Mexican Trucks In U.S. Still Face Political Long Haul

The Port of Entry at Nogales, Ariz., is in the midst of a massive upgrade to ease congestion caused by up to 1,500 Mexican trucks crossing each day. Nearly two-thirds of the produce consumed in the U.S. and Canada during the winter come through here. These Mexican trucks stop at warehouses near the border to [...]

After 40 Years, Grisly ‘Exorcist’ Book Gets A Rewrite

In 1971, a novel set off a frenzy that soon inspired a film — and then a firestorm. In The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty told the spine-chilling story of a little girl named Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a Hollywood star shooting a film in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Funny things start happening [...]

Eating Your Way To A Healthy Heart (If You’re A Python)

It’s a huckster’s dream: “Try the new Burmese Python Diet. No calorie counting or special foods. Eat whatever comes along, up to a quarter of your body weight. Not only is it good for your waistline; it’s good for your heart.” Trouble is, what works in pythons probably won’t work for humans. Pythons employ what [...]

After Scandal, Solar Industry Looks On Bright Side

Solar power’s image has taken a hit lately with the bankruptcy of Solyndra. The California solar panel manufacturer received more than half a billion dollars in Energy Department loan guarantees before going belly up. But the industry is still optimistic — that much was apparent at the Solar Power International conference held in Dallas in [...]

Small And Isolated, Belize Attracts Drug Traffickers

A couple of decades ago, Colombian drug cartels dominated smuggling operations into the United States. In recent years, the Mexican cartels have taken over. But Mexico’s brutal drug war over the past five years is now pushing some of the drug trade into the smaller, weaker nations of Central America. And the traffickers are increasingly [...]

Unions Assume A Support Role For Occupy Movement

Attend just about any of the Occupy Wall Street-inspired protests across the country and you’re likely to see a group of people dressed in matching union T-shirts somewhere in the crowd. Typically, they’re older than your average Occupy protester but no less enthusiastic in their chanting. “I’ve been doing this [protesting] for five decades,” said [...]

Actor Alan Alda Plays ‘Not My Job’

You know Alan Alda as an actor — most famously as Hawkeye Pierce in the classic TV comedy M*A*S*H — but now he’s making his debut as a professional playwright, and we’ve invited him on to break the news that the lead actress never goes out with the writer. He’s also here to play a [...]

Justin Timberlake On Music, Comedy, And Wearing Out His NPR T-Shirt

It was almost two years ago now that Justin Timberlake, while filming The Social Network, cemented his place in the NPR collective heart by being photographed wearing our logo across his chest like a tattoo, only fabric, and temporary, and less painful. (Back then, by the way, that shirt wasn’t in our shop. Now, you [...]

Bachmann: ‘I’m The Tea Party Candidate’

The Bachmann campaign isn’t letting this one go by without a fight. Hours after the Minnesota congresswoman’s presidential campaign responded to a call from the leader of a Tea Party group for her to bow out of the race, her campaign is labeling the incident a “stealth attack” by the campaign of Texas Gov. Rick [...]

Aspirin, Colon Cancer And You

For some people at especially high risk of developing colon cancer, taking a couple aspirin a day appears to help protect them from the disease. A study in The Lancet finds that people with Lynch syndrome, a hereditary predisposition to cancer of the digestive tract, who took aspirin twice a day for a up to [...]