U.S. Troops Fill NATO Training Gap In Afghanistan
()The Pentagon is sending 800 more American soldiers to Afghanistan in the coming weeks to help train Afghan security forces. That's because other NATO countries still haven't fulfilled their pledges to send their own troops to train the Afghan army and police.
Latin America
Venezuela's Chavez Tightens Grip On Judiciary()
April 27, 2010 Judges are under threat in Venezuela as President Hugo Chavez increases pressure on the judiciary to toe the government line. An independent-minded judge, Maria Lourdes Afiuni, finds herself facing corruption charges for ordering the release of a former banker who ran afoul of the government.
Politics
Biden 'Absolutely Confident' On Economic Recovery()
April 27, 2010 The vice president tells NPR that the Obama administration's economic policies are taking the country in the right direction. And he stands by a prediction for job growth that even some allies have called "optimistic."
Health
Black Lung Compensation An Uphill Battle For Miners()
April 27, 2010 Black lung disease is on the rise, yet compensation for those disabled by it is decreasing. Miners must fight for medical care compensation, and their black lung diagnoses and disabilities are often challenged. They go through numerous appeals, and an average claim takes about seven years — or longer.
Three Books...
Three Books To Get You Out Of A Political Wilderness()
April 27, 2010 Tired of trying to break through the filibusters, steep the tea, climb the summits? In an era dominated by partisan shouting, Christine Rosen offers a reading list that should appeal to anyone — conservative and liberal alike — feeling left out of the debate.
Digital Life
iPhone Flap Sparks Police Raid, Shield-Law Talk()
April 27, 2010 When an unlucky Apple employee left a still-secret iPhone prototype in a bar, the person who found it reportedly sold it to the gadget blog Gizmodo for $5,000. Then the Gizmodo blogger's home office was searched by law enforcement, and more questions are swirling: Were Apple's corporate secrets illegally purchased? Was a California journalist-shield law violated?
Environment
Scientists Capture Elusive Giant Palouse Earthworm()
April 27, 2010 The giant Palouse earthworm, a big white worm native to the Palouse prairie region of Idaho and Washington state, was said to be abundant in the late 19th century — then seemed to disappear. Some people thought they never existed. Now, researchers have positively identified a worm found in Idaho, and it has some farmers worried.