News

Cheating Might Buy Home Runs, But No Hall Of Fame

1:23pm January 14, 2013

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon muses on momentous news this week — the Baseball Writers Association elected no one to the Hall of Fame. The shutout might be a classic reminder that cheating sometimes brings quick riches, but it can't buy respect.

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A boy stands on a pile of rocks used for the construction of new homes in the hills overlooking Camp Corail, just north of Port-au-Prince. Squatters are streaming into the area and setting up communities, with little government oversight.

Despite Billions In Aid, Many Haitians Still Live In Squalid Camps

9:06am January 14, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

Three years ago, a massive earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's capital city. Aid agencies from around the world pledged billions of dollars to help Haiti rebuild. But since then, many of the grand plans have fizzled, and some 350,000 Haitians still live in makeshift camps.

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A giant squid stars in this still image taken from the footage Edie Widder shot. It's the first-ever video of these giant squids, and it'll debut in a Discovery Channel documentary airing in late January.

The Kraken Is Real: Scientist Films First Footage Of A Giant Squid

7:25pm January 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

For thousands of years, sailors have told stories of giant squids. In myth and cinema, the kraken was the most terrible of sea monsters. Now, it's been captured — on a soon-to-be-seen video.

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National

Uncertainty Looms For Pentagon In Obama's Second Term

7:25pm January 13, 2013

Facing sequestration cuts, a troop drawdown in Afghanistan and what's expected to be a contentious fight over the next defense secretary, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that some of the biggest challenges for the Department of Defense come from inside U.S. borders. Still, the Pentagon's job is to anticipate future threats — and prepare.

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Israel has announced plans to build a fence in the Golan Heights, saying radical Islamist groups have taken over Syrian villages near the boundary with Israel.

World News

Wary Of Syria's War, Israel Plans A Fence In The Golan Heights

9:04am January 13, 2013

by Sheera Frenkel

Some 20,000 Israelis now live in the Golan Heights, and so far, the Syrian conflict has had little impact on their lives. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's concerned the fighting could pose a threat.

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Former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., speaks at the White House on Monday after President Obama nominated him to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

Politics & Government

Lobbying Battle Over Hagel Under Way Before Obama's Nod

9:03am January 13, 2013

by Peter Overby

The fight over the former GOP senator's nomination to be the next defense secretary might be bigger than any other Cabinet nomination in recent history. Chuck Hagel's friends and foes are preparing for modern combat on TV and the Internet.

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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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