State and National News

Children are diagnosed with lead exposure only when their health is already endangered. Wouldn't it be better to prevent that danger instead? That's the goal of a project in the city of St. Louis that tests the homes of pregnant women and removes dangerous lead before babies were born.

That SWAT-team approach can reduce children's exposure to toxic lead, according to a new study.

Yelp surprised analysts today during its first hours of trading as a public company.

As the Seattle PI puts it, the user-review company's shares soared by as much as 60 percent in early trading. The stock opened at $22.01 a share and has hit a high of $25.10.

South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but it has been locked in a bitter conflict with its northern neighbor. Rep. Frank Wolf (R.-Va.) just returned from the area. He talks with host Michel Martin about what some observers are calling a humanitarian crisis, and what the U.S. can do to help.

People in countries like Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania rely on crucial undersea cables to keep them connected to the internet. A ship's anchor recently sliced one of those cables, so now web traffic is being re-routed to the company Seacom. Host Michel Martin talks with Seacom founder Brian Herlihy.

Omarosa Manigault made feisty appearances on The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice, but now she is serving as a Baptist reverend. She talks about her career change with host Michel Martin.

The National Review's Kevin Williamson caused an uproar last week when making comments about Rihanna and Chris Brown. Host Michel Martin and editor Ammad Omar comb through the angry listener feedback and check back with Williamson, who states his case.

The Barbershop guys preview Super Tuesday and weigh in on Judge Richard Cebull's email that included a joke about President Obama's heritage. Host Michel Martin checks in with freelance journalist Jimi Izrael, columnists Ruben Navarrette and Mario Loyola, and Colorlines.com Editorial Director Kai Wright. Advisory: This segment may not be comfortable for some listeners.

This interview was originally broadcast on March 14, 2011. Operation Family Secrets is now available in paperback.

When Frank Calabrese Jr. was a teenager, his father came home one night and took him into the bathroom for a chat.

A California woman's nearly $168 million award from a jury is "believed to be the largest for a single victim of workplace harassment in U.S. history," the Los Angeles Times reports.