Search results for

At the annual National Governors Association meeting, health care is a hot agenda item. State leaders are at odds with one another over the Affordable Care Act, and some who oppose the law won't yet say whether they'll use federal funds to expand Medicaid programs.

With the national convention just three months away, state Democrats are reeling from a series of setbacks, including passage of a gay marriage ban and a sex scandal within the organization. But party leaders say they're committed to making the convention a success and keeping the state "blue" in November.

The Catholic Church has been in the public spotlight a lot this year. The issues of contraception and gay marriage have been part of the presidential campaign and church leaders have weighed in. There have also been new revelations in a case involving leaked Vatican documents, and it may actually be a case where the butler did it. Host Rachel Martin speaks with John Allen, a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

The nation's oldest civil rights organization holds its annual convention in Houston this week. As in any election season, the group is putting energy into voting rights and voter turnout. But this year, the dramatically high rate of unemployment rate among African-Americans is also a key concern.

Steve Inskeep talks to Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times about the bombing in Damascus on Wednesday that reportedly killed the Syrian defense minister and other officials.

Putting Mike Huckabee on the GOP ticket this year as Mitt Romney's running mate could certainly liven up the presidential race. The former Arkansas governor is likable, experienced and even plays bass. But as someone who claims to focus on conversation, not confrontation, would he go on the attack for Romney?

They NCAA announced severe penalties against Penn State's football program on Monday in the wake of the sex abuse scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The NCAA banned the team from bowl games for the next four years, stripped it of all victories between 1998 and 2011 and fined the school $60 million.

During Libya's uprising last year, hundreds of thousands of foreign workers fled the violence. But now, many are making the trek back across Africa's Sahel region seeking better job opportunities than they can find at home. Marine Olivesi reports from one town in Ghana that has seen thousands make the long trip.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh has released his report on an investigation into how Penn State University dealt with allegations of sexual abuse by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The report says the safety and welfare of child sex abuse victims were disregarded. Last month, Sadusky was found guilty of 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

Most people like trees — right up until a storm like last Friday's mid-Atlantic "derecho" knocks one into their car. So when is a tree merely nice to look at and when does it become a hazard? Robert Siegel talks to Tchukki Andersen, a staff arborist at the Tree Care Industry Association, about how homeowners can safely care for their trees.