Search results for

A group that started out protesting illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexican border now is trying to shut down day laborers' centers sanctioned by local governments across the country. "The Minutemen" group says the centers help illegal immigrants.

The chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast prompted questions about whether Mike Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is qualified for the job. Madeleine Brand discusses the latest information about Brown with Slate political contributor John Dickerson.

There are 35 presidential candidates and 44 parties running in Haiti's first elections since former President Jean Bertrand Aristide's ouster last year.

Just days before Hurricane Katrina hit, officials from state, local and federal agencies were hearing that this could very likely be the big one -- the one they knew could devastate the city. But National Guard troops still waited for an official plan and a chain of command to be established.

As the extent of Hurricane Katrina's threat to New Orleans became evident, trucks with water and ice were not positioned as planned. And when they were finally told to move, they were sent hundreds of miles away from most of the people in need.

Florence Nightingale once warned about a major cruelty inflicted on sick people: unnecessary noise. And despite advances in medicine, researchers say today's hospitals are still as noisy as bus stations. But at Johns Hopkins Hospital, engineers are trying to create some peace and quiet.

Unocal's shareholders approve sale of the company to rival Chevron. The transaction was overshadowed by a failed bid for Unocal by a Chinese energy company.

Patients who don't want to go to the doctor -- or are unable to go -- have an alternate resource for medical tests. Commercial testing companies provide exams for cholesterol, HIV or DNA without a prescription.

Harriet Miers, nominated Monday to succeed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, is considered one of President Bush's closest and most loyal advisers.

John Johnson, who died Monday at 87, overcame racial barriers to make a fortune on the magazines Ebony and Jet. He was the first black American to make Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest people.

Nashville singer/songwriter Jeff Black travels long hours to perform in clubs around the country. But he's also trying to broaden his audience with a weekly podcast that he hosts.

The Kite Runner, the debut novel by Afghani-born physician and author Khaled Hosseini, has been on best-seller and book club lists for nearly a year. Writer Isabel Allende says the book — about a young man who returns to Afghanistan after a long absence — is "one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years."

NPR's Bob Mondello has an appreciation of playwright August Wilson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas, Fences and The Piano Lesson. Wilson died Sunday of liver cancer in Seattle. Mondello says that Wilson's dialogue was "musical" -- inspired by the blues and lyrical in its phrasing.

The Department of Energy launches a campaign to promote energy conservation as the home-heating season approaches. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman says energy-saving steps can help consumers trim high heating costs this winter. Critics say the administration's emphasis on conservation is long overdue.

Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea are to attend United Nations-led talks Friday to discuss escalating border tensions. From 1998 to 2000, the two African nations fought a border war that killed tens of thousands of people.

Will your laptop slow your progress through airport security this holiday weekend? Slate senior editor Andy Bowers has an "explainer" on why laptops get special attention from security screeners.

Two college students talks binge drinking on campus. James Poet is a fraternity president at San Diego State University. Meghan Traxel attends the University of Texas at Austin. She's a peer educator of the campus program, "Choices Lite."

Host Steve Inskeep talks to Dan Savage, sex columnist and author of The Commitment, a book about gay marriage. Savage describes his own decision to marry his partner, and how his young son has brought a kid's perspective to the debate.

A draft constitution has been presented to Iraq's National Assembly. But there was no vote, and discussions on its contents are ongoing. The news came six minutes before the midnight deadline. Minority Sunni representatives have threatened to hold up final approval.

Make-believe assassins at play in New York: Young executives are gathering information, wearing disguises and working to whack competitors -- with water-filled firearms.

Last year UPS delivered over 3.5 billion packages, the equivalent of nearly 10,000 every minute. But the company is working hard to find customers who want UPS to do more than move boxes from one point to another.

Ed Gordon talks with singer, songwriter and pastor Donnie McClurkin about fame, his troubled past, his bright future and reaching out to an international audience through gospel music.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas officially opens the Rafah border crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt. Beginning Saturday, Gaza residents will be able to have some freedom of movement abroad for the first time since 1967. The terminal's opening is seen as a move toward Palestinian statehood.

The bar at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Atlanta has started a weekly happy hour for canines, complete with doggie snacks and all the tap water you can lap up. The event is proving to be a popular draw for both dog owners and the four-legged crowd.

Guitarist Link Wray died on November 5 at the age of 76. He's credited with inventing the power chord in the 1950s. His first big recording hit was the 1958 instrumental Rumble. When he went to record the song, he wasn't happy with the sound on the amp, so he pierced holes in the speaker cone to create additional distortion. Guitarists including Pete Townshend and John Lennon were influenced by his work. Wray's other hits include Rawhide and the Batman theme.