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Martin Kaste Martin Kaste is a correspondent on NPR's National desk.
Martin Kaste 2010
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Martin Kaste

National

University of Washington Time Capsule Surprise

This week, the University of Washington opened up a five-decade-old time capsule, in preparation for an alumni event this weekend. They were surprised by what they found.

University of Washington Time Capsule Surprise

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Environment

Does Backing Biofuels with Public Money Work?

Congress is using financial incentives to encourage the biofuels industry as a way of responding to concerns about global warming. Are public dollars really buying the environmental benefits we expect?

Does Backing Biofuels with Public Money Work?

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Law

Bush Administration Urges Changes to FISA

The Bush administration calls for changes to the FISA law — the 1970s-era legislation that gives a secret court oversight for spy agencies to wiretap inside the United States. The administration wants to make the law more "technology-neutral" for new forms of surveillance. But some civil libertarians are crying foul.

Bush Administration Urges Changes to FISA

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Business

New Cargo Plane Symbolizes Boeing Outsourcing

A specially modified 747 cargo jet called the Dreamlifter is big enough to haul large sections of Boeing's new 787 airliner. But company machinists say it symbolizes outsourcing and fear it will cost union jobs.

New Cargo Plane Symbolizes Boeing Outsourcing

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Performing Arts

Disputed Play on Gaza Activist Debuts in Seattle

A play about an activist who died in Gaza while opposing Israeli forces moves on to Seattle. The New York Theater Workshop recently canceled performances, which many critics saw as evidence of pro-Israel bias.

Disputed Play on Gaza Activist Debuts in Seattle

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Your Money

IRS Urges E-Filing — But by Vendors Only, Please

The IRS recommends that taxpayers file electronically — e-filing saves the government time and money, and is more accurate than IRS employees who type in the data from paper returns. But the IRS refuses to set up its own Web portal to receive the filings. Critics call it the work of tax-industry lobbyists.

IRS Urges E-Filing — But by Vendors Only, Please

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Economy

Seattle Refinery Rides Biodiesel Boom Into Big Time

The Seattle Biodiesel refinery started out in a little warehouse just a couple of years ago, making a few thousand gallons of eco-fuel a day for local buses. Now it has mushroomed, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and building a large plant.

Seattle Refinery Rides Biodiesel Boom Into Big Time

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National

Wounded Soldier Fights for Health Benefits

One soldier's fight to get disability benefits after being wounded in Iraq illustrates a much more widespread problem. Some soldiers claim it has actually gotten harder to receive health benefits since the war began.

Wounded Soldier Fights for Health Benefits

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World

Canadians Transfixed by Pig-Farm Murder Trial

The trial of a Canadian accused of murdering dozens of women and mutilating their bodies on his farm near Vancouver has begun. Robert "Willie" Pickton, the notorious "Pig Farmer" of British Columbia, was arrested five years ago, after human remains were found on his farm.

Canadians Transfixed by Pig-Farm Murder Trial

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Iraq

Mistrial Declared in War Objector Case

A mistrial has ended the court-martial proceedings against a military officer who refused to serve in Iraq. The judge has scheduled a new court-martial for First Lt. Ehren Watada for March.

Mistrial Declared in War Objector Case

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Law

War Critic Watada Faces Court Martial

Lt. Ehren Watada refuses to deploy to Iraq, making him a hero to some who oppose the war. But many have criticized his actions, and his court martial begins Monday. If convicted, he could spend four years in prison.

War Critic Watada Faces Court Martial

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Law

Border Towns Fret Over New Passport Rules

Communities on the Canadian border say that increasingly strict identification rules since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are threatening the cozy neighborliness of their way of life. Their concerns led them to persuade Congress to postpone and water down the passport rules for land-crossings.

Border Towns Fret Over New Passport Rules

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National

Fort Lewis Soldiers, Community React to Iraq Plan

In the military community of Fort Lewis, Wash., there appears to be little interest in, or support for, President Bush's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq.

Fort Lewis Soldiers, Community React to Iraq Plan

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