National

Geoff Nunberg says a good definition extends to the past as well as the present: It's not just about what "marriage" has come to mean; it's all the word has ever meant.

National

Even Dictionaries Grapple With Getting 'Marriage' Right

2:12pm April 04, 2013

by Geoff Nunberg

Lexicographers know they're in the hot seat as they confront the changing use of the word "marriage." Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the key to getting the new definition right is to crisply describe everything that's in the category and nothing that isn't.

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Spilled crude oil is seen in a drainage ditch near evacuated homes near Starlite Road in Mayflower, Ark., on March 31. An Exxon Mobil pipeline carrying Canadian crude oil was shut off after it ruptured March 29, causing an evacuation of 22 homes.

Arkansas Oil Spill Sheds Light On Aging Pipeline System

10:45am April 04, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

More than half of the nation's pipelines were built before 1970. In fact, ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline, which burst Friday in Mayflower, Ark., is 65 years old. According to federal statistics, pipelines have on average 280 significant spills a year. Most aren't big enough to make headlines.

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A Letter On Finding A Husband Before Graduation Spurs Debate

10:12am April 04, 2013

by Jeff Brady

A Princeton University alumna advised young women studying at her alma mater to find husbands now and not wait. Susan Patton's letter set off a heated discussion, but she stands by her words.

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The Hunt Is On For A New FBI Director

5:11am April 04, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Robert Mueller has been the U.S. government's indispensable man when it comes to national security. When his 10-year term as FBI director expired, the Obama administration asked Congress for an unprecedented two-year extension. But now, the clock is ticking on finding his successor.

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National

Obama Highlights Colorado's Action On Gun Control Legislation

8:50pm April 03, 2013

President Obama was in Denver on Wednesday to rally support for gun control laws. Colorado has stepped up on both background checks and ammunition magazines, and Democrats there fear backlash next year.

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Colo. Gun Laws Offer Inspiration, Cautionary Tale For Obama

8:42am April 03, 2013

by Scott Horsley

The president is trying to regain traction for federal gun control measures by visiting states that are moving forward on their own. Today he speaks in Colorado, where public outrage in the wake of mass shootings helped propel new legislation — and where opponents are promising political payback.

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Dr. Madhumathi Gunasekaran examines John Pike at the Northgate II clinic in Camden, N.J.

In South Jersey, New Options For Primary Care Are Slow To Take Hold

8:19am April 03, 2013

by Taunya English

Residents of an apartment building in Camden, N.J., racked up more than $1 million a year in hospital admissions and trips to the ER over about a decade. In response, a community group opened a doctor's office on the ground floor. But at first, residents weren't as eager to go as doctors had hoped.

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Dave Kung with wife Sarah Tyson (left), stepson Cy Tyson-Brown and parents Sonja and George Kung.

National

When You're Mixed Race, Just One Box Is Not Enough

9:49pm April 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

While being forced to tick a single box for "race" has never been a problem for George Washington III, who is black, his mixed-race children see it differently. And for Dave Kung, being allowed to check two races on the U.S. Census form for the first time prompted an unexpected outpouring of emotion.

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Alcatraz, the infamous prison, still captures the imagination 50 years after it closed. Those who did time there, however, don't have to wonder.

National

Living Memories From The Last Days Of Alcatraz

6:28pm March 31, 2013

by NPR Staff

Even without prisoners, Alcatraz remains one of the most infamous prisons in America. Five decades after it closed, it still captures the public's imagination. Those who stayed there, however, can tell you exactly what doing time on "The Rock" was like.

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Three Years On, States Still Struggle With Health Care Law Messaging

6:25pm March 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

After all the acrimony and debate, many Americans still don't know whether their states are going to expand Medicaid or set up health care exchanges. A lot of the confusion over the Affordable Care Act comes, in part, from a commanding "misinformation and disinformation" campaign.

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