National

An oversized truck load slowly moves equipment along an icy mountain road in Pennsylvania's Tiadaghton State Forest.

Natural Gas Boom Cuts Into Pennsylvania's State Forests

7:36pm January 09, 2014

by Marie Cusick

Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing state for natural gas production, but the development is cutting through swathes of previously unbroken forests. Some scientists say this could affect wildlife, which perform important functions like climate and insect control.

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John Rippo in July 2012 in a coffeehouse called Espresso Mio, in San Diego's Mission Hills neighborhood.

Newspaper Takes The Pulse Of San Diego Coffee Culture

3:51pm January 09, 2014

by Eliza Barclay

The Espresso, a San Diego newspaper for "cafe society," documents the local coffee shop scene with juicy vignettes in a gossip column. Publisher John Rippo says he's inspired by European periodicals written for the cafe intelligentsia.

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Why One Expert Says Edward Snowden Deserves Clemency

9:26am January 08, 2014

As the courts decide whether the NSA practices revealed by the former contractor are constitutional, the court of public opinion considers what should become of him. David Greene talks to Jennifer Granick, director of civil liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, about why she believes Snowden's actions were commendable.

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National

JPMorgan Chase Settles Madoff Case For $1.7 Billion

6:56am January 08, 2014

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle criminal charges accusing the bank of ignoring obvious warning signs of Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme.

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Health Care Costs Grew More Slowly Than The Economy In 2012

4:55pm January 07, 2014

by Julie Rovner

Health care costs grew at 3.7 percent in 2012, the fourth year of a trend of smaller annual increases. The Obama administration says that the Affordable Care Act is a factor. But the actuaries who wrote the report beg to differ, saying the recession is a more likely cause.

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To help cut down on fraud, Congress is limiting access to the Social Security Administration's data about people who die in the United States each year.

Tighter Access To 'Death Master File' Has Researchers Worried

10:51am January 07, 2014

by Brian Naylor

The Social Security Administration has long kept track of deaths so it can stop checks when recipients die. And while researchers have used the file for years, fraudsters have, too. So Congress is limiting access to the data — and that has everyone from bankers to genealogists concerned.

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Forest Service May Try To Recoup Rim Fire Costs With Logging

4:27pm January 06, 2014

by Nathan Rott

The U.S. Forest Service has proposed a large salvage logging operation in the area affected by last year's historic Rim Fire, which burned 410-square miles of California's Sierra Nevada. The proposal is meeting stiff opposition from environmental groups who say the land is better left untouched.

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National

Dangerously Cold Weather Felt Across Much Of U.S.

8:03am January 06, 2014

by Chuck Quirmbach

Historically cold weather is moving through the Midwest. In some areas, forecasters predict the coldest temperatures since 1996.

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National

Calif. Toxin Law Warns Consumers, But Can Burden Businesses

6:55pm January 05, 2014

by NPR Staff

Proposition 65 requires businesses to post public announcements about toxic chemicals in in their products. The law has been on the books for more than 20 years, and though it protects consumers, some say lawsuits over compliance disproportionately affect small businesses.

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The Everly Brothers, Phil (left) and Don, perform in 2004 in London.

Phil Everly: Harmony To His Brother's Melody

7:59pm January 04, 2014

by Sam Sanders

The Everly Brothers influenced an entire generation of popular musicians. Don's voice usually handled the melody, but Phil gave the higher accompanying harmony to that melody, which defined the brothers' sound. Phil Everly died Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74.

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