Hot USA News

#Breaking #News #USA Appeals Court Backs Key Part Of The Structure Of Consumer Watchdog Agency The ruling is the latest development in the legal fight over the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau supporters say combats predatory lending and other abuses. Critics say the agency is too powerful. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA U.S. Renews Temporary Protected Status For Some Syrians In 2012, Syrians living in the U.S. were shielded from having to return to a country embroiled in war. Those protections were extended Wednesday, but only for Syrians in the U.S. since Aug. 1, 2016. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA In New York, Gun Owners Balk At New Handgun Database A plan to have gun owners in New York register their handguns has sparked anger. State officials say a database will help keep guns out of the hands of people who legally shouldn't have them. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Whale Hello: Orcas Can Imitate Human Speech, Researchers Find A killer whale attempting to say "hello" or "Amy" did not sound as clear as, say, a parrot. But scientists found that the whales could repeat human vocalizations with some success. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Discovery In India Suggests An Early Global Spread Of Stone Age Technology Scientists have found stone tools in India dating back to 385,000 years ago. The sharp tools were made with a Stone Age technique thought to have originated in Africa and Europe. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Truck Driver Plows Over Peru's 2,000-Year-Old Nazca Lines, Leaving 'Deep Scars' The driver reportedly said he didn't know the area because he had never traveled there before, and that he left the road due to a mechanical problem. But some speculated he was trying to avoid a toll. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA National Book Awards Add Category Honoring Works In Translation The new prize will consider both fiction and nonfiction translated into English and published in the U.S. It's the first addition to the National Book Foundation's annual slate in over two decades. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Science Teacher Shares His Journey After Winning The Green Card Lottery In 2003, in Burkina Faso, Abdel Akim Adjibade found out he won the lottery — the green card lottery. He became one of approximately 50,000 people each year to win entry to the U.S. this way, and now he teaches physics in Illinois. He shares what this experience was like for him. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump's Immigration Proposal Would Eliminate Green Card Lottery As part of his immigration proposal, President Trump has proposed eliminating the Green Card Lottery that allows around 55,000 people who have no family connection or employer sponsor to enter the U.S. each year. Muzaffar Chishti, a director of the Migration Policy Institute, explains the origin of the program and how it's changed. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Discusses State Of The Union Address NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Colorado's Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper as he offers his reaction to President Trump's first State of the Union address. Trump included a call for greater bipartisanship on the sharp policy differences that divide Republicans and Democrats. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA White House Drops Victor Cha As Candidate For Ambassador To South Korea After he criticized the idea of a U.S. preemptive strike on North Korea, Victor Cha is no longer the White House's candidate for Ambassador to South Korea. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Frank Aum of the U.S. Institute of Peace about the Trump administration's "bloody nose" strategy. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Foreign Policy Experts Concerned About Idea Of A Preemptive Strike Against North Korea The White House is no longer considering its choice for the next ambassador to South Korea. The withdrawal of Victor Cha as a candidate comes as an apparent result of differing views on the idea of using a preemptive strike against North Korea. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Historian Makes Case For 'What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia' In New Book Many journalists and pundits refer to J.D. Vance's memoir Hillbilly Elegy for a better understanding of the people who live in the Appalachia region. That doesn't sit well with historian Elizabeth Catte, so she wrote her rebuttal in What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA With Focus On Unemployment, Yellen Led Fed Through Tough Balancing Act As she leaves the Fed's top job, Janet Yellen gets high marks for the way she resisted calls to raise interest rates as the economy began recovering. Instead, she was determined to boost job growth. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA It's In Their Blood: Siblings Eye 1st Mixed Curling Gold At Winter Olympics Matt and Becca Hamilton will compete in PyeongChang as mixed doubles curling makes its debut at the Olympics. The brother and sister from Wisconsin say their family bond helps drive their success. Read more on NPR

#Breaking It's In Their Blood: Siblings Eye 1st Mixed Curling Gold At Winter Olympics Matt and Becca Hamilton will compete in PyeongChang as mixed doubles curling makes its debut at the Olympics. The brother and sister from Wisconsin say their family bond helps drive their success. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Reacts To State of the Union Address To get a sense of how President Trump's first State of the Union address was received in different parts of the country, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Arkansas' Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Critics Of President Trump Say He's Highlighting The MS13 Gang For Political Purposes The parents of two teenage girls from Long Island, who were killed by alleged members of the MS-13 street gang, were in the audience for last night's State of the Union address. The White House says their stories show why the U.S. needs tougher immigration laws. But critics say the administration is deliberately demonizing immigrants, who are far more likely to the be the gang's victims than its members. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA After Acquiring A Satellite, 'Planet Money' Had To Find The Fuel To Get It In Space Once you get a satellite, you need to find a large tube filled with explosive fuel to take your satellite to space. Luckily, there is fierce competition among rocket makers to give you a lift. In the second of three-part series, Planet Money travels from California to New Zealand to see which rocket with blast their satellite to the stars. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA NY State Attorney General On Why He's Going After Fake Social Media Accounts NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Eric Schneiderman, New York State Attorney General, about his investigation of a company selling fake followers on social media. Some of the profiles being used have been stolen from real people. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald Resigns After Reports Show Investment In Tobacco Stocks Brenda Fitzgerald, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resigned on Wednesday because of financial conflicts of interest. The chief public health official bought stocks in tobacco and health care companies after she started working at the agency. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Rep. Joe Kennedy Discusses The Democratic Agenda Going Forward Follow President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., delivered the Democrats' response. NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Kennedy about the speech and the Democratic agenda going forward. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA After SOTU, Lawmakers Waiting To See If Trump Will Released GOP Memo Following President Trump's State of the Union address, one big question remains on whether the White House will allow the release of a controversial House GOP memo related to the Russia investigation. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA White House Scuttles Ambassador Pick Apparently Over View On North Korea Policy Victor Cha, the top candidate for ambassador to South Korea, voiced his opinion that a preemptive strike against North Korea could be very dangerous. He is no longer being considered for the post. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Journalist Details Israel's 'Secret History' Of Targeted Assassinations Ronen Bergman says that while Israel's shootings, poisonings, bombings and drone strikes against its perceived enemies were "tactical successes," they were also diplomatically harmful. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Fujifilm To Acquire Photocopying Pioneer Xerox In A $6.1 Billion Deal The deal signals the end of independence for a once-iconic U.S. company. Tokyo-based Fujifilm said it will cut 10,000 jobs as part of the restructuring of its 56-year-old joint venture with Xerox. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA FBI Warns Of 'Grave Concerns' About 'Accuracy' Of GOP Snooping Memo The FBI went on record faulting the much-discussed memo as the White House said it was working to make it public. It could appear as soon as this week. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Justice Department Won't Retry Sen. Menendez After Corruption Case Mistrial Prosecutors had planned to retry the New Jersey senator after last year's mistrial. But they relented Wednesday, one week after a federal judge threw out some of the bribery charges against him. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA USDA Denies Poultry Industry's Request To Speed Up The Slaughter Line The National Chicken Council says a faster line speed would increase efficiency and modernize systems. Food safety advocates are calling the move a victory for both workers and consumers. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Train Carrying GOP Lawmakers Hits Garbage Truck In Virginia The Amtrak train was carrying Republican members of Congress to an annual legislative planning retreat in West Virginia. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA The Man Behind 'Left Shark' Explains His Viral Super Bowl Moment Three years ago, Bryan Gaw performed alongside Katy Perry in a blue shark costume and became an instant hit. Today he says he was playing a character: an everyday, imperfect person. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Researchers Discover 'Anxiety Cells' In The Brain Scientists who identified specific brain cells in mice that control anxiety say the discovery could provide insights that might eventually help people with panic disorder and social phobia. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA How To Drive Down Smoking In Groups That Still Light Up Only around 15 percent of adults in America smoke — but that still leaves 40 million people who smoke cigarettes, and many of them belong to the most vulnerable population groups. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Australian Government's Secret 'Cabinet Files' Were Found In ... An Old Cabinet The ABC says thousands of pages of classified and sensitive documents were left in two filing cabinets — which the government sold for cheap at a second-hand shop, because it couldn't find the keys. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA CDC Director Resigns Due To 'Complex' Financial Entanglements Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald had "complex financial interests," according to a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. News reports say she bought tobacco stock while CDC director. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Lawmakers Urge FEMA To Reconsider Ending Food Aid For Puerto Rico Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson said he was "absolutely shocked" by FEMA's "disastrous" decision. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Top Stories: Chair Yellen Ends Fed Term; Trump To Keep Guantanamo Bay Open Also: A Russia intelligence official reportedly meets U.S. officials, despite sanctions; Bill Nye the Science Guy attends Trump's speech; and secret documents turn up in an Australian thrift store. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump Signs Order To Keep Prison At Guantanamo Bay Open The president's new order reverses one issued by Obama in his first days in office. During his campaign, Trump had promised to keep the facility open and to "load it up with some bad dudes." Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA 8 Key Moments And Themes From Trump's First State Of The Union Address In case you missed the State of the Union address, here's what you need to know. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump Signs Order To Keep Guantanamo Open President Trump announced during his first State of the Union address that he signed an executive order to keep the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba open as part of his national security agenda. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA 'Science Guy' Attends State Of The Union Address, And Some Scientists Aren't Happy When Bill Nye said he would attend the speech alongside Rep. Jim Bridenstine, the Trump administration's nominee for NASA administrator, it didn't sit well with some scientists. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump's Big Speech: More Pep Rally Than Bipartisan Breakthrough It is true that Trump's tone and manner were more restrained than his famously rousing style on the stump. But a somewhat more sedate delivery does not, in itself, constitute a conciliatory speech. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA As Yellen Exits As Fed Chair, Interest Rates Are Expected To Remain Steady Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen presides over her last policy meeting on Wednesday. After a two-day meeting the Fed is expected to announce at 2 p.m. ET where interest rates stand. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Is 2018's 'Designated Survivor' Following the long-standing practice, the former Georgia governor will be in a secure and undisclosed location for Tuesday night's State of the Union. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Stanford Scuttles Plans For Plaque Marking Sexual Assault Over Quote Dispute The university rejected the victim's ideas for words to go on the memorial, insisting she chose from a statement she read at her attacker's sentencing. She has decided to withdraw from the process. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA State Of The Union: Trump To Pitch To 'One American Family' Trump is expected to play up his economic success and highlight the GOP tax plan passed last month, the signature achievement of his first year in office. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump's State Of The Union Address, Annotated President Trump is expected to make a bipartisan pitch in Tuesday night's address. Follow the speech live, with context and analysis from NPR journalists. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA State Of The Union: Trump To Make Pitch To 'One American Family' Trump is expected to play up his economic success and highlight the GOP tax plan passed last month, the signature achievement of his first year in office. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Texas Governor Asks Rangers To Investigate Karolyi Ranch For Sexual Abuse The Walker County Sheriff's Office has already been investigating the allegations by multiple athletes of molestation that happened when they were training at the ranch. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Texas Governor Asks Rangers To Investigate Karolyi Ranch For Sexual Abuse The Walker County Sheriff's Office has already been investigating the allegations by multiple athletes of molestation that happened when they were training at the ranch. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Teenagers Are Still Eating Tide Pods, But Don't Expect A Product Redesign The pace of poisonings in the so-called Tide Pods Challenge continues to grow. The candy-like appearance of the packets draws easy criticism. Procter & Gamble says it's not planning a new design. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Fraud Officials Are Investigating Sales That Caused Nutella Riots in France Drastic discounts on Nutella caused fights to break out in France last week. Investigators are now trying to determine if the sales broke trade laws. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA What's the 5-Year-Survival Rate For Cancer Patients Around The World? A new study looks at patient records for a variety of cancers from 71 countries. Some of the data is encouraging — and some is discouraging. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Confrontational Mood Grips Capitol Hill Ahead Of Trump's Speech One Republican lawmaker asked authorities to check the identification of immigrants coming as guests. A Democrat is bringing the candidate challenging House Speaker Paul Ryan to sit in the audience. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Drug Distributors Shipped 20.8 Million Painkillers To West Virginia Town Of 3,000 Other towns were similarly inundated, in a state that now has the highest rate of drug overdose deaths. In 2008, one wholesaler provided 5,624 pills for every man, woman and child in Kermit, W.Va. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Wednesday's Rare Super Blue Blood Moon: How To See It And What We Can Learn Early Wednesday morning, there's a lunar event that hasn't been seen since 1866. And scientists say data gathered during the event could help them figure out where to land a rover on the moon. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Iowa Bill Would Require High School Students To Pass U.S. Citizenship Test Before Graduating High school students in Iowa might have to take one more exam before receiving their diplomas — a civic test. It's the same test administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to those looking to become U.S. citizens. That's part of a new bill introduced in the Iowa legislature. NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Iowa, about his bill. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA How Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway Could Reshape Health Care Industry NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Steven Halper, managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald about Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase's announcement that they are creating a new health care company. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell Plans To Bring Wife Of Deportee To SOTU Address NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., in advance of President Trump's first State of the Union address. Dingell is bringing Cindy Garcia, the wife of a Jorge Garcia, who was deported last month to Mexico after living in the U.S. for 30 years. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Capitol Hill Is Divided Leading Up To President Trump's First SOTU Address President Trump will deliver his first official State of the Union address in front of a divided and confrontational Congress. The mood on Capitol Hill is antagonistic and divided leading up to the speech. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA FCC Wants To Ensure Only Those Affected By Natural Disasters Get Emergency Messages Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai is proposing changes in the way alerts are sent to cell phones, hoping to make them more targeted. Such changes might have better informed residents of Houston during last year's hurricane related flooding and California residents during wildfires. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA After FBI Deputy Director McCabe Resigns, A Look At Where The Russia Investigation Stands From the GOP authored memo alleging surveillance abuse by the FBI, to the abrupt departure of the bureau's embattled deputy head, to the administrations actions or non-actions against Russians with ties to the Kremlin, the past two days have been busy ones for the Russia Investigation. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump Facing Criticism For Not Doing Enough To Punish Russia For Election Meddling The list of Russians drawn up as part of a sanctions package signed into law last year is not acceptable, according to Senate Democrats who are sharply critical of the Trump administration move. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Former 'Glee' Actor Mark Salling Found Dead Of Apparent Suicide Salling faced four to seven years in prison for possession of child pornography. He played the character Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the TV show about a high school singing group. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA South Africa's Cape Town Is Set To Run Out Of Water In April The South African city of Cape Town is running out of water. On Day Zero — April 16 — the taps will get turned off. As that day approaches, residents are thirsty for answers. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA The History Of Inviting Extraordinary Americans To The SOTU Address The State of the Union tradition of inviting extraordinary Americans to sit with the first lady began under Ronald Reagan in 1982. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Gerhard Peters, co-director of the American Presidency Project at the University of California — Santa Barbara, who is also a political science professor at Citrus College, about the tradition. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Thought War On Terror Would Be Easily Won After a six-year fight with the Department of Defense, the researchers at the National Security Archive obtained thousands of memos written by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Nate Jones, director of the archive's Freedom of Information Act Project, about what the memos reveal. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Health Stocks Drop After Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway And JPMorgan Chase Announcement Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway are launching an effort to make health care simpler and cheaper for their own workers. The announcement sent health company stock prices lower. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Republican Rep. David Schweikert Discusses White House's Immigration Framework NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and member of the Freedom Caucus, about the White House immigration framework and infrastructure plan ahead of President Trump's first State of the Union address. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA President Trump Expected To Address Divisive Issues In SOTU Speech When President Trump delivers his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, aides say he will be optimistic, bipartisan and forward-looking. But Trump is not known for bringing people together and many issues he'll speak about are divisive. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Somaliland Debates A Tough New Penal Code For 'Rape And Sexual Offences' Current laws recognize some offenses but they're narrowly defined. "We want to properly address the issue once and for all," says Mohamed Ahmed of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA EPA Chief Worried Trump Would Be 'Abusive To The Constitution' In comments to a Tulsa radio host in February 2016, then Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he feared President Trump would use executive orders unconstitutionally if he were elected. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Yemen Prime Minister Holed Up As Separatists Seize Most Of Key Southern City Intense fighting between the forces of the two former allies has left the city's presidential palace surrounded — and the cabinet, including Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid Bin Daghar, stuck inside. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Utah Jails, Prisons To Get New Safety Standards After Deaths And Controversy Questions about the number of inmates dying in custody drew attention to the standards. A former Corrections chief said existing safety standards contained trade secrets, and would not release them. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway Pursue The Health Care 'Unicorn' Details are scarce, but the companies said they want to help their employees get high-quality health care at a reasonable cost. Will this consortium have better luck than those that have preceded it? Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA U.S. Releases 'Oligarchs List' And Opts Against New Sanctions On Russia The tally includes Russia's elite and powerful, and part of it duplicates a Forbes list. Russia's President Vladimir Putin isn't on the list, though his cabinet is. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Learning To Love Sake: Japan Ramps Up Efforts To Entice Foreign Markets Faced with a shrinking market and workforce, Japanese sake brewers are relying more on exports for growth. So, the government and sake industry are investing in education to help demystify the drink. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA After Defending Controversial Bishop, Pope To Send Sex Abuse Investigator To Chile Pope Francis questioned survivors' accounts and defended a Chilean bishop accused of a coverup. But the Vatican announced Tuesday that a top envoy will now look into survivors' claims. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Hawaii Missile Drill Stated 'This Is Not A Drill,' Resulting In False Alert An investigation finds that the false alert sent to the state earlier this month was the result of a worker misunderstanding a drill as a true emergency. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA The State Of Our Politics Is Divided, Mistrustful And Engaged More than ever, Americans seem to be taking sides not according to issues or ideology but according to their political tribe. But the public is also more politically engaged than ever before. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway And JPMorgan Tackle Health Care Costs Some of the biggest names in business are aligning to launch a new health care venture. Scott Hensley, editor of NPR's Shots health blog, has an overview. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Do You Know A Teacher Who Has Gone The Extra Mile — Or Beyond? Tell us about a teacher you know who has gone beyond the classroom call of duty. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway And JPMorgan Chase Launch New Healthcare Company The new company will be "free from profit-making incentives and constraints" as it tries to find ways to cut costs and improve healthcare satisfaction for employees Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA A Century-Old Dairy Ditches Cows For High-Tech Plant Milk American aren't drinking as much milk. One long-established dairy is spurring business by replacing cows with nuts and grains, and using new technology to make alternative "milk" sources. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Top Stories: Trump's First State Of The Union; U.S. Military Limits Afghan Data Also: Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga takes a symbolic presidential oath of office; a Russian fighter jet buzzes a U.S. Navy plane; and watch for the blue blood super moon tonight! Read more on NPR

#Breaking Indians To Remove Controversial Logo From Its Uniforms After decades of controversy, the Cleveland Indians will remove the "Chief Wahoo" logo from its baseball uniforms in 2019. The logo is revered by some fans and considered offensive by many others. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Students, Alumni Watch As Michigan State Tries To Restore Its Reputation The university grapples with the aftermath of the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal that's left students, faculty, alumni and donors wondering what's next, and bracing for civil suits against the school. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA After A Polyp Is Found, Patients May Have To Chip In For Colonoscopies While the federal health law made insurers cover the full cost of screening colonoscopies, consumers with a history of polyps who need more frequent tests may have to pick up some costs. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Can Seaweed Save Shellfish From Climate Change? Warming oceans are hurting the shellfish industry. Scientists are hoping that seagrasses, like seaweed, can help soak up extra carbon in the water. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears: An Animated Tale Why do dogs look different from wolves? The question bedeviled Charles Darwin. Now scientists have a fascinating theory that links droopy ears and splotchy coats with domestication. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Heroes, DREAMers And Bill Nye: The Guest List For Trump's First State Of The Union The guests offer a snapshot of the political messages that each party is hoping to highlight Tuesday. For Trump, the focus is on national security and law enforcement. For Democrats, it's immigration. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Blue And Red States Concerned About New Tax Law Contrary to expectations, the new federal tax law may bring a windfall to coastal, liberal Maryland and a budgetary hit to rural, conservative Montana. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump To Make Bipartisan Pitch To A Divided Country In His First State Of The Union A senior administration official said that the theme of Tuesday's speech will be "building a safe, strong and proud America" and will highlight economic growth and other successes of the past year. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Colombian President Pauses Peace Talks With Rebel Group, ELN It is the second time this month negotiations have been put on hold after insurgents launched a series of bomb attacks on police targets. It is unclear when negotiations will resume. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA 'Experienced Pilot' Makes Emergency Landing on Freeway When the plane's engine failed, 25-year-old Izzy Slod guided the Beech Bonanza under a 20-foot overpass and used State Route 55 in Costa Mesa, Calif., as a landing strip. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA All The Rules, None Of The Voting Rights: EU Lays Out Plan For Brexit Transition Instead of immediate U.K. independence in March 2019, European powers have agreed to a "transition period" until the end of 2020 — in which Britain would be bound by EU rules without an EU vote. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA German Carmakers Test Emissions On Humans And Monkeys Twenty-five "healthy young persons" were exposed to different concentrations of nitrogen dioxide for hours as part of a study for the car manufacturers. The gas can cause respiratory problems. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Kremlin Says Expected U.S. Sanctions Would Interfere With Russia's Presidential Election The Kremlin says it expects new U.S. sanctions on Russian business leaders would interfere in Russia's presidential election in March. Meanwhile, the Kremlin says an opposition leader detained and later released during Sunday's protests poses no threat to President Vladimir Putin. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA The History Of The Family Unification Immigration Policy In The U.S. The U.S. immigration policy that allows U.S. citizens and green card holders to sponsor other relatives to come to the U.S. was first introduced 50 years ago by an immigration hard liner in Congress. President Trump now wants to end "chain migration." Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA How The Trump Administration's Aid Agency Is Faring With Budget Cuts President Trump has been cutting budgets for foreign aid and that means the man in charge of U.S. development work around the world has a tough selling job with his own government. But how is the Trump administration's aid agency is faring? Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Why The Federal Workforce Morale Is At An All-Time Low The federal work force morale is at an all-time low, according to some accounts. That might be because the number of workers is roughly the same as it was 30 years ago, while there are 100 million more people in the country. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Former Special Ops Agent Discusses How Tech, Fitness Trackers Affect The Military NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Paul Scharre about the discovery that fitness trackers such as Fitbit are revealing "heat maps" of where U.S. military personnel are running. Scharre is a former special operations agent, who now looks into how technology is interacting with military needs. He says this fitness tracker story illustrates a broader range of issues with apps, social media and devices and their effects on today's military. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Liberal Groups Seize On Report That NRA May Have Been Involved In Russian Meddling A liberal group is calling for an FEC investigation after reports that the FBI is examining whether a Russian banker illegally donated to the National Rifle Association to support President Trump's campaign. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Leaving After More Than 20 Years McCabe stepped down Monday from his post as the bureau's No. 2 official. As expected he will take accumulated leave and remain on the payroll until March when he is eligible to retire with full benefits. The departure plan had been in the works for a while. President Trump and his allies have made McCabe a favorite target of criticism in recent months. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Low Snowfall In The Rockies Could Is Concerning Water Managers Out West Record-low snowfall in some parts of the Rocky Mountains this winter isn't just bad for the ski industry. It's also a real problem for water managers throughout the West. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA In California, Stockton Experiments With Guaranteed Basic Income The city of Stockton, Calif., plans to give its poorest residents $500 a month, no strings attached. It's the first U.S. city to guarantee a basic income. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs about the plan. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Emerging Candidate In Egypt Probably Won't Change Presidential Election Outcome A candidate has finally emerged to challenge Egyptian President's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi re-election campaign. Even with another candidate, the expected outcome of the election probably won't change. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Following Attacks In Afghanistan, Trump Rejects Idea Of Negotiating With The Taliban The fourth large terror attack in Afghanistan in nine days resulted in 11 deaths at a training base and was claimed by ISIS. Attacks have been split between ISIS and Taliban forces in a seeming attempt to further destabilize the country. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA In D.C., Thirty-Four Percent Of Graduates Received A Diploma Against District Policy Following the WAMU/NPR investigation into policy violations at Ballou High School, a new report shows that more than 900 students districtwide graduated against policy. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Bloodshed Roils Yemen's South, Further Complicating An Already Complicated War Separatists have traded gunfire with Yemen's government forces, shattering their uneasy alliance against the Houthi rebels. The broken pact could spell trouble for a Saudi-led coalition, too. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Idaho 'Pushing Envelope' With Health Insurance Plan: How Far Can It Go? Will the Trump administration compel Idaho to stick to health insurance rules laid out in the Affordable Care Act or let the state proceed with plans to skip some of its consumer protections? Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA FEMA To End Food And Water Aid For Puerto Rico The Federal Emergency Management Agency has delivered millions of meals and gallons of water since Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Four months later, it says that help is no longer needed. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA No Middle Eastern Or North African Category On 2020 Census, Bureau Says The Census Bureau's announcement about its race and ethnicity questions disappoints advocates who for years have been pushing for a check box for people with roots in the Middle East or North Africa. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Cleveland Indians Will Remove 'Chief Wahoo' From Uniforms In 2019 For decades, Native Americans and their supporters have protested the baseball team's logo, a bright red caricature of a Native person. It's coming off uniforms — but staying on fan merchandise. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Cleveland Indians Will Remove 'Chief Wahoo' From Uniforms In 2019 For decades, Native Americans and their supporters have protested the baseball team's logo, a bright red caricature of a Native person. It's coming off uniforms — but staying on fan merchandise. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Pentagon Reviews GPS Policies After Soldiers' Strava Tracks Are Seemingly Exposed The Pentagon says it's looking at adding new training and policies to address security concerns, after researchers see potential security breaches in Strava's Heat Map of jogging and cycling routes. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA A FARC Rebel Commander Runs For President. Many Colombians Aren't Ready To Forgive After more than 50 years of insurgency, Colombia's most notorious leftist militant group has handed over its guns and formed a political party that's now fielding its first election candidates. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Frelinghuysen Exit Adds To House GOP Retirement Woes The Appropriations Committee chairman's decision opens up a competitive New Jersey district that President Trump only narrowly carried in 2016. Thirty-three GOP House members are now retiring. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA After Harrowing Weekend Rescue, One Climber Saved, One Lost To 'Killer Mountain' A team of Polish mountaineers, preparing to climb K2, responded to a call from a duo attempting a risky winter ascent of Pakistan's Nanga Parbat. They rescued one climber but couldn't reach the other. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Paul Manafort Joined The Trump Campaign In A State Of 'Despair And Desperation' Atlantic journalist Franklin Foer says before Manafort became Trump's campaign manager, he rewrote the rules of lobbying and then became entangled in the world of dictators, oligarchs and dirty money. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Nearly 9,000 DACA Teachers Face An Uncertain Future Classroom teachers covered by the federal immigration program could lose their jobs and face deportation unless Congress and the Trump administration reach agreement on protecting them. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Trump Jr. Hits At Hillary Clinton's 'Fire And Fury' Grammy Cameo Clinton appeared in a faux audition to narrate the audiobook of the gossipy bestseller. Donald Trump, Jr. tweeted that her reading was "a great consolation prize for losing the presidency." Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA 10 Takeaways From The 2018 Grammys The 2018 Grammy Awards did what the Grammys so often do: They dashed high expectations with safe picks and, in many cases, flat performances. But a few highlights stood out. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Panera Bread Recalls Cream Cheese Across U.S. Over Listeria Fears Citing "an abundance of caution," the fast-casual chain announced Sunday it is recalling its cream cheese products after one variety tested positive for the bacteria. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Too Little, Too Late, Too Risky: Surgery In Africa A new survey looks at the state of surgery in Africa. We asked Dr. Forster Amponsah-Manu, a general surgeon in Ghana, about his reaction — and his personal experiences. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA The Cheese Does Not Stand Alone: How Fungi And Bacteria Team Up For A Tastier Rind Cheese rinds may seem simple, even discardable, but the microbial world they contain is complex. Among their inhabitants: bacterial swimmers that hop on highways of fungal tendrils to get around. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Russia's Paralympics Team Is Banned From South Korea's Winter Games If they pass scrutiny, some Russian athletes will be able to compete in a handful of sports, under a neutral flag. The Russians dominated at the last Winter Paralympics, held in Sochi. Read more on NPR

#Breaking Russia's Paralympics Team Is Banned From South Korea's Winter Games If they pass scrutiny, some Russian athletes will be able to compete in a handful of sports, under a neutral flag. The Russians dominated at the last Winter Paralympics, held in Sochi. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Democrats Turn To A Kennedy For Rebuttal To Trump's State Of The Union Address While Rep. Joe Kennedy may have a famous family name, he also represents a younger generation within a Democratic Party led by septuagenarians. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Top Stories: Deadly New Afghan Attack; Russians Protest Upcoming Election Also: The Los Angeles Times' editor is forced out in more newsroom turmoil; Bruno Mars wins several Grammy Awards; and don't forget to get your flu shot. Read more on NPR

#Breaking #News #USA Seven Rescued In Pacific Ocean Days After Ferry Sinking Passengers from the MV Butiraoi, a Kirabati ferry that sank more than a week ago were picked up by New Zealand's military. Read more on NPR