National

Obama's Promise To Close Guantanamo Prison Falls Short

8:13am January 23, 2013

by Jackie Northam

In January 2009, the president signed an executive order to close the U.S. prison camp. But four years later, the prison remains open, and critics say the president miscalculated how difficult it would be to close the facility that houses terrorism suspects.

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National

Gen. John Allen Cleared In Email Probe

8:13am January 23, 2013

A Pentagon investigation has cleared General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. The Pentagon had been looking into whether the general's email correspondence with a Florida socialite was inappropriate and violated military rules. Allen's nomination to become the top commander of NATO is still on hold, however.

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Patient William Wishart, age 4 months, looks on as Dr. Melanie Walker uses a portable computer to enter information from his exam into an electronic medical records system, in North Raleigh, N.C., in November.

Growing Pains As Doctors' Offices Adopt Electronic Records

8:48pm January 22, 2013

by Eric Whitney

Millions of dollars have been spent to digitize medical records. But doctors are only slowly adopting the the new systems, and many systems won't talk to each other. Some now wonder when the promised benefits in care and cost savings will arrive.

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"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations," President Obama said Monday during his second inaugural address.

In Second Inaugural, Obama Makes Climate A Priority

8:48pm January 22, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

President Obama pulled out a surprise in his inaugural address. After barely mentioning climate change in his campaign, he put it on his short list of priorities for his second term. Experts believe he'll use the EPA to ramp up efforts to reduce greenhouse gases from power plants.

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The U.S. Capitol at sunrise on Monday, before President Obama's second inauguration. While the president raised big issues in his inaugural address — climate change, gay rights, immigration, the shooting of schoolchildren — none of them appear to top

President's New Term Doesn't Mean New Day In Congress

8:48pm January 22, 2013

by David Welna

While President Obama raised big issues in his inaugural address — climate change, gay rights, immigration, the shooting of schoolchildren — Congress eased back into session Tuesday with other priorities, fighting many of the battles left over from last year.

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States Become Battlegrounds For Nation's Deep Abortion Divide

8:48pm January 22, 2013

by Kathy Lohr

Forty years after the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion, a growing number of states are passing laws that restrict the procedure. The regulations, while not banning abortions outright, can make it difficult for a woman to obtain one.

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Carolyn Cline is the president and CEO of Involved for Life.

Involved For Life: Pregnancy Centers In Texas

4:12pm January 22, 2013

Carolyn Cline, the executive director and CEO of Involved for Life (IFL), a ministry partner of First Baptist Dallas, helps run a pregnancy center that discourages women from getting abortions and offers help during unplanned pregnancies.

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Menu for Lincoln's 2nd inaugural ball, March 6, 1865

An Inaugural Memory: President Lincoln's Food Fight

12:27pm January 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Smithsonian recently uncovered the menu from Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball, and it provides an interesting look at how different the celebrations were just 148 years ago.

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AeroVironment's Raven drone is used for military surveillance and can be launched by hand.

This Defense Contractor Has A Green Side

10:06am January 22, 2013

by Amy Walters

AeroVironment has an unusual combination of products — military drones and electric vehicle chargers. The company's president acknowledges that some workers are uncomfortable with the company's dual interests, but he doesn't see a conflict.

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A group of volunteers is helping biologists see whether there are any martens left in the Olympic National Forest in Washington state.

To Catch A Marten: Seeking Clues In Olympic National Forest

9:01am January 22, 2013

by Ashley Ahearn

Scientists are worried about the elusive members of the weasel family that live in parts of Olympic National Forest in Washington state. To see whether martens are endangered, volunteers are installing remote camera traps to take photos of the animals.

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