NPR News

For more stories on New York State, check out The Innovation Trail.
Afghan Forces Take Formal Control Of Security Operations
The White House says the mission in Afghanistan marked an important milestone on Tuesday: The hand-off of lead security responsibility from U.S. troops to Afghan forces. It's a key step as Americans prepare to withdraw nearly all combat troops by the end of 2014. Separately, the Obama administration announced the opening of talks with the Taliban about a political settlement to the war.
House Passes Bill That Would Ban Late Abortions
The legislation is one of the most far-reaching abortion bills in decades and follows last month's murder convictions of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell. The bill, which would ban nearly all abortions starting 20 weeks after fertilization, is unlikely to ever become law.
A 17-year-old Civil Rights demonstrator is attacked by a police dog in Birmi...
How The Civil Rights Movement Was Covered In Birmingham
There's a stark difference between how the national press covered the events of 1963 in Birmingham and how Birmingham's papers covered their own city. Audie Cornish talks with Alabama journalist Hank Klibanoff, co-author of The Race Beat, about the disparity.
New Data Shows Wide Income Gap Within Some Professions
Melissa Block talks to Adam Davidson about growing income inequality at every level of our economy. Davidson has been pouring over data recently released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Brazilian Leaders Take Conciliatory Tone Toward Protesters
Protests have erupted in Brazil over the past week. On Monday, there were tens of thousands of demonstrators on the streets of cities across the country. And again on Tuesday, demonstrations have continued. Unlike in Turkey, Brazil's leaders are adopting a conciliatory tone.
Obama Visits Germany 50 Years After Kennedy's Famous Speech
President Obama has arrived in Berlin, his first visit to the German capital since his election in 2008. The visit falls in the same month that John F. Kennedy delivered his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech a half century ago. Can the current president expect the same the kind of reception? Germans have been especially critical of the National Security Agency's recently revealed data gathering from international phone and Internet traffic, given the bitter history of Stasi spying on the citizens of East Germany not so long ago.