National

Wary Of Earth, Haitians Take To Water

Haiti's government says it is ending the search and rescue phase for survivors, following last week's magnitude-7 earthquake. But rescue crews won't be kept from continuing their work. Meanwhile, Haitians are trying to flee their destroyed capital by the tens of thousands, with living conditions in Port-au-Prince now primitive at best. NPR's Jason Beaubien speaks to guest host Audie Cornish from the Caribbean island's docks.

Judge: Corps' Negligence Caused Katrina Flooding

Flood victims argued that the widening of a navigation channel maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers and subsequent loss of protective wetlands turned the channel into a speedway for the hurricane's storm surge. A federal judge in New Orleans agreed and awarded damages of about $720,000 to four people and a business.

There's Gold In Them Thar Hills (Again)

A hundred and sixty years have passed since the California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, with the price of gold far exceeding $900 an ounce, gold prospecting is hot again. Memberships in gold prospecting clubs have shot up 85 percent in California in the past year. Just as they did in the 19th century, Americans are packing up their shovels and heading to California's river banks to try and strike it rich.

There's Gold In Them Thar Hills (Again)

A hundred and sixty years have passed since the California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, with the price of gold far exceeding $900 an ounce, gold prospecting is hot again. Memberships in gold prospecting clubs have shot up 85 percent in California in the past year. Just as they did in the 19th century, Americans are packing up their shovels and heading to California's river banks to try and strike it rich.