Close Out The Year With Some Best-Selling Last Words
As the year comes to an end, NPR librarian Kee Malesky shares closing lines from some great novels — those last few moments spent with a story that you love.
A Fiscal Deal Now Would Pale In Comparison To Original Visions
Whether negotiated in a rush before the new year or left for early January, the fiscal deal President Barack Obama and Congress cobble together will be far smaller than what they initially envisioned as an alternative to purposefully distasteful tax increases and spending cuts.
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Massachusetts Freshman Brings Kennedys Back To Capitol Hill
When Rep.-elect Joseph Kennedy III is sworn in this week, he'll end a short gap in his family's service in the nation's capital. Last year had marked the first time in more than six decades that there was no Kennedy serving in elected office in Washington.
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Retail Workers Bear Brunt Of Sluggish Holiday Sales
Early sales numbers suggest it was a lackluster season for retailers, and slow holiday sales mean fewer opportunities for retail workers hoping to make holiday temp jobs permanent.
Street Signs Intended To Give Pakistani City New Direction
In one of Pakistan's oldest cities, Lahore, street signs are rare, and people constantly ask for directions. Two young entrepreneurs are hoping to change that with a project to make street signs commonplace.
Conservatives Invoke NAACP Case In Fight For Secret Donors
As a new class of million-dollar political donors rises, conservatives are fighting for continued secrecy around their contributions. Strategist Karl Rove is citing a 1950s Supreme Court case that protected NAACP members, arguing that conservative donors are also being subjected to intimidation.
The Mysterious Disappearance Of The Russian Crown Jewels
After the 1917 Russian Revolution, there was a debate over what to do with the spectacular jewels that had symbolized the power and wealth of the czars. Most have remained in the Kremlin, but some can't be traced.
Woman Charged With Hate Crime In New York Subway Death
Accused of pushing a man in front of a subway train in Queens, Erica Menendez has been charged with murder. A spokeswoman for Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Menendez told authorities she hates Hindus and Muslims.
'Light Doesn't Die': A Sister's Poem For Slain Sandy Hook Teacher
Unable to sleep in the days after the Newtown, Conn., killings, Emily Leukhardt found herself writing about the sister who she says was "just fundamentally good."
In Limbo: Stateless Man Stuck On American Samoa
Mikhail Sebastian came to the South Pacific island for what should have been a short vacation; he has now been there for a year. U.S. immigration officials say he self-deported.
Years Delayed, Detroit Starts Testing Rape Kits For Evidence
In 2009, thousands of boxes of potential evidence were discovered untested. Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy is leading the effort to handle the backlog. While the city still lacks sufficient funding to test all of the 11,000 kits, it has made two convictions and discovered a pattern of serial rapists.
Congress Totters Along The Edge Of The 'Cliff'
Senate leaders groped for a last-minute compromise Saturday to avoid middle-class tax increases and possibly prevent deep spending cuts at the dawn of the new year as President Obama warned that failure could mean a "self-inflicted wound to the economy."
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'Truth By Repetition': The Evolution Of Political Mudslinging
Two former reporters are now making a living digging up dirt on political candidates. They help their clients find obscured truths on their competition — and on themselves. While name-calling isn't new, there are more ways to spread a damaging message. But as this election showed, that message isn't always factually based.
Anger Swells As Indians Mourn For Rape Victim
As thousands of candles glow at a somber scene in a central Delhi park on Saturday, there is quiet, sober reflection in India about the tragic end of a young woman who has come to symbolize violence against all women in India.
Gay Couples Tie The Knot In Maine As Law Takes Effect
After waiting years and seeing marriage rights nearly awarded and then retracted, same-sex couples in Portland didn't have to wait a moment longer than necessary to wed, with licenses issued at the stroke of midnight.
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Hollywood Writer's Gongs Still Going Strong
The gong business is still a hit for Andrew Borakove, a comedy television writer turned gong salesmen. Despite the rocky economy, his doors have been open for eight years. "We've watched the world go up and down," he says, "but when you're selling gongs, there's no up or down, it's just round."
Same-Sex Marriage And Adoption: Unresolved Issues In France
Opposition to a bill allowing gay couples to adopt has been unexpectedly fierce in the country, which legalized civil unions more than a decade ago. In a rare move, and to the surprise of many, even the French Catholic Church has become involved in the debate.
Congressional Leaders Hopeful As Fiscal Cliff Deadline Nears
Even though the top four congressional leaders left their White House meeting with the president separately and silently Friday, they cast the hourlong encounter in a positive light back at the Capitol.
Obama: 'The American People Are Watching What We Do Here'
It was hardly the first time the president had been standing at the White House briefing room podium, asking lawmakers to finally, before time runs out, agree to his plan or cut a deal, and spare the world some gratuitous economic pain.
New Immigration Battle: Driver's Licenses
Iowa is the latest state to challenge President Obama's immigration policy by denying driver's licenses to young illegal immigrants who receive a temporary reprieve from deportation. Opponents are suing to block such moves, saying they violate federal law.