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Scott Simon speaks to Rachel Weiskittle, a psychologist specializing in the aging process, about the impact loneliness has had on elderly people during the pandemic.

Most of the millions taking prescription painkillers are older than 45, research shows, and there's been a recent increase in drug overdose deaths among people over 55. Drug mixing is partly to blame.

Michael Sussmann faces one charge of lying to the FBI ahead of the 2016 presidential election. It's the first courtroom test for special counsel John Durham, appointed by the Trump administration.

"It'd be great if you had some help — but I can assure you those kids need help more than you need help," says Steve Ijames, who trains police agencies on active-shooter situations.

Crushed by COVID-19 lockdowns and hemmed in by stricter political controls, more Chinese citizens are exploring options to leave China altogether.

NPR's Emily Feng talks with Nina Wang, a policy associate at the Center on Privacy & Technology and a co-author of a recent study that exposes the widening dragnet of ICE's surveillance of Americans.

President Obama is expected Friday to nominate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as his next secretary of state. Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton, who's planning to leave the post after four years as the president's globetrotting emissary.

Nearly 40 states ban the practice medical experts say is dangerous for pregnant inmates and fetuses. But many of those states have exceptions for public safety, and others have no laws at all.

Mastercard and Visa collect billions of dollars in fees each year from the nation's retailers. Merchants have long complained about the way those fees are determined. A lawsuit accusing Mastercard and Visa of antitrust violations is expected to go to trial in Brooklyn soon.

Read and hear statements about President Bush's nomination of U.S. Court of Appeals Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court.

A coalition of anti-abortion rights groups has released a letter opposing criminalization of abortion patients.

In the first of a two-part story, Mike Pesca examines identity theft and how it has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission estimates identification theft affects 10 million Americans each year, and the problem is only growing larger.

Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, tells Steve Inskeep about audits of billions of dollars worth of contracts overseen by the U.S. government. Bowen says the rebuilding work is on track, though his office continues to uncover fraud in spending.

Claire Messud discusses her new novel, The Emperor's Children, set in New York City in 2001. Though her characters share in the Sept. 11 tragedy, the attack is not the focus of the book. Messud explains why.

Recent comments by two Roman Catholic cardinals have some scientists wondering if the church is changing its position on evolution. For more than half a century, the Vatican has said evolution is compatible with Catholic theology. But now what was thought to be settled doctrine doesn't seem so settled.

New developments add to the confusion in the case of New York Times reporter Judith Miller, one of the reporters who was told the identity of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame.

NPR Washington Editor Ron Elving looks at what's at stake when President Bush brands Social Security as a "crisis" -- and what it means for the future of the two major political parties.

President Bush focused on his proposals for reforming Social Security during a trip to Rochester, N.Y., Tuesday. The president has worked to distance himself from events on Capitol Hill, including the recent filibuster battle.

An independent commission votes Wednesday on a list of military bases slated for closure. Anthony Principi, chairman of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, talks about striking a balance between saving tax dollars and maintaining military preparedness.

Jurors in Alexandria, Va., spent another day deliberating the fate of Zacarias Moussaoui, deciding whether the al-Qaida conspirator would be put to death. Robert Siegel talks with Professor Janice Nadler of Northwestern University Law School about victim impact statements in a capital case.

In the second of a two-part series, we hear about arguments for an American withdrawal from Iraq.

A short-lived program in the early 2000s allowed married couples to consolidate their student loans for a lower interest rate. Now, they're missing out on thousands in loan forgiveness.

The composer, who was born in 1908 and won two Pulitzer Prizes for music that could be challenging and adventurously modern, died in New York.

Here's a look at what Sunday's Oscars telecast will tell us about the state of the film industry mid-pandemic and the films we'll be seeing in the future.

NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben speaks with Spencer Woodman of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.