The Two-Way - News Blog Report: Obama Wrote Letter To Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei About Islamic State The Wall Street Journal reports that President Obama said cooperation against the Islamic State would only happen if the two reached a deal on Iran's nuclear program.
David Roberts says the Cyber-Enhanced Working Dog harness will allow humans to monitor dogs' physical and emotional states remotely, such as in search-and-rescue operations. Becky Kirkland/North Carolina State University hide caption itoggle caption Becky Kirkland/North Carolina State University All Tech Considered Harness Could Allow Dogs, Humans To Communicate Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a dog harness, equipped with speakers and vibrating motors, that could be used in search and rescue or to improve dog training.
First Lt. Alonzo Cushing, shown in an undated photo provided by the Wisconsin Historical Society, is expected to get the nation's highest military decoration this summer — the Medal of Honor — nearly 150 years after he died at the battle of Gettysburg. Wisconsin Historical Society/AP hide caption itoggle caption Wisconsin Historical Society/AP The Two-Way - News Blog Lt. Alonzo Cushing, Hero Of Gettysburg, Awarded Medal Of Honor President Obama bestowed the nation's highest honor for battlefield bravery to the Union officer, who was killed defending a key ridge against Pickett's Charge.
Being born too soon can set a child back for a lifetime. Jennifer Coate/AP hide caption itoggle caption Jennifer Coate/AP Shots - Health News Fewer Babies Are Born Prematurely, But Many Still Suffer The rate of premature births in the United States has dropped to 11 percent, showing continued progress in preventing the risks of prematurity. But there are big disparities among the states.
Homeless advocate Arnold Abbott, 90, director of the nonprofit group Love Thy Neighbor Inc., prepares a salad in the kitchen of The Sanctuary Church, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Abbott was recently arrested, along with two pastors, for feeding the homeless in a Fort Lauderdale park. Lynne Sladky/AP hide caption itoggle caption Lynne Sladky/AP The Salt Florida Activists Arrested For Serving Food To Homeless Activists in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., were arrested twice this week for giving out food to the homeless in a park. Arnold Abbott, 90, says he will continue to serve the food even if he's arrested again.
John Harris (left) walks with Warren Snead, a manager for Cooper Standard, an auto parts manufacturing factory near Spartanburg, S.C. After working as an electrician in the Air Force, Harris found the apprenticeship program at Cooper Standard, where he learns while working on the job. Mike Belleme for NPR hide caption itoggle caption Mike Belleme for NPR American Made: The New Manufacturing Landscape In S.C., A Program That Makes Apprenticeships Work Apprenticeship programs have been in decline, but South Carolina is bucking the trend. Nearly 11,000 apprentices have been trained there since 2007 in fields ranging from manufacturing to nursing.
In 49 U.S. states, spotting the squished disc in this spinal MRI is still much easier than learning the price of the MRI in advance. AWelshLad/iStockphoto hide caption itoggle caption AWelshLad/iStockphoto Shots - Health News How Much Is That MRI, Really? Massachusetts Shines A Light WBUR A state law now requires insurers to reveal prices of their medical tests, and the variation is amazing, bargain hunters say. An MRI of the back is $614 at one place; $1,800 at another. Listen Loading… 4:03 Download Playlist From member station
Berkeley's efforts to pass a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks faced opposition with deep pockets — but it also got sizable cash infusions from some big-name donors. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Salt How Did Berkeley Pass A Soda Tax? Bloomberg's Cash Didn't Hurt The American Beverage Association poured tons of cash into the effort to defeat the penny-per-ounce sugary-drink tax. But the effort to pass the tax also got cash infusions from some big-name donors.
Oil, carried here by the Trans-Alaska pipeline, is fundamental to the state's economy. But Alaskans also face the effect of climate change in their daily lives. Al Grillo/AP hide caption itoggle caption Al Grillo/AP Environment Republican Sweep Highlights Climate Change Politics In Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is set to head the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It can be easier for her oil-reliant state to adapt to the changing climate rather than address its causes.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Super Typhoon Nuri after it developed an eye on Nov. 3. NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team hide caption itoggle caption NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team The Two-Way - News Blog Typhoon Nuri Could Challenge All-Time Record Forecasts are for Nuri to lose its tropical features and then crash into a mountain of cold air in the Bering Sea, causing its pressure to plunge to record territory and bring strong winds to Alaska.
A Kenyan senior citizen leans on his cane. As people age in parts of Africa, they report declining levels of satisfaction with their life. Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images Goats and Soda You're Growing Older ... Is Your Life Getting Better Or Worse? After a middle-aged slump, most folks in the U.S. and other wealthy countries report greater happiness. But in less well-off nations, people report a sharp, never-ending decline in satisfaction.
BJ Leiderman is the composer of the theme music heard on NPR's Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Courtesy of Cole Rian: Jen Haynes & Mel Wils hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of Cole Rian: Jen Haynes & Mel Wils Around the Nation The Man Behind The 'Morning Edition' Theme. Also, Lyrics! Composer BJ Leiderman talks about writing the show's theme music and sings some of the lyrics that accompany that catchy tune.
The Smithsonian's Jonathan Blundell scans the fossilized foot bone — the metatarsal — of the Wankel T. rex to help create a digital 3-D image of the long-dead dinosaur. Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post hide caption itoggle caption Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post Science America's T. Rex Gets A Makeover Discovered in Montana in 1988, the Wankel T. Rex is a prize find — a nearly complete skeleton, now bound for display at the Smithsonian, in Washington, D.C. But first, those old bones need some work.
Janet Napolitano in May of 2014. Jim Watson /AFP/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Jim Watson /AFP/Getty Images The Two-Way - News Blog University Of California Proposes Tuition Hike For Next 5 Years After three years of a tuition freeze, UC President Janet Napolitano will propose a plan to hike tuition by as much as 5 percent each year for the next five years.
Book Reviews In The World Of Rare Books, This Mystery Goes Off-Script Bradford Morrow's novel delves into literary forgery, and takes its time doing so. But when the truth belongs to those able to fake it, The Forgers — elegant yarn it may be — promises some knots, too.
A road disappearing into the fog. iStockphoto hide caption itoggle caption iStockphoto Monkey See What Is An Ending? 'Serial' And The Ongoing Story Of Wanting Too Much A popular new podcast reporting on a single crime story over a period of weeks poses interesting questions about both telling true stories and writing fiction.
Adolphe Sax, a Belgian musician and the inventor of the saxophone, was born 200 years ago Thursday. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Music News Happy Birthday, Mr. Sax Thursday marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone. Miles Hoffman explains how an instrument designed for military bands became inextricably linked to jazz.
Screen grab from the teaser for the Discovery Channel's Eaten Alive. The Discovery Channel/YouTube hide caption itoggle caption The Discovery Channel/YouTube The Two-Way - News Blog Discovery's Man-Swallowing Snake Stunt Stretches Credulity The channel promises to air an episode featuring a man in a protective suit who is swallowed alive by a giant green anaconda.
Alicia Morant, 53, poses with her son Oriol Puig, 29, in their apartment near Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church. Both mother and son support Catalan independence from Spain, but they have different reasons for doing so. Lauren Frayer/NPR hide caption itoggle caption Lauren Frayer/NPR Parallels - World News New Generation Of Catalonian Separatists Looks To Future, Not Past The call for Catalan independence was long led by those who suffered under Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Younger Catalans are now championing the cause.