Around the Nation

Third-grader Kassim West last July at Walter G. Smith Elementary School, one of more than 20 Philadelphia public schools that closed at the end of the school year.

Kids Pay The Price In Fight Over Fixing Philadelphia Schools

8:58am November 22, 2013

by Claudio Sanchez

One of the nation's largest school systems has been pushed to the brink of insolvency. Not long ago, Philadelphia was touted as a "laboratory of innovation," a promising model for urban public education. But something went wrong. So who is responsible for the district's descent into academic and financial ruin?

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Jose Canseco 'Goated' Into Pulling Over

7:19am November 22, 2013

After former pro baseball player Jose Canseco and his girlfriend picked up some goats, Canseco live-tweeted the ride home. Writing: "just got pulled over with goats in the car. The cops laughed."

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Politics & Government

FEC: Tea Party May Not Shield Donors

5:45am November 22, 2013

by Peter Overby

The Federal Election Commission has rejected a bid by conservatives to weaken the campaign-finance disclosure law. A Tea Party group had asked for a precedent-changing decision to keep its donor lists secret. It said members are being targeted for harassment and intimidation.

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National

Moved By Kennedy's Death, The Boston Symphony Played On

9:08pm November 21, 2013

by Theo Balcomb

The orchestra was mid-performance when news of the president's assassination reached the symphony hall in 1963. The musicians had to decide: suspend the concert or continue? Their decision transformed a moment of shock into a moment of shared consolation.

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Dallas is preparing for Friday's 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, and hoping to show how much the city has changed.

National

Marking Kennedy Assassination, Dallas Still On 'Eggshells'

8:22pm November 21, 2013

by Wade Goodwyn

Dallas became known as the "City of Hate" after President John F. Kennedy was killed there. But the city has changed, and it hopes that the 50th anniversary of the assassination on Friday will be a chance to show the extent of that transformation.

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Pfc. Katie Gorz (center) served as a squad leader during the training at Camp Geiger, N.C.

National

Women Pass Marine Training, Clear First Hurdle To Combat Role

6:54pm November 21, 2013

by Tom Bowman

For the first time, three women were among the Marines who graduated Thursday from the two-month combat training course. The U.S. lifted the ban on women in combat earlier this year. Now, the Marines are conducting tests to see if women have what it takes to actually serve in the infantry.

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National

Personhood In The Womb: A Constitutional Question

4:57pm November 21, 2013

A study released this year examined cases where law enforcement intervened in the lives of pregnant women who were believed to be endangering their fetuses. State laws are stepping in on behalf of the fetuses' constitutional rights — but what of the mothers' rights? Fresh Air looks at three perspectives in the debate.

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Politics & Government

Mexican-American Vets Ignited Kennedy's Latino Support

9:12am November 21, 2013

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Most politicians recognize the importance of the Latino vote, but John F. Kennedy might have been the first presidential candidate to actively court it. Viva Kennedy clubs started by former Mexican-American veterans were an important factor in Kennedy's 1960 victory.

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Small Town In Utah Forgets To Hold An Election

7:00am November 21, 2013

Mayor Jay Hortin of Wallsburg, population 275, will stay in office for two more years because the town's new recorder forgot to hold an election. It's the second time in a row this has happened.

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Health & Safety

Medicare Project May Provide Better Care Less Expensively

6:55am November 21, 2013

by Jenny Gold

Fort Dodge, Iowa, is not exactly what you'd think of as a hotbed of health care innovation. But the small town in the western part of the state is part of a Medicare pilot project that economists say could be a pathway to the holy grail of health care: providing better care at a lower cost.

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