U.C. Davis when funding got too tight. He now owns a grocery store in Guinda, Calif.

When Scientists Give Up

3:29pm September 10, 2014

by Richard Harris

They were talented, idealistic risk-takers on the road to what they thought would be important medical discoveries. But when the funding for risk-takers dried up, these two academics called it quits.

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National

Government To Drop Background Check Firm USIS

2:59pm September 10, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The Falls Church, Va.-based private contractor conducts most of the government's background checks and was the target of a cyberattack last month that breached thousands of personnel files.

The Video, The Tabloid Site And The NFL's Unwanted Reckoning

2:33pm September 10, 2014

by David Folkenflik

The assault by former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice on his then-fiancee was public knowledge. But new video released by TMZ on Monday defined the story, says NPR's David Folkenflik.

Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves the Life-giving Trinity church in Moscow, on Wednesday. Putin accused NATO of using the Ukraine crisis to "resuscitate itself."

Putin: Russia To Upgrade Nuclear Forces In Response To West

1:52pm September 10, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The Russian president also accused the West of staging the crisis in Ukraine in order to "resuscitate" the NATO alliance.

President Obama has been wary of open-ended military commitments in the Middle East. But the president, shown speaking in Estonia on Sept. 3, now appears likely to expand the current bombing campaign against the Islamic State.

How Far Will President Obama Go?

1:43pm September 10, 2014

by Greg Myre

The president has spent most of his tenure scaling back the U.S. military role in the Middle East. Now he appears poised to broaden an operation that will bring with it substantial risks.

Aficionados line up outside Hot Doug's, a gourmet hot dog diner in Chicago, in May. Owner Doug Sohn has announced that he will shut the doors in October after nearly 14 years.

Why Food Pilgrims Will Wait Four Hours For A Taste Of The Sublime

12:04pm September 10, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

Psychology tells us that waiting for an experience can boost our happiness, as can talking about the experience afterward. That's one reason food pilgrims seem to be queuing up and Instagramming it.

"The State of the Birds" 2014 report found that red knots (above) and other shorebirds are among the most threatened groups in the U.S. More than half of U.S. shorebird species are on the report's Watch List — species that are currently endangered or at

U.S. Gets Middling Marks On 2014 'State Of Birds' Report Card

11:30am September 10, 2014

by Christopher Joyce

Domestic cats, high-rises and vanishing habitat are taking a toll on more than 33 species of American birds, a comprehensive update reports. Still, wetland and coastal birds are faring better.

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A worker repairs electrical lines in Plainview, N.Y., after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. A proposed plan to overhaul the state's power grid could help the system better withstand severe weather and enable energy to be stored and managed more efficiently.

National

New York Says It's Time To Flip The Switch On Its Power Grid

11:18am September 10, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

Officials want to overhaul the state's energy grid. Experts say the plan would help utilities withstand severe weather events, but it would also require a massive re-engineering of the power system.

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Ferguson's Plan To Cut Back On Court Fees Could Inspire Change

11:02am September 10, 2014

by Joseph Shapiro

The council in the Missouri town met Tuesday for the first time since the shooting of Michael Brown. A plan introduced would address one source of tension: heavy collection of court fines and fees.

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