NPR News

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A Look Ahead To The Future Of Afghanistan
Twelve years after the war began, Afghanistan's president announced Tuesday that Afghan forces officially assumed control of security for the country. U.S. and NATO troops will remain until the 2014 deadline, but the Afghan military is now expected to fight without NATO support.
As kids, Jorma Taccone, Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer were all obsessed wi...
Samberg, Taccone And Schaffer: Three's Not A Lonely Island
As the brains behind the hip-hop parody group responsible for digital shorts like "D--- in a Box," Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer have produced some of the funniest Saturday Night Live material in recent memory. Here, they talk about comedy, Yo! MTV Raps and adolescence.
Miami-born Cécile McLorin Salvant learned about improvisation and sang wi...
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Making Old Songs New Again
The 23-year-old jazz phenom's debut album showcases her takes on vintage jazz and blues numbers by Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and others. You can trace some of her effects back to jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln.
Bakery Apparently Mishears Cake Order
To celebrate Laura Grambel's college graduation, her mom ordered a cake: Indiana red and white, with a photo of Laura's face. One more request: a graduation cap, made of icing. Instead, the baker drew a cat on Laura's head
Is That Gas I Smell, Or Cinnamon?
A gas pipeline was being fixed in Harlem and officials didn't want a flood of 911 calls from people smelling gas. So they masked the smell by adding cinnamon to the gas.
Sectarian Violence Rises Sharply In Iraq
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iraq since April. That's as high as it's been since the sectarian war of 2006 and 2007. Many people compare the recent violence to that conflict, but there are some key differences.