National

Lance Armstrong, seen here at a LIVESTRONG Challenge Ride in October 2012, might be willing to confess to doping — in exchange for an easing of his lifetime ban, according to reports.

What Lance Armstrong, And The USADA, Might Gain From A Confession

9:23am January 08, 2013

by Bill Chappell

The news that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong might be willing to confess to the doping charges he spent years denying has reopened interest in his case — and opens the question of whether his lifetime ban from competitive sports could be eased in exchange for Armstrong's cooperation.

Queue Listen Now

Future Of U.S. Troops Looms Over Afghan Leader's Visit

8:06am January 08, 2013

by Jackie Northam

President Hamid Karzai is in Washington this week for meetings with President Obama and other officials. One of the key issues to be discussed is the number of American troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014, when the bulk of U.S. and NATO forces leave.

Queue Listen Now

National

Chicago's Gun Ban Fails To Prevent Murders

7:28am January 08, 2013

On Monday, Morning Edition explored crime rates in Chicago and how the murder rate went up in 2012. That was against national trends and even against Chicago's long-range decline in crime. We discussed police focus on "hot spots," and the dissolution of gangs. But listeners asked: What about gun bans?

Queue Listen Now

Shea Catlin, a nurse practitioner, doses out flu vaccine to give a shot at a CVS Minute Clinic in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 3.

Can You Get A Flu Shot And Still Get The Flu?

6:06am January 08, 2013

by Rob Stein

Vaccination is still the best way to avoid getting sick, but it's not 100 percent protective. Some people may get infected with a strain of flu that isn't covered by this year's vaccine. For others, the shots just don't work.

Queue Listen Now

National

Aurora Shooting Suspect Looked Like A Fellow Officer, Police Say

6:19pm January 07, 2013

by Bill Chappell

Moments after a deadly attack that turned an Aurora, Colo., movie theater into a scene of panic and tragedy, the police officer who found suspect James Holmes at first took him for a fellow police officer, due to the body armor Holmes was wearing.

Queue Listen Now

John Brennan speaks in the East Room of the White House on Monday, after President Obama announced his nomination of Brennan to run the CIA. Obama also announced his choice of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (left) to head the Department of Defense.

CIA Nominee Brennan Has Obama's 'Complete Trust'

6:19pm January 07, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

President Obama has nominated his counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to lead the CIA. Brennan's work with the agency under George W. Bush has been controversial, and he's also drawn criticism for his lead role in the Obama administration's use of unmanned drones.

Queue Listen Now

"The Peter's Rock Church in Marianna is no everlasting monument; it has been left to rot, its windows broken, its steeple fallen over. Still, I found it beautiful. Kneeling in the cemetery, listening to the insects hissing, watching as a dog wandered past

Looking For Lost Memories In The Delta

8:14pm January 05, 2013

by Claire O'Neill

Photographer Eugene Richards explains why, 40 years after his first visit to the Arkansas Delta, he decided to go back.

Queue Listen Now

Obama's On-Again, Off-Again Relationship With Progressives

5:10pm January 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

President Obama handily won re-election, but Congress remains fairly unchanged. Will the status quo prevail during his second term? Or will he follow through on promises that got progressives excited about him in 2008?

Queue Listen Now

Potential Geithner Departure Could Complicate Debt Ceiling Battle

7:02pm January 04, 2013

President Obama may go into the next round of fiscal battles without his long-time Treasury Secretary. Tim Geithner reportedly plans to step down in January, even as the Treasury Department is scrambling to avoid cracking the government's debt ceiling. Robert Siegel talks with Scott Horsley about that and other personnel changes as the president prepares for his second term.

Queue Listen Now

National

Disappearing Mule Deer A New Reality Throughout Western U.S.

7:02pm January 04, 2013

by Luke Runyon

Scientists throughout the West are trying to figure out the mystery of the disappearing mule deer. Since the 1970s, biologists in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah have seen deer populations drop by 50 percent. The potential causes vary. Oil and gas development and the growth in coyote populations top the list.

Queue Listen Now