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Linda Wertheimer As NPR's senior national correspondent, Linda Wertheimer travels the country and the globe for NPR News, bringing her unique insights and wealth of experience to bear on the day's top news stories.
Linda Wertheimer
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Linda Wertheimer

Economy

December's Jobless Rate Expected To Tick Higher

The Labor Department comes out with its latest unemployment report Friday morning. Analysts expect 15,000 jobs were created. But they also forecast that December's jobless rate will edge higher from 8.6 percent to 8.7 percent. A separate survey on private sector hiring showed strong gains in December.

December's Jobless Rate Expected To Tick Higher

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Sports

College Football Bowl Games Cap 2011 Season

College football bowl games began last month but the big games are being played in the new year. There were six games played Monday including the Rose Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. Michigan and Virginia Tech meet Tuesday night in the Sugar Bowl.

College Football Bowl Games Cap 2011 Season

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Hidden Brain

Google Searches Are A Window Into Our Culture

Millions of people are searching for things every day on Google. The people at the giant search engine company realized that if they tracked those searches, the patterns can tell us about what's happening with people's lives.

Google Searches Are A Window Into Our Culture

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Middle East

Egyptian Military Raids Foreign-Funded NGO Offices

The State Department is calling on Egyptian authorities to stop the harassment of non-governmental organizations. Egyptian security forces earlier raided the offices of 17 NGOs. The military claims some of them were operating without permits.

Egyptian Military Raids Foreign-Funded NGO Offices

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Sports

NBA Stars Didn't Disappoint In Season Openers

Perhaps more than any other major professional sports league in this country, the National Basketball Association is star-driven. A Christmas slate of season-opening games featured the electric play of the league's Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose, the NBA's top scorer Kevin Durant and LeBron James, too.

NBA Stars Didn't Disappoint In Season Openers

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Politics

What's Behind House GOP's Payroll Tax Reversal?

Three days of intense pressure persuaded House Republicans to give in and approve a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment compensation benefits. Linda Wertheimer talks to NPR's Tamara Keith about the reversal by GOP leaders in the House.

What's Behind House GOP's Payroll Tax Reversal?

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Sports

NBA Kicks Off Shortened Season On Christmas Day

Men's professional basketball was on a long break because of the lockout. But on Christmas Day, the NBA season begins with a five-game package featuring exciting teams and glittering superstars. There's a rematch between defending champion Dallas and everyone's favorite team to hate — the Miam Heat.

NBA Kicks Off Shortened Season On Christmas Day

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World

U.S. Admits To Some Mistakes In Deadly Pakistan Raid

The U.S. has admitted that NATO forces made mistakes in an operation last month that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

U.S. Admits To Some Mistakes In Deadly Pakistan Raid

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Middle East

Hundreds Killed In Bloody Month For Syrian Uprising

The fight between Syria's government and anti-government forces continues. Activists and groups that monitor the country say recently hundreds of people have been killed in the villages and towns near the Turkish border as the Syrian government mounts an offensive on anti-government forces.

Hundreds Killed In Bloody Month For Syrian Uprising

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Africa

Egyptian Women Protest Army Abuses Against Them

Thousands of women marched in the streets of Cairo Tuesday rallying against their treatment by Egyptian security forces. The march came on the heels of video images of soldiers beating and stripping female demonstrators during recent protests in Tahrir Square.

Egyptian Women Protest Army Abuses Against Them

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Analysis

Payroll Tax Holiday Extension Is In Jeopardy

Millions of Americans, who have benefited from a holiday in paying Social Security payroll taxes, cannot count on that being extended beyond the first of the year. House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that the bipartisan deal worked out by the Senate to keep the tax cut going for another couple of months would not pass muster with House Republicans.

Payroll Tax Holiday Extension Is In Jeopardy

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Latin America

5 Years Later: Calderon's War On Cartels

Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's declaration of all-out war against drug traffickers in his country. In 2006, he vowed to use all the powers of the state to take down the drug lords. The narco-war has left a stunning toll — more than 40,000 people dead.

5 Years Later: Calderon's War On Cartels

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Europe

23 European Countries Sign On To Fiscal Pact

After meeting Friday in Brussels until the early morning hours, most European leaders agreed to a plan to move ahead with more budget discipline. Are world financial markets likely to see the talks as a failure or as progress?

23 European Countries Sign On To Fiscal Pact

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World

Blasts Across Afghanistan Kill Dozens

Three separate explosions Tuesday in Afghanistan have killed dozens of people. The bomb blasts took place in Kabul, the southern city of Kandahar and the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Blasts Across Afghanistan Kill Dozens

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World

Climate-Treaty Talks Target U.S., China Emissions

Top delegates at the U.N. climate conference in Durban, South Africa, decide this week whether the Kyoto Protocol lives or dies. Tuesday morning, U.S. delegates have a one-on-one with China. The U.S. says it's open to discussing a future treaty but won't talk about anything legally binding until it knows what exactly would be in that agreement. China says it's open for talks but is vague beyond that.

Climate-Treaty Talks Target U.S., China Emissions

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