Mohammed al-Nimr is the son Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed by Saudi Arabia. Courtesy of Mohammed al-Nimr hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of Mohammed al-Nimr

The Two-Way - News Blog

Shiite Sheikh Executed By Saudi Arabia Preached Against Violence, Son Says

Mohammed al-Nimr says he felt relieved following his father's execution because the sheikh was abused for years by Saudi authorities.

Listen Loading… 5:54
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462827000/462848886" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wood specialist Mike Bamforth examines the base of a Bronze Age wooden bucket at the excavation site. Dave Webb/Cambridge Archaeology Unit hide caption

toggle caption Dave Webb/Cambridge Archaeology Unit

The Two-Way - News Blog

Everyday Life In A Bronze Age Village Emerges In U.K. Excavation

Archaeologists have found well-preserved houses, textiles, tools, and even pots of food. They say a fire had destroyed the settlement. The people had to leave everything behind.

Bullet holes riddle the walls of the second floor of the home that marines raided in their search for the Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán. Eduardo Verdugo/AP hide caption

toggle caption Eduardo Verdugo/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

With Another Secret Tunnel, Drug Kingpin 'El Chapo' Almost Evaded Capture

Mexican marines swarmed Joaquin Guzmán's safe house in Los Mochis, but he managed to flee through a secret tunnel leading to the sewer system. Authorities caught him on a highway in a stolen car.

Ray Liotta and Jennifer Lopez play corrupt cops in the NBC drama, Shades of Blue. Peter Kramer/NBC hide caption

toggle caption Peter Kramer/NBC

Television

Ray Liotta On 'Goodfellas,' Acting And His Return To TV FA

"When I first started," Liotta says, "television was kind of like the wasteland. ... Now [it's] very respected." Liotta plays a corrupt NYC police lieutenant on the new NBC series Shades of Blue.

Listen Loading… 38:23
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462773313/462809685" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

The Supreme Court's ruling casts doubt on the status of the 390 inmates on death row in Florida. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Law

Supreme Court Strikes Down Florida's Death Penalty System

Florida ranks second in the nation in the number of death row inmates, with 390 men and women currently awaiting execution, and the ruling casts doubt on their status.

Listen Loading… 2:39
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462821735/462821736" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Danish Afrobeat-inspired band The KutiMangoes pose for photos with the crowd at the Jarasum International Jazz Festival. Roh Seung-hwan/Courtesy of Jarasum International Jazz Festival hide caption

toggle caption Roh Seung-hwan/Courtesy of Jarasum International Jazz Festival

A Blog Supreme

How A Korean Jazz Festival Found A Huge Young Audience

In a picturesque setting a few hours from Seoul, hundreds of thousands of millennials camp out for a three-day weekend of jazz. Its secret? It might just be that the music comes ... well, not first.

A change in income can also change a person's options for health coverage. Todd Davidson/Illustration Works/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Todd Davidson/Illustration Works/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Switching Between Medicaid, Marketplace Can Confuse Consumers Kaiser Health News

Here are some tips for how people can handle moving between the government health plan for low-income residents and the private plans offered on the federal health law's exchanges.

Partner content from

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is following through on a promise he made to drop the state-run health insurance exchange in favor of the federal HealthCare.gov. Timothy D. Easley/AP hide caption

toggle caption Timothy D. Easley/AP

Shots - Health News

Kentucky Governor Tells Feds He Will Dismantle State's Insurance Exchange LPM

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin follows through on a campaign promise to end Kynect, the state's health plan marketplace. He also said he will change the state's approach to Medicaid.

From member station

Yemenis wounded in the civil war call for an end to a blockade that's been keeping medical supplies from reaching Taiz. Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP hide caption

toggle caption Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP

Goats and Soda

Medicine, Trauma Kits And Oxygen Canisters Blocked From Yemeni City

Rebel forces have kept vital supplies from reaching hospitals in Taiz. Everyone is suffering, from war victims to cancer patients. Plus, the hospitals are dealing with a lack of electricity.

Self-described patriot Wayne Ehmer of Irrigon, Ore., and his horse named Cowboy says he joined the occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge last week. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR

The Two-Way - News Blog

Who Will Blink First? Armed Occupation In Oregon Drags On

The sole meeting between the local sheriff and the militants' de facto leader went nowhere. And law enforcement isn't saying what, if any, action it might be planning to take against the occupiers.

Dave Manning (left) and three other veterans who are studying to become physician assistants at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Brian Strickland/News.UNCHealthcare.org hide caption

toggle caption Brian Strickland/News.UNCHealthcare.org

Shots - Health News

Making The Most Of Military Medics' Field Experience WFAE

A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill training program for physician assistants recruits veterans and gives them credit for their experience.

Listen Loading… 2:58
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462787557/462821847" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

From member station

Lower-back pain is one of the top three reasons that Americans go to the doctor. But the solution can be a DIY project. iStockphoto hide caption

toggle caption iStockphoto

Shots - Health News

Forget The Gizmos: Exercise Works Best For Lower-Back Pain

Ditch the strap-on belts and shoe inserts, and definitely don't rest. Accumulating research shows that the best way to treat and prevent lower-back pain is to get off the couch.

Listen Loading… 2:39
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462366361/462821835" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Spain's Princess Cristina and husband, Inaki Urdangarin (right), leave a makeshift courtroom on Monday, the first day of a corruption trial. She is accused of tax fraud and is the first member of Spain's royal family to face criminal charges. Emilio Morenatti/AP hide caption

toggle caption Emilio Morenatti/AP

Parallels - World News

Spain's Princess Goes On Trial

Princess Cristina, the sister of Spain's king, is accused of tax fraud. She is the first Spanish royal to be charged with a crime and has become a symbol of corruption in Spain's ruling elite.

Listen Loading… 3:42
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462754318/462754319" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tia Tsosie Begay is a fourth-grade teacher at a small public school on the outskirts of Tucson, Ariz. Elissa Nadworny/NPR hide caption

toggle caption Elissa Nadworny/NPR

NPR Ed

A 'Wisdom Keeper' Draws From A Deep Well Of Navajo Culture

In the Navajo culture, teachers are revered and trusted. Tia Tsosie Begay is no exception, making sure her fourth-graders know that "someone believes in them."

Listen Loading… 5:24
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462141655/462754337" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Saudi Arabia's King Salman (left) speaks with his son Mohammed in the capital Riyadh in 2012. The king was the crown prince at the time. When he assumed the throne last year, Salman named Mohammed, now 30, the deputy crown prince and defense minister. They have pursued a much more aggressive foreign policy in the region, particularly when it comes to confronting Iran. Hassan Ammar/AP hide caption

toggle caption Hassan Ammar/AP

Parallels - World News

Long Guarded And Reserved, Saudi Arabia Goes Big And Bold

King Salman's first year on the throne has brought big changes to the kingdom. It has a more aggressive foreign policy, is actively confronting Iran and is speaking out more openly than in the past.

Somalis living in the Dadaab camp in Kenya gather to watch the arrival of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees last May. Tony Karumba /AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Tony Karumba /AFP/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Why The World's Largest Refugee Camp May Never Go Away

The author of City of Thorns says he hopes readers will fall in love with the characters and, possibly, "also have their heart broken."

Listen Loading… 8:00
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462698276/462698277" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

In the 1960s Maggie Smith starred in the Broadway hit Mary, Mary. One reviewer called her a "gem of an actress, an undeniable dish." Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Movie Interviews

'60s 'Dish' Maggie Smith Says, 'That Was Never Me'

"It must be lovely to be beautiful, but that's a really difficult thing to lose," says Smith, now 81. Best known in the U.S. for her role in Downton Abbey, she's now starring in The Lady in the Van.

Listen Loading… 7:12
  • Playlist
  • Download
  • Embed
    <iframe src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/462681447/462754331" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Support comes from