Around the Nation

Politics & Government

Growing Up In Houston, Ted Cruz Learned To Never Hold Back

5:23am December 30, 2015

by Ailsa Chang

Before Ted Cruz was the firebrand Texas senator commandeering the Senate floor, he was a firebrand teenager reciting conservative ideology. (This piece initially aired on July 3, 2015 on ATC.)

National

Small Group Of Activists Protest At Mayor Rahm Emanuel's House

10:19pm December 29, 2015

by Laura Wagner

About two dozen people protesting the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old and his neighbor by Chicago police came to the mayor's front yard Tuesday night to call for his resignation.

A 'Celtic Curse' Has Roots Stretching Back To The Bronze Age

8:28pm December 29, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

In people with hemochromatosis, iron builds up and can overload the heart and other organs. Geneticists looking at 5,000-year-old human remains say the disorder may have had evolutionary advantages.

Sue McConnell is one of more than 130 transgender veterans receiving treatment at the Tucson Veterans Affairs hospital.

New VA Clinic Opens For Transgender Vets

8:17pm December 29, 2015

by Jimmy Jenkins

The Tucson Veterans Affairs hospital is expanding treatment to the needs of trans veterans, one of the first such facilities in the U.S. to do so. The clinic's services include hormone treatment.

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N.Y. Crime Stats Hit New Low, But Residents Say They Don't Feel It

6:57pm December 29, 2015

by Joel Rose

Like last year, New York City will finish 2015 with historically low crime numbers. But despite that evidence, polls show many residents feel the city is heading back to the "old days" of high crime.

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Two cars are submerged in floodwaters in a park in Kimmswick, Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency because of widespread flooding around the state, which has closed many roads.

Towns Along The Mississippi River Evacuate As Floodwaters Swell

6:37pm December 29, 2015

by Laura Wagner

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon activated the National Guard as flooding closed interstate highways and forced people from their homes. The river is expected to crest Thursday at its highest level since 1993.

President Richard Nixon meets with John Kasich, a freshman at Ohio State, on Dec. 22, 1970.

The Student Who Once Nudged His Way To The Oval Office Now Hopes To Move In

6:30pm December 29, 2015

by Don Gonyea

John Kasich, GOP presidential hopeful, has had a habit of speaking his mind, even as a college student at Ohio State. It has served the Ohio governor well in politics.

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A U.S. Coast Guard crew (foreground) with six Cubans who were picked up in the Florida Straits in May. A larger Coast Guard vessel is in the background. The number of Cubans trying to reach the U.S. has soared in the past year. Many Cubans believe it will

Cuban Immigrants Flow Into The U.S., Fearing The Rules Will Change

4:18pm December 29, 2015

by Greg Allen

One consequence of improved relations is that Cubans believe it will soon be harder to immigrate to the U.S. This year has seen the largest influx of Cubans in more than two decades.

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Majority Of Officers Killed In Line Of Duty Were Traffic-Related Incidents

4:15pm December 29, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

A new report details the number of law enforcement officers killed nationwide this year in the line of duty. Traffic-related deaths have been the number one cause in 15 of the last of 20 years.

Are Police Too Aggressive With The Mentally Ill?

4:14pm December 29, 2015

by Rina Palta

Across the country, officer-involved shootings this year have raised questions about police tactics. In Los Angeles, a third of police shootings involved people deemed in mental distress.