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The CDC has lost thousands of workers since January. At a conference celebrating the work of the agency's "disease detectives," current and former staff grappled with uncertainty about the future.

Migrating birds can be a pleasant seasonal sight, but they're a bird flu threat to turkey farmers. In Minnesota, some are using lasers to scare them away.

In addition to picking the next president on Nov. 2, voters in some states will have a chance to remake the Senate. Democrats will defend 19 seats, while 15 Republican-held seats are on the ballots. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's David Welna.

California voters approve two ballot measures that will allow the state to borrow a record $15 billion and require a balanced budget. The vote is a major victory for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who called the plan vital to the state's economic recovery and spent considerable time and money pushing for passage. Hear NPR's Ina Jaffe.

President Bush names the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, to be the first national intelligence director. The post involves oversight of 15 agencies including the CIA. In a White House ceremony, the president said the director will play a key role in waging the war on terror.

The U.S. Library of Congress recently made almost $15 million in grants to eight institutions to identify, collect and preserve significant digital material. The Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program seeks to preserve material that was "born digital." NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Laura Campbell of the Library of Congress.

A recent survey asked Iraqis a traditional polling question: Is the country moving in the right direction or on the wrong track? Forty-five percent said "wrong track," a jump of almost 15 percent since midsummer. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

With as many as 15 states up for grabs, how do the presidential candidates get their messages out? NPR's Robert Siegel reports from one tightly contested state -- New Hampshire -- where several surrogates have been campaigning in the candidates' shoes.

The pope's funeral won't take place for several days, and an official nine-day period of mourning is under way. The College of Cardinals will meet within 15 to 20 days of the pope's death to begin selecting the next pope. Father Thomas Reese, editor of America magazine, explains the process.

The Republican-led Senate turns down two separate proposals to raise the minimum wage -- which has been $5.15 per hour since 1996. The rival measures were both amendments to a business-backed bill that makes it harder to erase debts through bankruptcy.

The next major deadline for Iraq's new government is an Aug. 15 deadline to draft and endorse a permanent constitution. But there's an escape clause that could delay the process up to six months. Larry Diamond and Michael Rubin, former political advisers to the Coalition Provisional Authority, discuss the issues involved.

In Dave Barry's latest novel, a bachelor dinner goes off the rails, entangling the groom to be with a colorful cast of characters — everyone from Russian mobsters to Haitian refugees to the fourth-place finisher in the Miss Hot Amateur Bod contest. Oh, and an albino Burmese python.

Anthony Marra's debut novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, takes place in war-torn Chechnya — a world of perpetual violence, fear and exploding land mines. But reviewer Meg Wolitzer says the characters are so vivid and the language so brilliant you want to stay there.

NPR's go-to librarian returns to some old favorites from her personal shelves. "All the books on my bookshelves are books that I loved," she says. "Those are the only books I keep." Her picks include a trilogy of novellas filled with British humor and an Irish mystery.

The artist and illustrator says that behind every fun, whimsical sketch there are "100 very boring, unsexy steps." Niemann describes his creative process in his new book Sunday Sketching.

In his latest book, the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food turns his attention to how we use the four classical elements to transform plants and animals into food, and argues that home cooking can remake the American food system.

Check your receipt. Grow your own veggies. Ask about senior discounts. NPR readers share their top tips on cutting costs at the grocery store.

Economists had cautioned that President Trump's tariffs would impact inflation.

Investigators in Utah say they have found DNA matching the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk.

The court is looking at the last standing part of the Voting Rights Act called Section 2.

Projections by economists are all over the place.

Health of the river and surrounding area is suffering the effects of climate change.

Architects are turning away from steel and bringing back a natural material to construct buildings: wood.

AI developers warn of doomsday scenarios, and President Trump brushes those warnings aside.