NPR News

In several recent cases, Speaker John Boehner's problem hasn't been the Democrats as much as members of his own party, backed by conservative outside groups. But those groups say they could be allies with the House leadership, if only it would push conservative policy.

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Besides disaster assistance, FEMA also oversees the creation of flood maps, which are then used to set building codes and flood insurance rates. Superstorm Sandy struck as FEMA was updating those maps, and now some homeowners looking to rebuild face an expensive choice.

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Flood maps for the state are old and don't include flooding from fast-rising rivers and streams, the kind of flooding that tore up Vermont during Tropical Storm Irene. Because of that, some areas don't qualify for FEMA assistance.

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It's an unusual alliance: center-left leader Enrico Letta with former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives. But the arrangement ends a two-month political stalemate from inconclusive elections in the recession-mired country.

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Fewer Americans are buying cigarettes these days, but smokeless products like e-cigarettes are on the rise. They're not regulated like other tobacco products, but the FDA warns that day may yet come.

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Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's red convertible used in "Pulp Fiction' was stolen in 1994; officers believe they recovered it this month in the Oakland area.

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Journalist Jason Probst says he doesn't recognize his own state. He wrote a faux obituary lamenting Kansas' lost battle with extremism. But Republican Gov. Sam Brownback sees a bright future. He wants to eliminate state income taxes, hoping to build a model for other red states.

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The Federal Aviation Administration has ended its furlough program, which was blamed for creating or worsening travel delays this week. The move comes after Congress voted at the end of this week to let the FAA move money around in its budget.

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Sokeel Park assists refugees from North Korea adjust to their new lives in the South. He hears first hand accounts of everyday life in the oppressive country — a life that can be poor, dangerous and rigidly controlled by the state.

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Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is recovering in a Georgetown hospital Saturday, following surgery for a fractured shoulder. The 74-year-old justice fell while riding his bike along Washington's National Mall on Friday.

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Faced with sharp losses after the Boston Marathon bombing attack, businesses in the affected Copley Square area can apply for federal help, the Small Business Administration says. People flocked to Boylston Street on Saturday, its first weekend the street's been fully open since the bombing attack.

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Sectarian tensions are fueling violence and protests in Iraq, where more than 170 people have been killed since Tuesday, when government forces clashed with Sunni Muslim protesters. "Sectarianism is evil," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says on Iraqi TV, after 10 Iraqi military and militia members were killed in separate attacks Saturday.

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An American tourist held in North Korea is accused of trying to bring down the country's regime, according to the North's official news agency. The move comes as tensions grow on the Korean peninsula between the isolated North and the South's Western allies.

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Throughout the region that was once the Ottoman empire, people make coffee pretty much the same way: using coffee beans ground into a fine powder, then boiled in a little brass pot. But ordering "Turkish" coffee today doesn't go over well in some Balkan or eastern Mediterranean countries that have some lingering anti-Turkish feelings.

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Federal agents who are investigating poison-laced letters that were sent to President Obama and others have arrested Everett Dutschke, of Tupelo, Miss. The Daily Journal of Tupelo reports that the arrest occurred around 1 a.m. Saturday.

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Bangladeshi authorities arrest at least seven people linked to the collapsed building's owner; a day before the accident, he had insisted the building was safe and people should return to work.

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The 2012 election was the most expensive in history, but there remain some gaping holes in our knowledge about who paid for what. The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering a proposal to add more transparency in future elections, but it won't happen without a fight.

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The bidding hasn't closed yet, but a charity auction of having a cup of coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook has attracted offers of more than $600,000. The coffee klatch will take place at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. There is no word on whether refills are free.

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The militant group says it will use "every possible tactic" to inflict casualties on foreigners in Afghanistan. They specifically mention insider attacks, a growing threat in recent years. Taliban attacks are up nearly 50 percent compared to this time in 2012, an independent report says.

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Violence between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, which has only increased since the revolution, is prompting public debate about religious identity. To try to ease tension and de-emphasize differences, one group of Egyptians wants to remove religious labels from national ID cards.

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