NPR News

Scientists have discovered water that was sealed in Canadian bedrock for nearly half of Earth's history. It may contain the descendants of ancient microbes. The discovery could give scientists new insights into early life on Earth and inform the search for life on other planets.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

U.S. reconstruction teams have spent a decade building roads, bridges and other pieces of infrastructure that are badly needed in Afghanistan. But now the international effort is winding down, and it's not clear how much the Afghans will be able to do on their own.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

U.S. reconstruction teams have spent a decade building roads, bridges and other pieces of infrastructure that are badly needed in Afghanistan. But now the international effort is winding down, and it's not clear how much the Afghans will be able to do on their own.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The ceiling of a Cambodian factory that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on workers early Thursday, killing two people and injuring seven. It's the latest accident to spotlight lax safety conditions in the global garment industry.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday approved a sweeping farm bill that would trim the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. The panel rebuffed Democratic efforts to keep the program whole, as debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on helping the poor.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The suspect in a Mother's Day parade shooting that left 19 people wounded in New Orleans was taken into custody Wednesday night, police said. Akein Scott, 19, was arrested in the Little Woods section of eastern New Orleans, police department spokeswoman Remi Braden said.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Officials say at least six people were killed when a spring tornado outbreak devastated parts of North Texas, destroying or damaging dozens of homes and injuring dozens of people.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The 2012 accounting of the president and first lady's finances shows they had between $1.8 million and $7 million in assets.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

A viral video from an American Airlines flight highlights a little-known airline policy: no unauthorized photography.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Arizona woman was found guilty last week of killing her ex-boyfriend in a fit of rage. In testimony Wednesday, prosecutors had to prove Arias killed him in an especially cruel and heinous manner.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The president says the resignation of Steve Miller is part of a larger effort to make sure that the IRS never again engages in partisan targeting of certain groups.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The mission launched in 2009 to hunt for Earth-like planets circling distant stars may be coming to an end because of a faulty part in the space telescope.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Students deemed "willfully defiant" accounted for nearly half of California's 700,000 suspensions last year. Many educators are cheering the Los Angeles Unified School District's decision to ban such suspensions, arguing the category is too broad and disproportionately targeted black students.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The Associated Press story that prompted a Justice Department subpoena of journalists' phone records blew the cover of a double agent embedded in Yemen's al-Qaida affiliate.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Among the things we learned about the IRS from the inspector general's report was that their boss told the group of employees at the controversy's heart to stop their dubious practices. Which they did, for a little while at least.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The IRS scandal has put a spotlight on a part of the tax code increasingly popular with political groups. Donors can't get tax deductions for giving to 501(c)(4) organizations like they would for charities. But the names of those donors can stay private.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

A new rifle goes on sale on Wednesday, and it's not like any other. It uses lasers and computers to make shooters very accurate. A startup gun company in Texas developed the TrackingPoint rifle, which is so effective that some in the shooting community say it should not be sold to the public.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Tributes are appearing online for Richard Swanson, the Seattle man whose plan to dribble a soccer ball all the way to Brazil to raise money for charity ended Tuesday after he was struck and killed by a pickup truck in Oregon.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

The first city in the country to allow 16- and 17-year-olds vote in municipal elections is a progressive town on the edge of Washington, DC. But the push to allow people to vote or at least register before 18 is ongoing in numerous states.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

When 23-year-old musician Solomon "Sully" Omar left Denver for Afghanistan — his parents' homeland — his hopes for Kabul weren't high. Instead, he discovered a music scene that was "alive and breathing," bursting with "crazy metal and dub step."

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us