National and World News from NPR

Pages

The Salt
8:57 am
Thu April 5, 2012

Chocolate Bilbies, Not Bunnies, For An Australian Easter

In the turf war between rabbits and bilbies that plays out in burrows dug into Australia's arid grasslands, rabbits, those aggressive and fertile European immigrants, have largely won out.

But the chocolate bilby has staked its claim on the springtime candy shelf — an honor that could help the threatened species make a real comeback.

Read more
Economy
8:24 am
Thu April 5, 2012

Debt Struggles As Old As America Itself

As of today, the national debt held by the public is more than $10 trillion. That's more than $30,000 for every man, woman and child living in the United States.

Read more
Million Dollar Donors
8:11 am
Thu April 5, 2012

For Romney, Family Ties To Marriott Heirs Pay Off

It's All Politics
6:32 am
Thu April 5, 2012

Thursday Political Grab Bag: Poll Puts Romney Ahead In PA

Mitt Romney has taken the lead in voter support in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling which shows the Republican frontrunner ahead of Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from the Keystone State, 42 percent to 37 percent. That lead was just on the 4.9 point margin of error, suggesting a tie. That's bad news for Santorum, however, as he dropped six percentage points while Romney gained 17 percent from a month ago.

Read more
The Two-Way
5:40 am
Thu April 5, 2012

Jobless Claims Stay Around Four-Year Low

The number of people filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance stayed around a four-year low last week, the Employment and Training Administration just reported.

It says there were 357,000 such applications, down 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 363,000.

Claims have been running at the lowest rate since March and April 2008 for several weeks now.

Read more
Shots - Health Blog
5:31 am
Thu April 5, 2012

Cancer Diagnosis Raises Risk Of Death From Heart Attack, Suicide

Credit Max Delson Martins Santos / iStockphoto.com
The danger of death by heart attack or suicide is greatest in the first week after a cancer diagnosis.

Finding out that you have cancer greatly increases the risk of death by heart attack or suicide, according to a new study. That risk is especially big in the first week after getting the bad news.

Read more
The Two-Way
4:55 am
Thu April 5, 2012

The Masters Begins: Will Tiger Woods Win? Do You Want Him To?

Credit Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
Tiger Woods, teeing off during a practice round at Augusta National on Thursday.
  • On 'Morning Edition': Christine Brennan talks with Steve Inskeep

They're teeing off this morning in Augusta, Ga. It's the Masters, the first of the "major" tournaments for men each year.

Read more
Around the Nation
4:11 am
Thu April 5, 2012

Personal Brick Offer Backfires On Baseball's Marlins

Fans had a chance to be immortalized in the stadium by buying personalized bricks. The animal rights group PETA bought one. The group's brick contained a hidden message that spells out an anti-fishing website.

The Two-Way
4:05 am
Thu April 5, 2012

In Greece, Retiree's Suicide Sparks Protests And Clashes With Police

Credit Aris Messinis / AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators clashed with riot police in Athens overnight.

The human toll from the financial crisis in Greece now has a human face.

After 77-year-old retired pharmacist Dimitris Christoulas killed himself Wednesday outside the parliament building in Athens, a suicide note he left was reported to say that he felt he must take a "dignified end to my life" because austerity measures and "annihilated all traces for my survival," particularly his pension.

Read more

Pages