NPR News

As the head of the IRS turns to this classic "past exonerative," we look at the history of an oft-used phrase. It came up in the Nixon era, again during the Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, and now in the Obama years. It goes back much further, though.

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Some argue that the FDA's approval process — required before new treatments can be sold on the market — takes too much time and money. A group of experts face off over the balance between safety and urgency in the latest Intelligence Squared U.S. debate.

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A limousine filled with students headed to prom night at Western High in Davie, Fla., stopped for a detour Saturday, after a Honda van hit a concrete wall and flipped in front of the limo. The van's seven passengers had trouble getting out — until the limo's driver and the students helped.

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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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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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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 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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Also: Illinois school district bans The Perks of Being a Wallflower; W.H. Auden's 1939 journal discovered; Bret Easton Ellis on gay stereotypes.

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