News

NHL Lockout Leaves Fans Out In The Cold

7:44am December 12, 2012

by Frank Deford

Hockey fans are living their lives, going about their business, but their days are a little paler. Commentator Frank Deford says fans deserve a little sympathy when their sport is taken from them.

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A customer shops for nectarines at a farmers market in San Francisco.

Farm Bill Becomes Fodder In 'Fiscal Cliff' Wrangling

5:58am December 12, 2012

by Brian Naylor

Farm-state lawmakers are urging leaders to include a farm bill as part of any budget deal to avert year-end tax increases and spending cuts. But others argue that Congress shouldn't toss the farm bill into a giant package because it would very likely stifle debate and amendments.

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Superstorm Sandy caused massive beach erosion and damage to the Jersey shore. Some people say the beach restoration work, which will largely be paid for with federal tax dollars, will mostly help to protect expensive homes for the wealthy — people who h

National

N.J. Spars Over Free Beach Access Post-Sandy

5:58am December 12, 2012

by David Schaper

Federal taxpayers will pay the lion's share of the restoration for the Jersey shore damage caused by Sandy. But since most of those who will benefit are private landowners on the shore, one N.J. lawmaker wants to prohibit the shore towns from charging access fees to their public beaches.

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A model at the front entrance to the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship store in New York City.

Mystery On Fifth Avenue: A Constant Line Outside Abercrombie & Fitch

9:34pm December 11, 2012

by Margot Adler

For years, shoppers in Manhattan's Fifth Avenue have lined up in front the store everyday before it opens. The question is why.

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Dr. Mazen Kewara, an American vascular surgeon, trains Syrian doctors during a workshop in Antakya,Turkey.

World News

U.S. Doctors Provide Supplies, Training To Syrians

9:34pm December 11, 2012

by Deborah Amos

After months of revolt, Syria's health care system is collapsing, with half of the country's public hospitals destroyed. Yet Syrian doctors continue to treat patients. Now, a group of Syrian-American doctors is stepping in to help bring crucial supplies and training.

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'Paris Hilton Tax' Vs. 'Death Tax': A Lesser-Known Fiscal Debate

9:34pm December 11, 2012

by Scott Horsley

The estate tax is yet another piece of the fiscal cliff that needs to be worked out. Those who want to the raise what they call the "Paris Hilton tax" say it applies only to the very rich, who can afford to pay. Opponents of the increase, however, brand it the "death tax" and say it hurts farmers and small-business owners.

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These gas masks were reconditioned at the Edgewood Arsenal for civilian defense use during World War II. Later, in the 1950s and '60s, the arsenal near the Chesapeake Bay was used for secret chemical weapons testing run by the U.S. Army.

National

'Operation Delirium:' Psychochemicals And Cold War

1:13pm December 11, 2012

In his article for The New Yorker, journalist Raffi Khatchadourian tells the story of a secret program that tested nerve gas, LSD and other drugs on 5,000 American soldiers throughout the 1950s and '60s.

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The Feds Can Tell Ernest Hemingway's Cats What To Do; Here's Why

11:06am December 11, 2012

by Mark Memmott

Cats descended from one given to the writer live at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West. A visitor filed a complaint with the law. Now, judges have said the U.S. Department of Agriculture can regulate those felines. Yes, Hemingway's cats are a federal case. It's a long story.

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Detroit Tries To Stave Off State Takeover Of Finances

10:55am December 11, 2012

by Quinn Klinefelter

If the mayor and City Council can't agree on a plan to reduce the budget deficit, state officials are poised to take away their power over Detroit's purse strings. The mayor and the council blame each other for the impasse. And with the deficit deepening, residents' frustration continues to mount.

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Feds Say 'No' To Partial Medicaid Expansion

10:55am December 11, 2012

by Julie Rovner

In the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act ruling this summer, it decided that states' plans for expansion of the Medicaid program should be optional. That led governors to ask if they could expand the program in part but still receive federal funding. The administration has said no.

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