National News

Syria's civil war has left tens of thousands dead and wounded, while medical care is in short supply in many areas. A Syrian-American doctor has organized efforts to provide an underground health care system.

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Jobs and the economy dominated political discussion during the election year, but have since been forgotten. Even before the current outbreak of scandals, it was clear Washington preferred to talk about other issues.

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Angelina Jolie's surgery perhaps shouldn't matter, but it will to someone.

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As clashes continue in Syria, rebels and the Assad regime are targeting medical personnel and facilities as part of their military strategy, according to recent report by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Dr. Zaher Sahloul says he's seen that firsthand; he talks to host Michel Martin about the dangers in Syria.

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Abortion rights backers insist that Dr. Kermit Gosnell is an outlier. Opponents of abortion say Gosnell is anything but an exception. Congress is gearing up to investigate how states regulate abortion in the wake of the verdict.

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NPR has launched a blog that looks to tell stories from around the world that connect us all.

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Days after the gaming world began to buzz with reports that Nintendo's new life simulation game allows men to marry other men, it now seems that Nintendo is removing that possibility, which by all accounts was unintended.

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The extra scrutiny given to some conservative groups' applications for tax-exempt status has sparked outrage. Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller blames "shortcuts," not politics. He and other IRS officials didn't alert Congress to what was happening when they could have last year.

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A new report makes the case that insects may be essential to feeding a planet of 7 billion people. Why? They're nutritious, better for the environment than other protein sources and can generate jobs, according to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

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Doctors have seen a sharp increase in the number of women choosing breast surgery to prevent cancer. But the genetic mutation that contributed to Angelina Jolie's decision is relatively rare, and the vast majority of women who choose prophylactic mastectomy don't face the same level of risk.

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Child boxing in Thailand is denounced by human rights groups, but it remains popular in some rural areas where it attracts large crowds betting large sums on the young fighters. For fighters like 9-year-old Chai Lorlam, the pressure to win is intense.

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A shift in global fuel production is afoot, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. It predicts that over the next five years, North America will dominate new supplies of oil and natural gas. The trend is in part due to a surge in new technology like hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Juli Niemann, analyst at Smith, Moore & Company in St. Louis, explains what this means for the US economy and the green energy sector.

The bill would allow physicians to provide lethal medication to terminally ill patients who request it. If the governor approves the measure, Vermont would become the fourth state in the nation with an aid-in-dying law.

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Once upon a time the fossil fuel capital of the world was the U.S. -- first in Pennsylvania, then in Texas. Then, the center of gravity shifted to the Middle East and beyond. But a new report out today from the International Energy Agency predicts that over the next five years, North America will once again dominate new supplies of oil and natural gas. 

It’s a sweeping shift that few would have expected even just five years ago, when experts saw an era of American “peak oil” looming on the horizon. But, since then, new technologies have evolved faster than anticipated, says Pavel Molchanov, an oil analyst with the investment company Raymond James. 

The big breakthrough, Molchanov says, has to do with new ways of getting oil out of once hard-to-drill spots -- underground layers of shale and other hard rock formations.  You've probably heard of one popular technique known as hydraulic fracturing, nicknamed fracking.  “All of this has unlocked new resources,” says Molchanov.

“The history books are going to go back and talk about this era,” says Phil Flynn, an oil analyst at the Price Futures Group in Chicago.  He says the oil boom we are experiencing now has already begun rippling through the U.S economy.  And that trend should continue, Flynn says, as new U.S. oil supplies lower gas prices, boost consumer spending, and make it cheaper to start up factories here. 

The increasing importance of U.S. oil supplies could also affect global politics, Flynn says. “Instead of the U.S. being beholden to foreign oil producers or OPEC,” he says, referring to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, made of countries based mostly in the Middle East and Africa, “now OPEC has to work with us.” 

The North American oil boom raises other questions. In many local communities where the oil and gas boom is taking place, some residents are concerned about the potential environmental impact of these new technologies, on things like ground water contamination and earthquakes. 

VIDEO: A would-be Whitney Houston wouldn't stop singing on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City. So, the pilot made an unscheduled stop in Kansas City. As she was led off, the woman serenaded everyone.

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A baby's delivery may not be covered for women insured as dependents on their parents' plans, even though office visits and prenatal care would be. Although the health care overhaul mostly improves coverage for young adults, it also leaves some odd holes in coverage.

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Also: Russian security service says it uncovered a CIA agent; the AP blasts Justice Department's search of reporters' phone records; New Orleans police identify a suspect in the city's Mother's Day shooting.

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The European Space Agency has just given the green light to a project called Biomass, a satellite resembling an upside-down trampoline, that will be able to scan forests from outer space. Scientists hope the project can tell us a lot about the world's forests, the carbon they hold, and their impact on Earth's climate.

Jon Amos, science correspondent for the BBC, tells Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson more about the project.

The alleged agent was held overnight and then turned over to U.S. officials. Russian security services say he was trying to recruit one of their officers.

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