Story of the Day

The campaign to label foods containing genetically modified organisms is gaining ground in some parts of the U.S. But GMO ingredients are found in some 70 percent of foods we buy in the U.S. Would a ubiquitous GMO label scare off consumers, or would they learn to accept it and buy anyway?

So far, tobacco companies have paid more than $100 billion to state governments as part of a 25-year, $246 billion settlement. Though the money was meant to be spent on prevention and smoking-related programs, it didn't come with a mandate.

The extreme paralysis that has become the norm in Washington is almost never seen in Western European democracies. Political scientists say there are lessons the U.S. can take from Europe.

A lack of funding to labs is likely to mean an early death for thousands of mice used in scientific and medical research. The loss of specialty mice, many of which have genes that can cause them to develop versions of human diseases, is especially troubling to scientists — and expensive.

Nearly a year's worth of rain was dumped on parts of the state in four days this fall. The downpour from the heavens created a slurry on the mountainsides that scrubbed away soil, trees, boulders and buildings. Scientists say the flooding may have been a once-in-a-thousand-years event.

Scientists who study the remote, rugged continent at the bottom of the world are on edge as funding for research there remains in jeopardy. It hasn't been decided yet if Antarctic operations for the research season will be allowed to continue.

The docket this year has nothing quite as riveting as last year's same-sex marriage cases, or the challenge to President Obama's health care overhaul from the term before. But once again, the court is facing hot-button social issues and questions of presidential and congressional power.

A 54-year-old California man has never had health insurance and wasn't much interested in the debate over the Affordable Care Act. But after some recent health setbacks, he is eager to sign up for coverage made possible by the law.

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have had five years of fights and negotiations to learn how to work together. But today, their relationship is as sour as it's ever been. While closer ties might not solve the shutdown, the mutual suspicion and mistrust aren't helping.

Journalist David Finkel embedded with the 2-16 Infantry Battalion during the troop surge in Iraq, then recorded their stories in his first book, The Good Soldiers. Now, his new book chronicles the struggles of those who made it home, from their recurring nightmares and suicidal thoughts to the challenges of getting help.