Opinion

Dominated By 1 Point Of View, Late-Night TV Needs New Voices

7:53am April 21, 2014

by Eric Deggans

On Tuesday, Stephen Colbert stops by the CBS Late Show to greet the man he'll replace next year, David Letterman. It also spotlights a reality in late-night TV --almost every host is a white man.

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What legally makes whiskey taste like Tennessee?

A Bill To Distill Simmers In Tennessee

11:27am March 29, 2014

by Scott Simon

Does a legally mandated recipe ensure Tennessee whiskey's quality, or does it violate the spirit's moonshiner roots? NPR's Scott Simon says that further study, and a sampling, is in order.

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Without World War I, the woman's suffrage movement might have been slower to gain traction.

Without World War I, A Slower U.S. Rise, No 'God Bless America'

4:45pm March 13, 2014

by NPR Staff

If the Great War had never happened, America might look vastly different. Among other things, woman's suffrage and the civil rights movement might have suffered.

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Vladimir Lenin in 1900. In our counterfactual history, his career as the producer of the musical Pins and Needles is only a few years away.

A World Without World War I, Featuring Health-Nut Hitler

4:43pm March 13, 2014

by NPR Staff

One hundred years after the Great War, we're looking back at the history that wasn't. If Archduke Franz Ferdinand hadn't been killed in 1914, how would the world be different?

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Ukrainian skier Bogdana Matsotska decided not to compete in Friday's slalom race, in a show of solidarity with protesters in Kiev.

Ukrainian Olympic Skier's Stand Is A Sacrifice For Her Country

3:43pm February 26, 2014

by Scott Simon

A Ukrainian skier has pulled out of the Olympics to show solidarity with protesters back home. While the impact of her move is unclear, forgoing a chance at a medal is a powerful symbol.

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Matthew McConaughey stars as a man on the run from authorities in Jeff Nichols' Mud.

Arts

Matthew McConaughey, Getting Serious Again

5:30pm February 25, 2014

Known for rom-coms, the actor, currently starring in Mud, is taking on more dramatic roles.

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Sports

Forego The Faux Snow: The Games Could Use A Permanent Home

2:43pm February 08, 2014

by Scott Simon

Will Sochi be a city of super-sized, expensive venues that sit mostly empty in the future? Maybe having different cities host the Olympics doesn't make much sense.

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Francisco Vasquez says his niece, Ellie, and his sister's battle with cancer have transformed his life "forever."

National

A Baby Who Saved Her Family From 'The Dark Moments'

2:34pm February 05, 2014

by NPR Staff

Maria Vasquez-Rojas was thrilled when she learned she was pregnant. But soon afterward she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer — at the same time her brother Francisco was struggling with drug addiction. Maria's daughter's birth has transformed not just Maria's life, but Francisco's, too.

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This handout provided by the Santa Monica Police Department shows ammunition, magazines and guns believed to have been dropped by a suspected gunman during a mass shooting at Santa Monica College in June 2013.

Education

Violence Abroad Threatens Students, As Do Guns At U.S. Schools

12:06pm January 27, 2014

by Jacki Lyden

Suicide bombings like the one that killed two university colleagues in Kabul prompt many Americans to tell themselves they're safe from targeted violence in the U.S. We know that isn't true, says NPR's Jacki Lyden.

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Protesters in San Francisco block a Google bus, which shuttles employees from the city to its location in Silicon Valley.

Economy

Hackers? Techies? What To Call San Francisco's Newcomers

4:59pm January 17, 2014

by Geoff Nunberg

Linguist Geoff Nunberg lives in the Mission and says young tech employees have been pouring into the neighborhood. But what to call these new residents? He says the term "techie" used to suggest a computer whiz with no social skills; now it suggests one with no social conscience.

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