Around the Nation

Journalist Andy Humm interviews Manford at a gay pride march in Queens in 1993.

National

Jeanne Manford: A Mother First, Gay Rights Activist Second

10:32pm January 12, 2013

by Lily Percy

Jeanne Manford broke ground by speaking up for her son's rights as a gay man in the 1970s. She would go on to found the national support group Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, better known as PFLAG. She died this week at the age of 92.

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From Corn Belt To Main Street: The Drought's Far-Reaching Grasp

7:37pm January 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Record heat and relatively dry winters have created a historic drought in the U.S., but the ripple effects extend beyond the farmland and ranches. Low crop yields are driving up food prices, and dry conditions are causing forest fires and water main breaks. The costs are high, and it's still unclear if we'll see the end of it in 2013.

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The butter sculpture will be dumped into this pit of rotting fruit and vegetables on the Reinford family's farm. Then, all that food will get ground up and put into the farm's methane digester.

This Butter Sculpture Could Power A Farm For 3 Days

9:49pm January 11, 2013

by Scott Detrow

The biggest attraction at the annual Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., is always a giant, 1,000-pound sculpture crafted from butter. Once this year's show wraps up, all that beautiful butter will go right into a manure pit to become methane gas.

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Businesses Sue Government Over Birth Control Mandate

8:07pm January 11, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Religious groups were among the first to object to a requirement that employers' health plans provide free birth control. But some companies have also objected, saying the mandate violates their religious freedom, too.

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The Food and Drug Administration, which must approve all new tobacco products or any changes to existing brands, has not cleared any products since assuming that responsibility in 2009.

Cigarette Makers Frustrated As Product Approvals Stall

7:28pm January 11, 2013

by Debbie Elliott

The Food and Drug Administration must review all new tobacco brands, and changes to existing ones, under a 2009 law giving the agency jurisdiction over tobacco. But the FDA has yet to approve any products under the new system, leaving some cigarette makers frustrated with the pace.

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Parents leading a revolt to take over an elementary school say it has failed their children. From left: Cynthia Ramirez with her son, Mason; Doreen Diaz; Bartola DelVillar; and Kathy Duncan.

In California, Parents Trigger Change At Failing School

3:18pm January 11, 2013

by Claudio Sanchez

Parents in Adelanto have used a "parent-trigger" law for the first time to shut down and take over an elementary school. It's a revolt led by parents who say Desert Trails has failed their children, but others say it's not the school's fault.

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No, this isn't worth $1 trillion. It's a commemorative coin minted in the U.K. in 2008. But some have suggested the president's image should be on it if he orders up a $1 trillion coin.

Crazy Or Canny? Talk Grows About $1 Trillion Platinum Coin

1:15pm January 11, 2013

by Mark Memmott

In theory, some say, President Obama could have a $1 trillion coin made and that would head off the next big battle over the federal government's debt ceiling.

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Diane Tells His Name, 61, grew up unaware of her Native American identity. When she discovered the truth in her late 30s, she adopted a child from her Lakota tribe, Bonnie Buchanan.

National

Mother To Daughter: 'That's When I Knew I Was Adopted'

8:35am January 11, 2013

by NPR Staff

Diane Tells His Name was 37 when she discovered she was adopted as a child. Rather than feeling anger or sadness, she embraced the opportunity to discover her Native American roots and eventually adopted a child of her own.

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In this handout image provided by the White House, President Obama talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner at the United Nations on Sept. 23, 2010.

Geithner Began With 'Smoldering' Economy; What Does He Leave?

8:35am January 11, 2013

by John Ydstie

Timothy Geithner presided over Treasury at a particularly tumultuous time. The banking system was still in a crisis, and people were soon calling for his head. Naming his replacement four years later, President Obama said Geithner will be remembered "as one of our finest secretaries of the Treasury."

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Sports

Major League Baseball Enacts Anti-Doping Policies

8:35am January 11, 2013

The new policies are being hailed as unprecedented in American professional sports. Starting next year, the league will be fighting the use of human growth hormone and testosterone, two allegedly popular banned substances.

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