Bill Chappell

This summer, Lego will release its first-ever minifigure that uses a wheelchair, the company says, confirming reports that emerged after one of the toys was seen at a toy fair. In recent years, the company has been urged to show more diversity in its offerings.

German website Zusammengebaut and ...

Update, 9:15 p.m.

In a press conference, the FBI said Thursday night that four militants still remained at the wildlife refuge, but that the perimeter around them had been reduced.

They also announced that the full video of the arrest of Bundy and several other militants, as well as the ...

No country is free of public corruption, a scourge that has wide-ranging effects on the lives of billions of people. But in 2015, more countries saw drops in corruption than those that saw gains, according to the new Corruption Perceptions Index.

The United States lost three points from its ...

For more than 50 years, Barney Hall was the man who helped fans enjoy stock car racing – and make sense of the chaos that can break out when cars hurtle around a track. An integral part of the Daytona 500 and other iconic races, Hall died Tuesday from complications ...

In what police say they believe was a targeted attack, five people were shot in a homeless encampment known as "The Jungle," about a mile south of downtown Seattle. Two men were killed; a man and two women underwent surgery after the attack.

Seattle police detectives "believe the five victims ...

Ammon Bundy, leader of the group of militants that has occupied a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon for weeks, has been arrested along with seven other members of the group, including his brother, Ryan, according to federal and local law enforcement agencies.

In the wake of the arrests, police sharply ...

The Cleveland Division of Police has fired Michael Brelo and five other officers over their actions during a high-speed chase in 2012 that ended in the deaths of two unarmed suspects. Brelo was accused of jumping onto the vehicle's hood and firing 15 rounds through its windshield.

The police chase ...

One month after photos emerged showing cadets wearing white pillowcases on their heads, The Citadel says its investigation found that while 14 cadets may not have meant to be offensive, their behavior warranted punishments — and in some cases, dismissal.

The incident stems from a a string of nights in ...

After devoting decades of her life to a cause — demonstrating for peace and against nuclear proliferation — Concepcion Picciotto has died. Persisting through cold and rough weather, she was a fixture outside the White House, where she was often called the president's closest neighbor.

Her protest vigil is considered ...

Stocks plunged in Asia on Tuesday as global oil prices slid and investors worried that China's currency would continue to lose value. European markets also fell as oil prices slumped again.

From Shanghai, NPR's Frank Langfitt reports for our Newscast unit:

"The Shanghai Composite was down more than 6 ...

In a blazing display of physical efficiency and analytical speed that's likely to infuriate anyone who's ever struggled to solve a Rubik's Cube puzzle, two guys in Kansas City, Mo., have built a robot that can solve the cube in an amazing 1.2 seconds.

Actually, some of the robot's times ...

The "fetal heartbeat" law — a North Dakota ban on many abortions that was the toughest in the nation when it was enacted — has been blocked permanently, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a lower court's ruling that overturned the law.

The measure banned abortions as soon ...

At the start of the work week, many offices from Virginia to New York are closed, and road crews are working to clear streets as residents dig themselves out of a blizzard's snowfall. Flight schedules, riddled by cancellations, will likely take days to get back to normal.

They're coping with ...

He traveled more than 900 miles across the Antarctic, attempting a solo trek that would also boost a British charity that aids wounded veterans. But explorer Henry Worsley was halted by exhaustion and dehydration that turned out to be fatal.

Worsley, 55, had been attempting to complete the first-ever solo ...

A first-of-its-kind Kansas law that bans a common method of performing second-trimester abortions has been blocked, as judges on the state's Court of Appeals conclude that the procedure is protected by rights of due process and equal protection.

The law was blocked after the court's full roster of judges split ...

From the way we speak to the things we do, few things spark cliches like the threat of a winter storm. For days now, we've been talking about Jack Frost's plans. And as people hunker down, staples like bread, milk and toilet paper have been flying off store shelves.

Many ...

More than 16 years after Roger Federer played in his first Grand Slam event, he's won his 300th match, becoming the first man to reach that mark. He now trails only Martina Navratilova, who won 306 matches at the highest level of tennis. Federer, 34, is currently ranked No. ...

In Mogadishu, Somali security forces have ended a siege at a restaurant where gunmen had taken refuge after firing on diners and passers-by late Thursday. The attack left at least 17 people dead, the government says. The militant Islamist group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility.

NPR's Gregory Warner reports:

"Police ...

Cementing a deal that has been hinted at for months, China is moving forward to build what's believed to be its first overseas military facility, in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. The outpost is meant to bolster the Chinese navy's efforts to prevent piracy.

At least three other ...

Nearly 10 years after Kremlin critic and former spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with a rare radioactive element and died in London, a retired British judge has issued a report concluding that Russian President Vladimir Putin "probably" approved a plan by Russia's security service to kill the former FSB agent.