Millions of children are heading back to school, and to mark the traditional start of the school year, we've asked reporters from member stations around the country to bring us the sounds.
Many of the 2 million men serving time in the U.S. have formed their sense of manhood while incarcerated. And becoming a different kind of man isn't easy — either behind bars, or beyond them.
The Texas governor is charged with abuse of office and coercing a public official, but he claims he was just doing what governors do: Vetoing a budget item.
Regulations passed in Texas, which affected clinics that perform abortions there, have been blocked by a federal judge, on the grounds that they unconstitutionally restricted access to legal abortion.
Colorado is rolling out regulations for the edible-marijuana sector, including "emergency rules," which spell out serving sizes. But for now, most of the dosage education is falling to pot shops.
The protests following Michael Brown's death have rekindled long-standing complaints about racist policing in the St. Louis area. Cops there are now becoming more outspoken in their own defense.
Diane Foley tells NPR that her son, slain journalist James Foley, "could have done so many other things. But he, I think, was drawn to some of the drama, some of the rawness of the conflict zones."
The world's newest country has been roiled by ethnic and political clashes, as well as famine. The U.S. and other African heads of state are pressing the country's president to make peace with rebels.