Tri-Cities TN/VA: Broken clouds, 78.8 °F
NPR coverage of national news, U.S. politics, elections, business, arts, culture, health and science, and technology. Subscribe to the NPR Nation RSS feed.
Updated: 5 min 31 sec ago
Obama Announces Resignation Of Acting IRS Commissioner
The president says the resignation of Steve Miller is part of a larger effort to make sure the IRS never again engages in partisan targeting of certain groups.
White House Addresses Benghazi Emails, IRS Audits
The White House has released 100 pages of internal emails related to the development of talking points after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last year. President Barack Obama also addressed the controversy surrounding the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups. Audie Cornish talks to Scott Horsley.
LA Schools Throw Out Suspensions For 'Willful Defiance'
Students deemed "willfully defiant" accounted for nearly half of California's 700,000 suspensions last year. Many educators are cheering the Los Angeles Unified School District's decision to ban such suspensions, arguing the category is too broad and disproportionately targeted black students.
Leaks, Bombs And Double Agents: More On That AP Story
The Associated Press story that prompted a Justice Department subpoena of journalists' phone records blew the cover of a double agent embedded in Yemen's al-Qaida affiliate.
10 Things We Learned From the IRS Inspector General Report
Among the things we learned about the IRS from the inspector general's report was that their boss told the group of employees at the controversy's heart to stop their dubious practices. Which they did, for a little while at least.
One Reason To Apply For Tax-Exempt Status: Anonymity
The IRS scandal has put a spotlight on a part of the tax code increasingly popular with political groups. Donors can't get tax deductions for giving to 501(c)(4) organizations like they would for charities. But the names of those donors can stay private.
Wired And Fired: A New 'Smart Rifle'
A new rifle goes on sale on Wednesday, and it's not like any other. It uses lasers and computers to make shooters very accurate. A startup gun company in Texas developed the rifle, which is so effective some in the industry say it should not be sold to the public.
Richard Swanson Didn't Reach Brazil, But He Found An Audience
Tributes are appearing online for Richard Swanson, the Seattle man whose plan to dribble a soccer ball all the way to Brazil to raise money for charity ended Tuesday after he was struck and killed by a pickup truck in Oregon.
Maryland Suburb Says 16 Is Old Enough To Vote
The first city in the country to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections is a progressive town on the edge of Washington, D.C. But the push to allow people to vote or at least register before age 18 is ongoing in numerous states.
When The Missing Return, Recovery Is Long, Too
More than 300 freed abductees are part of an online community they call the RooterHood, where they can share their stories, their fears, and get help.
Immigrants To Be Largest Driver Of U.S. Population Growth
The Census Bureau projects that for the first time in almost two centuries, immigrants will be the main source of U.S. population growth as early as 2027.
Airlines Can Keep You From Snapping, But Not Sharing Photos
A recent incident on a commercial airliner raises an interesting question: can an airline bar you from taking pictures on their plane?
Airlines Can Keep You From Snapping, But Not Sharing Photos
A recent incident on a commercial airliner raises an interesting question: can an airline bar you from taking pictures on their plane?
Fund To Help Boston Bombing Victims Raises $30 Million
It's been one month since the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260 others.
Holder Questioned Over Justice Department's IRS Investigation
Attorney General Eric Holder faced critics in both parties at Tuesday's House Judiciary Committee hearing because his Justice Department has subpoenaed two months of phone logs from the Associated Press following a security leak in 2012.
Military's Sexual Assault Problem Is A Cultural One
On Tuesday, details were revealed about a second military officer accused of sexual offenses, even though he was supposed to be helping to educate people about the danger of sexual assault. The military has developed an elaborate system to deal with continuing waves of assault, and has a plan for dealing with the problem. But getting service members to report the crimes remains a huge challenge because of the unique workplace and chain of command issues. Melissa Block talks to Larry Abramson.
AP Targeted By Justice Department After Yemen Bomber Story
Attorney General Eric Holder is defending the Justice Department against allegations of overreach after officials revealed that investigators had obtained phone records from the Associated Press. The unusual action is the latest in a year long investigation into a 2012 AP story that revealed details of a terrorist plot out of Yemen. Attorney General Eric Holder summed up the leak this way: "This was a very, very serious leak. It is within the top two or three most serious leaks that I have ever seen." Dina Temple-Raston talks to Audie Cornish.
Publisher Threatens Librarian With $1 Billion Lawsuit
A scholarly publisher has issued a warning to Jeffrey Beall, a Colorado librarian who writes about what he calls "predatory" practices in the journal industry, threatening him with a $1 billion lawsuit for his blog posts about the company. The publisher, based in India, says he could also face jail time.
White House Releases Complete Benghazi Emails
An ABC News report ignited a firestorm. It added to suspicions that the White House had tried to shape "talking points" about the attack in Libya. The network now says it was told about a key email, but did not see it. And what appears to be the real email isn't as dramatic.
Looking Ahead: Chris Hedges On Poverty, Politics, U.S. Culture
In the latest installment of our "Looking Ahead" series, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former New York Times Middle East bureau chief Chris Hedges talks about the decisions that led him on his career path, and where he sees the country going in the next decade.

%3B%3F%3E-->/common/images/social4.gif)
%3B%3F%3E-->/common/images/social5.gif)