Search results for

NPR's Ned Wharton captures reactions to the shuttle Columbia disaster from visitors at the National Air & Space Museum.

Lt. Col. Dan Biggie, an Air Force chaplain, joins host Steve Inskeep from Cocoa Beach, Fla., where spectators had been waiting for the shuttle Columbia to land. He discusses the role of chaplains and how astronauts deal with the danger of their occupation.

Talk of the Nation/Science Friday host Ira Flatow joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about Columbia's scientific mission.

President Bush proposes the "Terrorist Threat Integration Center," a new surveillance initiative aimed at improving coordination among the FBI, the CIA and other federal intelligence agencies. But some analysts say it won't overcome decades-old rivalries between U.S. spy agencies. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

President Bush proposes a new drug treatment program that would allow alcoholics and addicts to use federal vouchers at rehabilitation centers, including those run by religious organizations. The plan renews debate over the constitutional separation of church and state. NPR's Barbara Bradley-Hagerty reports.

Residents in South Gate, Calif., vote to oust the mayor, treasurer and two council members, amid allegations that they conducted city business through backroom deals and gave city contracts to friends. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez of member station KPCC reports.

A U.S. Army helicopter with several Americans aboard crashes near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, and some casualties are reported, a senior American official says. Meanwhile, the Pentagon for the first time discloses that some U.S. military forces are on the ground in Northern Iraq. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

British pig farmers are unhappy with a new law, inspired by the European Union, that requires them to offer some recreation to their swine.

The Senate Judiciary Committee votes along party lines to endorse Miguel Estrada for a federal circuit court post. He's the first judicial nominee sent to the full Senate under Republican management. Democrats say Estrada's record doesn't merit a lifetime appointment and hint at a filibuster to defeat him. NPR's David Welna reports.

An unprecedented warm-up of the western Pacific Ocean -- scientists think that partially explains a drought that has caused havoc across much of the United States, southern Europe and southwest Asia. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Commentator Frank Wu says he takes offense to the special treatment Asian customers get at some Chinese restaurants.

It's a film about a film that never was. The documentary Lost in La Mancha follows director Terry Gilliam -- of Brazil and Monty Python fame -- as he attempts a screen version of Don Quixote. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.

An Afghan police official says 18 bus passengers died when a bomb exploded on a bridge near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. A nearby Afghan army post may have been the intended target, officials say. NPR News reports.

Unionized exotic dancers at the Lusty Lady in San Francisco walk the picket line to restore a pay cut and gain some fringe benefits.

Six University of Maryland students admit they got extra help on an accounting exam by surreptitious use of cell phones. (At least they weren't driving.) Also, a Norwegian lawmaker apologizes for playing a war game on a pocket computer at a most inappropriate time.

The United States has decided Guatemala is not doing enough to fight the illegal drug trade and has decertified Guatemala from the list of countries deemed U.S. allies in combating drugs. But Washington has decided it won't waive penalties against the small Central American nation for national security reasons. NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Guatemala City.

The head of the U.S. Pacific fleet is requesting that reinforcements be sent to assist U.S. forces on the Korean peninsula. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.

An explosion and subsequent fire demolish a medical plastics factory in Kinston, N.C. The Associated Press reports that at least two people died and about 40 were injured. Three others were feared missing in the burning ruins. Rusty Jacobs of member station WUNC reports.

Water levels in St. Louis reach their lowest in more than a decade, affecting the barge transportation business and companies that depend on the Mississippi River to transport cargo. Tom Weber of member station KWMU reports.

Commentator Patt Morrison proposes a "mis-user fee" as a new way for the federal government to raise revenue. It would levy a fine on politicians and Washington pundits who misuse American English.

A Detroit City Council member levels an odd charge against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

The government says the nation's gross domestic product grew just 0.7 percent during the last quarter of 2002, a steep decline from the 4.2-percent growth during the preceding three months. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to NPR's Jim Zarroli.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Bruce Bleakly, the executive director of the San Diego Aerospace Museum, about the life of Evelyn Trout. Trout broke several flight endurance records and she was the first female to complete an in-flight refueling operation. She died at the age of 97.

President Bush says he'll give diplomats "weeks, not months" to find a solution to the Iraq crisis. But he also says he would welcome exile for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as an alternative to war. Meanwhile, eight European states show support for U.S. policy regarding Iraq in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen and NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.

Talk of the Nation/Science Friday host Ira Flatow joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about how NASA has adapted since the 1986 Challenger disaster.