National

National

Early Warnings Saved Lives In Weekend Storms

12:51pm December 12, 2013

by David Schaper

The death toll from Sunday's tornado outbreak across the Midwest stands at eight. Many of those who witnessed the devastation say they're shocked that number isn't higher. Early warnings delivered by text message may have helped limit the casualties.

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Scandal May Bring New Oversight To LA County Sheriff's Department

9:41am December 12, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

The Los Angeles County supervisor wants to create an independent commission to oversee the department following charges of inmate abuse and racial profiling.

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A man holds a sign advocating the recall of state Sen. John Morse in Colorado Springs, Colo., in September. Morse and a second state senator who backed the state's new gun control measures were recalled during a special election that month.

National

After Fight Over Colo. Gun Laws, Two Sides As Dug In As Ever

8:47pm December 11, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

Colorado enacted several tough gun control measures after the shooting in Newtown, Conn. — and then voters ousted two lawmakers who backed those laws. One former senator says he has no regrets, while the man who helped remove him is now focused on other gun rights supporters.

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Florida lobbyist Keith Arnold stops to look at Chaz Stevens' Festivus pole made out of beer cans in the rotunda of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.

Florida Man Airs Grievances With Festivus Pole In Capitol

8:14pm December 11, 2013

by Jessica Palombo

On Wednesday, Chaz Stevens' beer can-covered pole joined a number of other displays in the state Capitol in Tallahassee. There are also a religious Nativity scene and an atheist display. Stevens says he's protesting what he sees as a flagrant disregard for the separation of church and state.

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Young broilers nibble feed at a chicken farm in Luling, Texas. The Food and Drug Administration has issued new guidance on how drug companies label antibiotics for livestock.

Drug Companies Accept FDA Plan To Phase Out Some Animal Antibiotic Uses

8:07pm December 11, 2013

by Dan Charles

The Food and Drug Administration Wednesday advised companies to change the labels on their drugs to make it illegal for livestock producers to use drugs for "growth promotion" or "feed efficiency." The announcement is the latest step in a long-running effort by the FDA to reduce the use of antibiotics in agriculture.

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Noel, a remote Ozarks town of 1,832, is thriving thanks to the Tyson Foods poultry plant in town.

In A Small Missouri Town, Immigrants Turn To Schools For Help

12:30pm December 11, 2013

by Abbie Fentress Swanson

The once-sleepy tourist town of Noel, Mo., in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, is now home to hundreds of immigrants and newly arrived refugees, thanks largely to the huge Tyson Food Inc. poultry plant. And since the town lacks the infrastructure to serve these new residents, schools have become the de facto safety net.

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Cobblestone ice has made travel downright dangerous. Over the weekend, Ross Hailey of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram captured this truck driving over cobblestone ice in Haltom City.

National

Texas Ice Storm Plus Sand, Traffic Equals 'Cobblestone Ice'

12:30pm December 11, 2013

by Stella Chavez

The cold snap that hammered Dallas five days ago is still creating problems. Thousands of people remain without power. Some truckers remain trapped at rest stops. And an unusual phenomenon called "cobblestone ice" is hampering crews from de-icing interstate bridges, overpasses and off-ramps.

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Protesters gather outside ALEC headquarters in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2012, to protest stand-your-ground laws in the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing.

How ALEC Serves As A 'Dating Service' For Politicians And Corporations

12:07pm December 11, 2013

Leaked internal documents reveal new insights into the goals and finances of the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC brings together state legislators and representatives of corporations to develop model bills that lawmakers try to pass in their state legislatures.

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Inside these cylinders lies uranium that was once part of a Soviet nuclear weapon. Today it's being used in the US as fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.

Megatons To Megawatts: Russian Warheads Fuel U.S. Power Plants

10:10am December 11, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

Once the Cold War ended, much of Russia's surplus uranium from thousands of decommissioned weapons wound up in crumbling military facilities. In 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy made a deal to have the material converted to fuel for U.S. power plants. The last shipment arrives today.

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Sen. Murray On Budget Deal: A 'Compromise' With 'Smarter Cuts'

10:10am December 11, 2013

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Paul Ryan announced a bipartisan budget proposal Tuesday. For more details on the plan, Steve Inskeep speaks with Murray, who led her party in the negotiations.

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