Search results for

The planet Mars could be the place human space explorers head next. But the danger -- not to mention the expense -- leads many researchers to question how much humans can do when they get there that a well trained robot couldn't. David Kestenbaum reports on the dream and the downside of human space exploration.

In most states, if you are poor and disabled, you can get Medicaid -- the state-run medical care program for the poor that is partly financed by the federal government. But in Indiana, it's not necessarily so. In Indiana, if there is a treatment that would fix your disability, such as a hip replacement or open heart surgery, you are not considered disabled. That's true even if you can't afford the treatment. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports on this catch-22, and how the Indiana Supreme Court may finally decide a case on the issue that has been in the courts since 1992.

Linda Wertheimer and Robert Siegel read letters from All Things Considered listeners. (3:00) To contact All Things Considered , write to All Things Considered Letters, 635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20001. The e-mail address is atc@npr.org.

A New Jersey state supreme court justice will not face impeachment proceedings. Justice Peter Verniero is accused of misleading the public about the use of racial profiling by state police, but a top lawmaker has said he will block any attempt at impeachment. Eugene Sonn reports from member station WHYY in Philadelphia.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports on state and federal reaction to a plan to provide California with power during the summer months. The proposal was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) earlier this week. But California Gov. Gray Davis, and President Bush, are far from happy.

The story of a former U.S. senator's involvement in the killing of women and children as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam may affect his ability to run as a candidate for president in 2004. In 1969, Robert Kerrey led a seven-man team in Vietnam that conducted a raid on what Kerrey says they thought was a Viet Cong meeting. He went on to receive a Bronze Star, and eventually became one of Nebraska's U.S. senators. Today, Linda Wertheimer speaks with former senator Kerrey about the story.

The story of Robert Kerrey's lead role in the 1969 Vietnam mission that resulted in the deaths of Vietnamese women and children was written for The New York Times Magazine by journalist Gregory Vistica. He also co-produced a report for 60 Minutes II on the same topic. Linda Wertheimer talks with Gregory Vistica. (4:30) The story can also be found on the New York Times Web site.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Lewis Simons about civilian casualties during wartime.

Jack Williams, from member station KUHF reports on a literary event in Houston last night, benefiting the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. President Bush attended the event and took the opportunity to poke fun at himself for his well-publicized grammatical gaffes.

NPR's film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Town and Country, a new movie about infidelity. He warns listeners that the film's acting and directing are about as original as its concept.

Nigeria has so far been spared the worst of the AIDS epidemic ravaging Africa. But doctors say the country is running out of time to isolate the disease before it explodes into the general population. NPR's Ivan Watson reports from Lagos on efforts at AIDS education and prevention.

Commentator Marshall Wittmann, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. says controversy over the Vietnam attack led by former senator Robert Kerrey does not tarnish the heroism that earned him a medal.

Linda Wertheimer talks sports with Stefan Fatsis of the Wall Street Journal. This weeks topic: the internationalization of sports. Earlier this month, a Japanese-born pitcher faced a Japanese-born hitter -- the first time ever in Major League Baseball. The presence of foreign athletes can also be felt in other sports, including hockey and pro-basketball. Stefan says with all the focus on money in sports, this development is refreshing and exciting.

NPR Film Critic Bob Mondello reviews The Claim, a new movie from British director Michael Winterbottom that transplants a Thomas Hardy novel to the American West at the height of the gold rush.

Mitch Teich, from member station KNAU, reports on the continuing battle in Flagstaff, Arizona's, battle over adding fluoride to the water. Dentists and doctors are singing the praises of fluoride's ability to protect teeth from cavities, but some residents are holding onto McCarthy-era fears of fluoride as a tool of the Communists.

NPR's Melissa Block reports on former Sen. Bob Kerrey's decision to go public with the story of a raid he led during the Vietnam War. One of the members of Kerrey's Navy Seal team claims Kerrey gave the order to kill a group of unarmed women and children they found in the village of Thanh Phong.

Host Bob Edwards talks to author Simon Winchester, who voices his frustration with the misuse of Roget's Thesaurus. Roget apparently never intended his book to be used for finding synonyms at all -- its creation was merely a game to pass the time. Winchester is author of the bestselling book, The Professor and the Madman. His article on Roget will appear in Atlantic magazine.

Linda Wertheimer is joined by David Brooks, senior editor at the Weekly Standard and E.J. Dionne, a columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, to talk about the first 100 days of George W. Bush's presidency. They discuss Bush's leadership and management style, his efforts to rally support behind his $1.6 trillion tax cut and his approach to foreign policy.

The Department of Health rule carried out a July 30 executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis designed to prevent school districts from requiring students to wear masks. But the Alachua and Duval districts were among several in the state that required parents to provide medical documentation before students could be exempted from mask requirements.

Thomas Gainsborough's 18th century painting Blue Boy inspired 21st century painter Kehinde Wiley, and they're being shown across from each other at the Huntington Art Museum near Los Angeles.

A new study shows that two-thirds of parents aren't ready to get their younger kids vaccinated when they're eligible. Like parents did with older kids, many say they're taking a wait-and-see approach.

Hip Hop artist Sean "Puffy" Combs is on trial in New York on charges of gun possession and bribery. The charges stem from a shootout at a nightclub at the end of December 1999. Noah talks with Bob Meadows, correspondent for People Magazine, about the trial.

The U.S. economy slowed sharply in late summer and early fall, as the Delta variant and persistent supply chain problems weighed on growth. Prospects for the coming months may be brighter.

Linda Wertheimer talks with Rudy Penner, Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute and co-author of Updating America's Social Contract, about how realistic the federal budget projections -- and therefore the Bush plans for tax cuts -- are. Penner was Director of the United States Congressional Budget Office from 1983 to 1987, and Chief Economist of the White House Office of Management and Budget under President Gerald Ford. (5:00) Updating America's Social Contract, co-authored by Rudy Penner, is published by W.W. Norton, July 2000.

Commentator Dinesh D'Souza suggests growing inequality is a reflection of something that is right with the economy, rather than something wrong.