State and National News

In a lawsuit filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights allege the United States violated the Constitution's gurantee of due process when it ordered the targeted killing of three United States citizens.

The groups filed the suit against top military and intelligence officials on behalf relatives of the three Americans who were killed in drone strikes in Yemen last fall.

NPR's Carrie Johnson filed this report for our Newscast unit:

News that first broke in the New York Post would seem to signal that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn't going to be the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee.

The Post reports that "the word is going out quietly to Republican activists across New Jersey. ... Gov. Chris Christie is going to be giving the keynote speech" at the GOP convention in Tampa next month.

People around the world are marking 'Mandela Day' by doing 67 minutes of public service — that's one minute for every year he spent fighting for human rights. Host Michel Martin speaks to Mandela's granddaughter Tukwini Mandela to find out how the South African elder statesman is celebrating his 94th birthday.

Elaine Chao made history when she became the first Asian American woman appointed to a U.S. president's cabinet. She served as Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush, and before that directed the Peace Corps. But making her mark on the U.S. was not easy. As a child, she spent 37 days traveling by boat to get from Taiwan to America. Elaine Chao talks about her journey and her career with host Michel Martin.

It grieves me to tell you something you might already know. The Pulitzer Prize-winning, much loved columnist William Raspberry passed away Tuesday at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 76 years old.

If you followed his work — columns that cut to the quick of difficult issues but were never mean — then you don't need me to tell you why he's already missed. But if you didn't know his work — or him, for that matter — please give me the privilege of telling you what you missed.

Black gay and bisexual men now account for one in four new HIV infections in America, according to a new report by the Black AIDS Institute. Host Michel Martin speaks with director Phill Wilson about what's behind this alarming trend. Martin is also joined by Cornelius Jones, an HIV-positive artist.

President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are dominating the airwaves, but they aren't the only people running for president. Dr. Jill Stein is running as the Green Party nominee. She started her career as a medical doctor and is now campaigning on issues like the economy, education and health care. Host Michel Martin speaks with Stein about her "Green New Deal" and why she says choosing a third party is anything but a wasted vote.