Around the Nation

A group at MIT built this tiny package of sensors to collect vital signs as it travels through the digestive system.

A Tiny Pill Monitors Vital Signs From Deep Inside The Body

3:34pm November 18, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Sensors that work inside the body are gaining new skills. The latest version can track heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as temperature, as it travels through the digestive system.

Politics & Government

Wash. Gov. Inslee Welcomes Syrian Refugees To Settle In His State

1:49pm November 18, 2015

Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, talks to Steve Inskeep about why he feels it's important to support refugees fleeing Syria's civil war. Inslee has received criticism from people in his state.

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Was it good for you? Yes, as long as we're doing it at least once a week.

Is Sex Once A Week Enough For A Happy Relationship?

12:37pm November 18, 2015

by Nancy Shute

A study of thousands of people, most in committed relationships, finds that having sex about once a week correlates best with happiness and well-being. More didn't turn out to be better.

Washington State Governor Says He Welcomes Syrian Refugees

10:58am November 18, 2015

by Steve Inskeep

Jay Inslee is declining to join the many governors who say they don't want Syrian refugees within their borders.

Anne Bernays leaves the Walter Lippmann House after teaching a fiction writing class for Nieman Foundation fellows at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

National

Gray-Haired Granny? An 85-Year-Old Writer Goes Punk Rock Instead

10:28am November 18, 2015

by Anne Bernays

When novelist Anne Bernays became a great-grandmother, she dyed her hair bright blue. She says young people tend to treat the elderly as if they're dumb, "whereas I feel like I'm still a teenager."

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Environment

Calif. Drought Adds To The Perils Of Endangered Chinook Salmon

6:07am November 18, 2015

by Richard Gonzales

For the second year, there's a diminishing count of juvenile salmon migrating downstream away from their spawning grounds in northern California. The drought isn't the only problem the salmon face.

Pa. Man Sues State Police Over Traffic Stop

5:32am November 18, 2015

Alexander Bernstein spent 29 days in jail after a field test indicated a powdery substance in the car was cocaine. Laboratory tests revealed that Bernstein was behind bars for transporting soap.

National

Tenn. Law Targets Pregnant Women Who Are Drug Addicts

5:32am November 18, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

A controversial new "fetal assault" law in Tennessee punishes pregnant women who abuse drugs. The new law is intended to encourage mothers-to-be to seek treatment, but it can also scare women.

Graham: U.S. Should Shore Up Arab Allies To Fight 'Neighbor From Hell' ISIS

7:24pm November 17, 2015

by NPR Staff

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican candidate for president, also called for a "timeout" on America's Syrian refugee program "until we can ensure we have proper vetting."

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Top Silicon Valley High Schools Respond To Rising Suicide Rate

7:19pm November 17, 2015

At two top-tier high schools in Palo Alto, Calif., the suicide rate is four times higher than the national average over the last 10 years. NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Hanna Rosin, who's reported for The Atlantic, on what might be behind the trend and how the schools are responding.

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