National

Should The NCAA Change Its Rules To Pay For Play?

7:34pm April 03, 2014

by NPR Staff

Arguments over money and big-time college athletics are more fiery than usual these days. We asked Donna Shalala, president of the University of Miami, and our readers if athletes should be paid.

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President Obama stands on stage with Vice President Biden and their families after accepting the party nomination during the final day of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

For Political Conventions, Another Balloon Bursts

7:34pm April 03, 2014

by Don Gonyea

National party conventions have received taxpayer funds for years, but new legislation will end that — just as parties and the media are rethinking the relevance of those quadrennial extravaganzas.

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ATF Works To Slow Flow Of U.S. Weapons Across Border

7:53am April 03, 2014

by Ted Robbins

Most of the guns in Mexico come from north of the border. The U.S. has taken steps aimed at slowing gun smugglers, especially since the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives scandal.

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National

4 Dead, Including Shooter, At Army's Fort Hood

7:53am April 03, 2014

by Tom Bowman

A soldier who was undergoing assessment to determine whether he had post-traumatic stress disorder opened fire on Wednesday at the base. Four people are dead including the shooter, who killed himself.

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The Prison Rape Elimination Act standards are now taking effect in many states. Three auditors recently questioned staffers at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in a practice inspection.

National

Enforcing Prison Rape Elimination Standards Proves Tricky

9:54pm April 02, 2014

by Laura Sullivan

Thirteen years in the making, the Prison Rape Elimination Act is starting to have an impact. Texas Gov. Rick Perry says it's "ill-conceived," but many other states are adopting the law's standards.

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"The stock market is rigged," says Michael Lewis, and high-frequency traders are to blame. But defenders of high-speed trading say it plays a legitimate role.

Traders Defend High-Speed Systems Against Charges Of Rigging

9:54pm April 02, 2014

by Jim Zarroli

Author Michael Lewis says high-frequency traders have figured out a way to game the system. Some of those traders say that while there are "bad actors," high-speed trading plays a legitimate role.

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While Warning Of Chinese Cyberthreat, U.S. Launches Its Own Attack

2:54pm April 02, 2014

The NSA managed to penetrate the networks of the giant Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, documents show. Journalist David Sanger says cyber-espionage is an "entirely new field of conflict."

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Finding A More Nuanced View Of Poverty's 'Black Hole'

1:04pm April 02, 2014

by Pam Fessler

Thirty-seven percent of New Yorkers faced severe material hardship last year, but the city's official poverty rate is only 21 percent. Researchers are trying to find a better way to measure poverty.

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Beyond The Fog Of Spin And Doubt: What Has ACA Achieved?

7:58pm April 01, 2014

by John Ydstie

The Affordable Care Act has made it possible for millions of Americans to obtain health insurance — but how successful has the law been in reforming the health care system?

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When Brad Stevens was young, his only "health insurance" was taking tons of vitamins and spending three hours at the gym every day. But after a serious bike accident and an expensive battle with thyroid cancer, the 59-year-old realized nobody's invincible

Everybody Has A Price: Why This 'Invincible' Chose Insurance

6:30pm April 01, 2014

by Sarah Varney

Warnings about red tape, long waits and multiple visits to sign up for Medicaid didn't scare Brad Stevens half as much as the alternative — paying $2,500 out of pocket to see a thyroid specialist.

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