National

National

In Bloody Battle, Medal Of Honor Recipient Held His Post Alone

6:35pm July 21, 2014

by Tom Bowman

President Obama presents the Medal of Honor to former Sergeant Ryan Pitts. It's the nation's highest medal for valor. Pitts single-handedly fought off a Taliban assault in Afghanistan back in 2008.

Queue Listen Now

Members of global advocacy group Avaaz stand next to a digital counter showing the number of petition signatures calling for net neutrality outside the Federal Communication Commission in Washington in January. Avaaz joined other groups to deliver more th

National

Net Neutrality, Shall I Compare Thee To A Highway? A Showerhead?

6:35pm July 21, 2014

by NPR Staff

Net neutrality can be an issue that's difficult to understand and difficult to explain, so the metaphor that's used to describe it is kind of important. See what neutrality is being compared to.

Queue Listen Now

A sign over a highway in Glendale, Calif., warned motorists in February to save water in response to the state's severe drought. But a study released earlier this week showed residents in the southern coastal part of the state used more water this spring

Despite California's Drought, Taps Still Flowing In LA County

11:52am July 21, 2014

by NPR Staff

The state is experiencing the worst drought in decades, but water consumption in the southern coastal region is actually higher than in previous years. New rules and incentives aim to change that.

Queue Listen Now

Morals Clauses Prove Controversial For Catholic School Teachers

10:56am July 21, 2014

by Sandhya Dirks

Catholic schools are requiring teachers to sign morality clauses, which have gotten some educators fired for marrying same-sex partners.

Queue Listen Now

National

Community Groups Help Immigrants Settle Amid Political, Legal Turmoil

6:18pm July 19, 2014

During the Central American civil wars of the 1970s and 1980s, U.S. aid groups were established to assist the large number of migrants. Now those same groups, like El Rescate in Los Angeles, are helping to assist the large number of unaccompanied Central American children illegally entering the U.S.

Queue Listen Now

In Tracking Bats, It Helps To Find Them Adorable

11:45am July 19, 2014

by Daniel Potter

Julia Hoeh is a bat tracker. For $350 a week plus basic housing in rural Tennessee, she stays up long after midnight to affix radio trackers to bats and collect samples of their DNA.

Queue Listen Now

Obama: U.S. Confident That Missile Came From Rebel-Held Region

7:54pm July 18, 2014

by Dina Temple-Raston

The U.S. says that evidence suggests the missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was fired from separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports what is now known about the crash.

Queue Listen Now

National

Unanimous Vote Could Mean Reduced Penalties For 46,000 Defendants

7:54pm July 18, 2014

by Carrie Johnson

The U.S. Sentencing Commission voted Friday on a recommendation that Congress lower certain mandatory drug sentences retroactively. The move could cut almost two years off of thousands of prisoners' sentences.

Queue Listen Now

Surviving An Adult World In Fairy Tales, And Real Life

7:54pm July 18, 2014

by Kate Bernheimer

Since October thousands of children attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border have been taken into custody. Author Kate Bernheimer recommends a book to help reflect on the lives of these children.

Queue Listen Now

Helmeted New York City police carry away a rioter at West 130th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem on July 19, 1964.

National

New York's 'Night Of Birmingham Horror' Sparked A Summer Of Riots

7:54pm July 18, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

The shooting death of a black teenager by a white police officer in New York City led to six days of rioting in Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant — the first in a series of violent protests in 1964.

Queue Listen Now