National

Festivalgoers play a giant game of Twister during the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in southwest England last month.

National

Chuck Foley, Co-Creator Of Twister, Dies At 82

10:40am July 12, 2013

by Doreen McCallister

Foley and business partner Neil Rabens invented the game — which they originally wanted to call Pretzel — for Milton Bradley in 1966. Twister is now manufactured by Hasbro, and the company says it remains a top seller.

Queue Listen Now

National

A Father And Daughter 'Keep The Faith' During Cancer Fight

5:13am July 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

In 2007, 4-year-old Faith Marr was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. Doctors were uncertain about her chances of survival. Faith and her father, Jerris, talk about how their bond grew stronger during hospital stays when he would "tattoo" her favorite things on her skin and scars.

Queue Listen Now

Photos depict scenes at the $34 million command center in Camp Leatherneck, completed in November. U.S. troops will never use the facility, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction says.

'A $34 Million Waste Of The Taxpayers' Money' In Afghanistan

6:22pm July 11, 2013

by Bill Chappell

A new U.S. facility in Afghanistan offers 64,000 square feet of space for more than 1,000 military personnel. Finished last November, it cost tens of millions of dollars. It will never be used for its intended purpose, a military inspector says, and it could be demolished.

Queue Listen Now

Virginia Governor Mired In Controversy Over Gifts, Loans

5:55pm July 11, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, once viewed as having 2016 ambitions, is not having a good year. He's at the center of state and federal investigations involving $145,000 in questionable financial assistance from a political donor whose company McDonnell and his wife took steps to promote. That includes $15,000 to help pay for their daughter's wedding — a disclosure made by the former chef at the Executive Mansion, himself accused of stealing food.

Queue Listen Now

Resurrected Farm Bill Passes Without Food Stamps Component

5:55pm July 11, 2013

by Tamara Keith

House Republicans made a second run at passing a farm bill on Thursday, weeks after seeing dozens of their own party vote against it the first time.

Queue Listen Now

Former Insurance Exec Offers An Insider's Look At Obamacare

3:59pm July 11, 2013

As we prepare for key provisions of the act to take effect, debate over what the law means persists. Wendell Potter, a former health insurance executive and current senior policy analyst for the Center for Public Integrity, explains what will change, what will remain the same, and why he supports ObamaCare.

Queue Listen Now

Tourists walk across the Badwater Basin, which sits 282 feet below sea level, in Death Valley, Calif., on June 30. People from around the world flock to the area to experience temperatures that rise to the high 120s on a regular basis.

Summer 'Heat Tourists' Sweat With Smiles In Death Valley

11:11pm July 10, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

July 10 is the 100th anniversary of the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth, and a large crowd is expected in Death Valley to celebrate it. In fact, summer is the area's busiest tourist season. Many of these "heat tourists" come from Europe, eager to feel temperatures they don't get at home.

Queue Listen Now

The Club for Growth is backing a candidate running against Republican Rep. Mike Simpson (shown in this screen shot from the PrimaryMyCongressman.com site) in Idaho's 2014 GOP primary.

Conservative Group Picks Primary Fight With GOP Incumbent

7:40pm July 10, 2013

by Tamara Keith

The conservative Club for Growth is throwing its weight behind a GOP candidate challenging longtime Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho in 2014. The endorsement grew out of a website the club launched asking voters to suggest Republicans from safe seats who they deem not conservative enough.

Queue Listen Now

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., walks toward the stage as he is introduced at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in June.

Marco Rubio: Poster Boy For The GOP Identity Crisis

6:13pm July 10, 2013

by Mara Liasson

The Florida senator was supposed to be one of the emerging leaders of the Republican Party. But his leadership role on the immigration overhaul has brought a lot of criticism from his party's anti-amnesty base. His experience illustrates the divides in the current GOP.

Queue Listen Now

Lawmakers Express Concern About U.S.-Chinese Pork Deal

5:58pm July 10, 2013

by John Ydstie

The Senate Agriculture Committee met Wednesday afternoon to hear testimony about the acquisition of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company. Smithfield CEO Larry Pope tried to defend the proposed deal, but most committee members made their opposition clear.

Queue Listen Now