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Haji Zahir, the newly appointed governor of Marjah, is getting a lot of support from civilian and government agencies, which Gen. Stanley McChrystal had dubbed "government in a box." State Department adviser Bay Fang, who is working with the support team, says they are doing everything to ensure the new government is responsive to the people.

Michael Lewis, who wrote the best-seller Liar's Poker, is back with a new book examining those who profited from shorting subprime mortgages. In The Big Short, Lewis profiles extreme characters — outsiders — who are the sane people in an insane world.

President Obama held Thursday his much-anticipated health care summit. The daylong back-and-forth didn't produce much bipartisan agreement, something neither side expected. But it did illuminate at least one thing: how both parties see the stakes in the health care debate.

NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty investigated one case from the Los Angeles Archdiocese where the Catholic church mishandled reports of abuse. She talks about the case, and how the church is handling the accusations of abuse and an alleged cover-up.

The new book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things looks at the nature of hoarders, and the reasons why some people hoard. Co-author and professor of psychology Randy Frost describes his work, and explains why changing a hoarder's behavior is difficult.

Phoenix hit a new record of 20 days in a row of temperatures over 110 degrees.

Few foods inspire the kind of revulsion that Marmite does. Technically called "yeast extract," it's basically a spread made from waste from the beer-making process. But food writer Michele Kayal says it gets a bad rap — and that this earthy, salty British export will set your taste buds free.

Reporting in the journal Science, researchers write that hand washing seems to lower the amount of second-guessing and rationalization that occur after making a decision. Study author Spike W.S. Lee discusses the paper, and why the simple act of washing one's hands could ease the mind.

The recently approved contraception Opill should be available for consumers next year. It's not clear how or whether insurance will cover it. Here's what's known so far.

It seems a bit early for anti-incumbent fever as Iraq's democratic tradition is only a few years old. But the one lesson drawn from provincial elections last year was that Iraqis like to vote out sitting officials, including possibly the prime minister.

These forever chemicals aren’t broken down easily by the body, or in nature, and in small amounts over a prolonged time can cause cancer as well as miscarriages.

Wilbert Rideau went to prison in 1961 at the age of 19 for killing a woman during a bungled bank robbery. Prison changed him. He became the editor of the award-winning prison magazine The Angolite and was released with time served in 2005. His new memoir, In the Place of Justice, describes his 44 years behind bars.

Filmmaker Debra Granik knew right away that she wanted to adapt Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel Winter's Bone for the big screen. Granik and Woodrell discuss the process of turning the meth-fueled family drama into an award-winning film.

In a victory for the military, referendum voters in Thailand approved a draft constitution. Critics say it will entrench military control in the country.

AT&T and Time Warner agreed Saturday to an $85 billion merger that, if approved by federal regulators, would create a mammoth media and telecommunications company.

Kristina Anderson was 19 when she was wounded in the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. She talks to NPR's Linda Wertheimer about how the event has shaped her life.

Donald Trump is facing withering criticism for crude sexual comments he made with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush in 2005 before an interview for the show.

The Justice Department has released a scathing report that accuses the Chicago Police Department of systematic use of excessive force.

A federal appeals court ruling has cleared the way for the Pentagon to resume enforcing the policy that bars homosexuals from serving openly in the armed forces. The decision by a three-judge panel in San Francisco Wednesday temporarily blocks a lower court judge's injunction against enforcement of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

David Grossman began working on his novel To the End of the Land while his son Uri was in the Israeli Army. He hoped it would protect him. It didn't. Uri was killed, and Grossman's fiction explores the fragility of families, nations and life itself.

A rally that drew a quarter-million people to the National Mall 23 years ago was a crucial turning point for Jews yearning to escape the Soviet Union. Author Gal Beckerman explores that moment, and that movement, in his new book When They Come For Us, We'll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry.

The employee performance review is getting a review itself, and some business leaders argue the evaluations are all but worthless. Managers don't offer useful criticism, according to many HR professionals, while workers refuse to talk about doubts or weak points.

In 1896, Fannie Farmer published the best-selling cookbook of the era — and in 2007, America's Test Kitchen host Chris Kimball set out to re-create that moment in culinary history. Two years later, NPR's Renee Montagne was there for the resulting feast.

Native Americans and pilgrims agreed on at least one thing: Cranberries were good medicine. Nearly 400 years later, scientists are only beginning to unlock the antioxidant and other medicinal benefits of this gorgeous berry.

The grand jurors who may be asked to indict former President Donald Trump in Georgia have officially been seated. We check in on the status of the investigation in Fulton County.