Bill Chappell

Opponents of Alabama's strict immigration law are declaring victory Tuesday, as the state agreed not to pursue key provisions of a measure critics had called an endorsement of racial profiling. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the state's appeal of a federal court's ruling that gutted ...

In a U.N. vote that has become something of a tradition, only one country agreed with the United States that its embargo of Cuba should continue. The final count in the General Assembly vote was 188-2.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports for our Newscast unit:

"For the 22nd year in ...

Nearly a year after breaking with the Westboro Baptist Church, two of Pastor Fred Phelps' granddaughters are enjoying a new freedom. But as they tell a Canadian newspaper, they also want to extend empathy to those they hurt in the name of a cause championed by the man they call ...

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has begun his prison sentence, resolving a brief period of confusion over his status. It seems that Jackson tried to turn himself in to federal prison officials Monday — but he was four days early. The official deadline for his surrender for a 30-month prison ...

From the list of things a person with multiple sclerosis can't do, we must erase "skydive onto Mount Everest." That's because Frenchman Marc Kopp, 55, reportedly jumped from an aircraft at an altitude of some 32,000 feet before landing on the mountain this weekend.

"I feel very happy. I am ...

Lou Reed, the singer and songwriter whose work as a solo artist and as the leader of cult-favorite band The Velvet Underground influenced generations of musicians, has died at age 71.

Rumors of Reed's possible demise have been circulating for the past week; his death was first reported Sunday by ...

The next state to legalize same-sex marriage may be Hawaii, where the state's Legislature will begin a special session on the issue Monday. The governor called the session so that lawmakers could consider the Marriage Equality Act, which would allow same-sex couples to wed.

NPR's Nathan Rott reports for our ...

Four children are among the dead in a stabbing attack that took place in Brooklyn Saturday night, New York officials say. Police say five people died from the attack at an apartment in the Sunset Park neighborhood. Emergency responders were called to the residence around 11 p.m.

"All five of ...

The process of cataloging and destroying Syria's chemical weapons stockpile took another stride Sunday, as the country met a deadline for submitting a formal declaration of its chemical arsenal. Weapons experts must also complete their inspection of all 23 storage and production sites today.

As of Friday, inspectors from the ...

Fears of possible listeria contamination are forcing grocery stores in 25 states to pull refrigerated foods from shelves. Taylor Farms of Jessup, Md., is recalling products that include salad kits with packets of dressing due to concerns of a possible contamination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

NPR's ...

Game 3 of the World Series ended in unusual fashion Saturday night, as a ninth-inning obstruction call on Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks resulted in umpires awarding a base to St. Louis' Allen Craig — bringing the winning run home and putting the Cardinals ahead in the series, 2-1.

It's ...

The all-tied World Series resumes tonight, with Game 3 between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Ahead of the game Saturday, the main storyline centers on the change of venue to St. Louis, where the Red Sox, and their pitchers, will have to adapt to National League ...

The woman behind Edna Krabappel and Carol Kester has died. Actress Marcia Wallace, who is known to generations of TV fans for distinctly different roles on The Bob Newhart Show and The Simpsons, was 70 years old.

A native of Iowa, Wallace was a fixture on American television for decades, ...

A lawsuit against Egypt's former interim vice president has been dismissed, as a misdemeanor court says there weren't sufficient grounds for a suit against Mohammed ElBaradei to proceed. He had been accused of betraying the national trust.

The lawsuit was filed by a law professor who opposed the rule of ...

Anger, distrust and possible punishments are the defining themes of Europe's reaction to news that a U.S. spy agency monitored the phone calls of millions of European citizens and some world leaders. The details are the latest to emerge from leaks attributed to former National Security Agency contract worker Edward ...

Iran has hanged 16 militant prisoners in what is being called retaliation for an attack that killed more than a dozen Iranian guards near the country's border with Pakistan, according to Iran's state-affiliated media. The country is also blaming Pakistan for what it calls lax security.

NPR's Peter Kenyon filed ...

Women in Saudi Arabia are braving a ban on their ability to drive, taking to the streets Saturday as part of a push to allow women to attain driver's licenses. Thousands of people have signed an online petition supporting the protest, which government and religious officials have spoken out against.

Customers who hope to buy enough from Amazon's website to garner free shipping are now facing a higher bar, as the giant retailer raised its minimum order size from $25 to $35. The change took effect Monday, as the busy holiday shopping season looms.

"This is the first time in ...

A former UBS bank executive who has been a fugitive since being indicted on federal charges in 2008 has been arrested in Italy. Swiss citizen Raoul Weil, the former head of UBS Global Wealth Management International, is accused of defrauding the U.S. government by helping clients evade taxes.

From Rome, ...

The website that's meant to allow Americans to shop and sign up for new medical plans under the Affordable Care Act isn't working as well as it should, President Obama says. But he promised that the problems will be fixed — and he said the Affordable Care Act is bringing ...