America
Boy Scouts Vote To Admit Openly Gay Members
by Scott Neuman
The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America has voted to allow gay Scout members, but to continue a ban on openly gay adult Scout leaders. The policy change would take effect Jan. 1, 2014.
America
Head Of IRS Tax-Exempt Division Reportedly Placed On Leave
by Scott Neuman
Lois Lerner has been at the center of a scandal over the tax agency's targeting of conservative groups.
America
Alabama Republican Jo Bonner Says He's Leaving Congress
by Scott Neuman
The congressman says he will step down in August to take a senior position at the University of Alabama.
©2013 NPR
America
After The Storm: Students Gather For One More School Day
There were hugs and tears, smiles and laughter: Parents and students from two schools destroyed in Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., reunited Thursday with their teachers. The school district reopened all of its schools just for the day on what would have been the final day of classes before summer vacation.
America
Descending Into The Mariana Trench: James Cameron's Odyssey
At nearly seven miles below the water's surface, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in Earth's oceans. And the site north of Guam is where director and explorer James Cameron fulfilled a longtime goal of reaching the bottom in a manned craft.
America
For Second Time, Moore Family Loses Home To A Tornado
The tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., Monday destroyed some 12,000 homes, according to Oklahoma City Police. And for one family, it was the second house they've lost to a tornado in the past 14 years. Rena and Paul Phillips say that the recent loss won't make them move.
America
NOAA Predicts Above-Average Hurricane Season
by Scott Neuman
Forecasters predict as many as six major hurricanes in the Atlantic this year due in part to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures.
America
In Oklahoma, Praying To A 'God Of Rebuilding'
by Alan Greenblatt
Central Oklahoma has been hit repeatedly by killer tornadoes. For many residents of the town of Moore, that history offers proof that they'll be able to rebuild, not evidence that they should leave.
America
Moore Finds Comfort In Animals Who Survived The Storm
by Alan Greenblatt
Half a dozen temporary shelters have been set up for animals lost when a terrifying tornado hit Moore, Okla. One veterinary technician says, "It's pretty amazing anything could survive what happened, but animals are pretty resilient."
America
Obama To Limit Drone Strikes, Renew Effort To Close Guantanamo
by Scott Neuman
The president said the death of Osama bin Laden and most of his top lieutenants, and the fact that there have been no large-scale terrorist attacks on the U.S. homeland, meant that a new policy was in order — one that concentrates on capturing, rather than killing terrorist suspects.
America
Teen Pregnancies Continue To Decline, New Report Shows
by Mark Memmott
A trend that was interrupted in 2006 and 2007 has resumed: Fewer girls are getting pregnant.
America
3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway
A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.
Economy
Production Of New Vehicles Predicted To Hit 2002 Levels
Strong new-vehicle sales lead industry analysts to revise their forecasts for North American production levels in 2013, with J.D. Power & Associates and LMC Automotive predicting 16 million units will be produced — a mark not hit since 2002.
America
Reports: Obama To Limit Drones, Urge Action On Guantanamo
by Mark Memmott
The president is set to deliver Thursday what's being billed as a major address on national security. Officials are telling news outlets that he'll be addressing two controversial topics: The use of drones to kill suspected terrorists; and the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
America
Amid Nails And Mud, Oklahoma Neighborhood Pulls Together
by Alan Greenblatt
Monday's tornado ground parts of the Heatherwood subdivision to bits as it tore through Moore, Okla. At one house, a crushed pickup truck is all that's keeping a garage from collapsing. Neighbors pulled on their work gloves to help one another dig out.
America
Cleveland Hero Charles Ramsey Rewarded With Burgers For Life
by Mark Memmott
Ramsey gained instant fame with his accounts of what happened after he heard cries for help from inside a Cleveland home where authorities say three young women had been held captive for about a decade. His tale famously included a mention of the Big Mac he'd been eating.
International
'On Top Of The World' At 80: Japanese Climber Summits Everest
A Japanese mountaineer has become the oldest person to conquer Mount Everest, as Yuichiro Miura, 80, reached the peak Thursday morning. The feat marks Miura's third time atop Mount Everest. As in 2008, Miura's accomplishment is in danger of being surpassed by rival climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 81.
America
FBI Arrests Washington State Man In Ricin Letters Case
Matthew Ryan Buquet is accused of mailing two tainted letters, one addressed to a federal judge and the other to the downtown post office in Spokane, Wash.
Economy
Jobless Claims Drop, But Stay In Recent Range
by Mark Memmott
There was more of a decline than economists expected, but the weekly pace hasn't really changed much since late 2011.
America
Triple Murder May Link Tsarnaev And Man Killed In Florida
by Mark Memmott
Ibragim Todashev, law enforcement sources tell NPR and other news outlets, was being questioned about the 2011 killings of three men in Waltham, Mass. Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has also been linked to that unsolved case.
