National

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks Thursday in Phoenix.

'Loyal Soldier' Sebelius Vows To Stay Put, Fix HealthCare.gov

11:19am October 26, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is rejecting calls for her resignation, saying, "I don't work for" those calling the loudest for her to step down. And the government official who has become the face of the disastrous rollout of the Obamacare website says she has promised the president she'll get things straightened out.

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Bipartisan Anger, Competing Interests Over HealthCare.gov

11:19am October 26, 2013

With the drama of the 17-day government shutdown over, the spotlight this week turned to the troubled rollout of the federal health insurance exchanges. Host Scott Simon talks to NPR's Ron Elving about the frustrations from both parties over the crippled HealthCare.gov website.

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Becca Bullard commutes every day from Arlington, Va., via Metro's Virginia Square station to her work in downtown Washington, D.C. Her commute to work begins around 9 a.m. (left), and she arrives home around 6:30 p.m. (right).

National

How One D.C. Suburb Set A Gold Standard For Commuting

11:33am October 25, 2013

by David Greene

A risky, expensive decision by local planners in the 1960s transformed Arlington, Va. — where everyone drove — to a place where people live, walk, bike, eat, play and commute, all without ever getting behind the wheel.

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Clinics Close As Texas Abortion Fight Continues

10:52am October 25, 2013

by Kathy Lohr

Some clinics say they can't comply with a Texas law set to go into effect next week. It adds building requirements for clinics and places more rules on doctors who perform abortions. Laws like the one in Texas have passed in more than a dozen states.

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Jennifer Haselberger, former top canon lawyer for the archdiocese, found stored files detailing how some priests had histories of sexual abuse. She resigned in April.

Abuse Allegations Leave Twin Cities Archdiocese In Turmoil

6:25pm October 24, 2013

by Madeleine Baran

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis had claimed to be a national leader in handling clergy sex abuse cases. But after a whistle-blower revealed evidence of a cover-up, alleged victims are preparing lawsuits, and some parishioners are calling for the archbishop to resign.

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National

Proposed Minimum Sentencing Law In Illinois Faces Scrutiny

12:45pm October 24, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is the force behind a proposed state law that would require mandatory prison time for a firearm offense. The arguments over mandatory minimum prison terms center on whether mandatory sentences actually deter people from committing crimes or take away judicial discretion and further overcrowd prisons.

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Protesters fill the Miami office of state Rep. Manny Diaz Jr. on Sept. 20 to protest his stance against expansion of health coverage in Florida.

States' Refusal To Expand Medicaid May Leave Millions Uninsured

12:12pm October 24, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The idea was that Medicaid would expand to include people not covered under the Affordable Care Act. But many states have chosen not to expand coverage, despite financial incentives from the federal government. That may leave millions of people without any health coverage at all.

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Widespread Plague In Wildlife Threatens Western Ecosystems

10:26am October 24, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

For most of us, plague is something that maybe we read about in history books. In the 14th Century, it wiped out half of Europe's population. But the bacteria is busy killing wildlife now in the American West. By studying small mammals scientists have learned that plague is far more pervasive a killer than anyone thought.

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Why Postponing Insurance Mandate Is No Easy Fix For Obamacare

7:57pm October 23, 2013

by Julie Rovner

One of the big questions now is what will happen if the federal health insurance website can't be fixed soon. Will the government penalize people for not having insurance if they couldn't realistically buy it?

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National

World War II Vet Awarded Medals 67 Years Later

6:43pm October 23, 2013

Phillip Coon, a 94-year-old World War II Army veteran, POW and Bataan Death March survivor, finally received medals for his service Monday. Coon was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, a Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Melissa Block speaks with Coon and his son, Michael, who is also an Army veteran.

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