The mightiest has fallen as play continues in the second round of the men's basketball tournament. Northern Iowa led for all but 47 seconds in taking down the powerful Jayhawks, 67-65. In another surprise, No. 10 seed St. Mary's beat Villanova.
Volunteers have placed more than a million sandbags around Fargo, N.D., and city officials say they think they've done enough to prevent major flooding. The Red River is expected to crest Sunday at 19 feet above flood stage — lower than earlier predictions.
Democratic House leaders say they've got the votes to pass a landmark health-care overhaul Sunday. And they're confident enough of getting an overhaul done that they've agreed to set aside the controversial "deem and pass" strategy. Host Guy Raz checks in with NPR's Julie Rovner on the latest maneuvering on Capitol Hill.
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As the health care issue reaches a crescendo in Washington, Sarah Varney of member station KQED looks at how the debate is playing out across the rest of the nation.
News analyst James Fallows of The Atlantic magazine talks with host Guy Raz about the big stories of the week, including the final push for a health care overhaul and what's likely to be the next big issue for Congress: immigration.
House Democrats say they are confident they have the 216 votes they need to pass a history-making health overhaul package on Sunday. President Obama called on lawmakers to put aside politics and do what is right for the American people during a tumultuous day of deal-making.
The strongest sandstorm so far this year hit the country's north, delaying some flights at Beijing's airport and prompting a dust warning for South Korea's capital. China's expanding deserts now cover one-third of the country because of deforestation, urban sprawl and drought.
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You'd think it would take an army to truth-squad the rapid-fire rumors of the World Wide Web. But at Snopes.com, that task falls to husband-and-wife myth debunkers David and Barbara Mikkelson.
Video game developer Richard Garriott bought the broken Soviet lunar rover at an auction in 1993 — this week, thanks to new photos released by NASA, he's been able to see it on the moon for the first time.
A Lehman Brothers whistleblower warned his bosses that accounting gimmicks the bank used before its collapse may have been illegal, his lawyer said Friday.
Pope Benedict XVI rebuked Irish bishops Saturday for "grave errors of judgment" in handling clerical sex abuse and ordered a Vatican investigation into the Irish church to wipe out the scourge.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says there are representatives who have not publicly indicated that they will support this legislation, but will step forward to give it the 216 necessary votes for passage.
Washington was swept up in drama this week as the health care debate finally came to a vote. Obama also signed his jobs bill, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Russia. Host Scott Simon reviews the week's news with NPR News Analyst Juan Williams.
The Catholic bishops have lobbied hard to get Catholic members of Congress to oppose the current health care bill because of language it says could allow some federal funding of abortion. The Catholic hospital group differs on the interpretation of the abortion language and the relative importance of the rest of the bill.
The arrest of senior Afghan Taliban figures in Pakistan ended secret talks between the Taliban and the United Nations, according the former head of the U.N. mission in Kabul. U.N. representative Kai Eide, who stepped down this month, says the capture of more than a dozen Taliban members, some through joint U.S. Pakistan operations, effectively derailed the possibility of continuing dialogue about settling the war in Afghanistan. But Pakistan says there was no intention to sabotage anything.
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President Barack Obama packed the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Friday for one more health care rally. Speaking to students in a swing state, Obama hoped to put a bit of his campaign magic on the legislative drive to overhaul the nation's health care system.
A big rally demanding comprehensive immigration reform is expected Sunday, but don't expect much action from Congress on the issue. Comprehensive reform is not a winner in an election year for Democrats; they'll have to give it a nod, but they are unlikely to take it on along with health care, financial regulations and jobs.
President Obama has a sure vote in Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House Majority Leader, who is trying to rally and convince any wavering Democrats. Host Scott Simon talks to Hoyer about the revised health care bill.
As parts of South Dakota struggle with flooding due mostly to extremely heavy snowmelt, some residents are struggling to stay in their towns. Roads leading into the town of Claremont, population 500, are under water and residents are using tractors and ATVs to access their town. Jenifer Jones of South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports.
For all the talk of unity and reconciliation, many Iraqi citizens are in for a shock when the new parliament swears in. Several of the winners, including top vote-getters, are believed to have committed mass murder during Iraq's sectarian civil war. One of the names bandied about as a compromise candidate for prime minister allegedly managed a secret prison where Sunnis died by electric drill. Another is a famous death squad leader. With the results finally crystallizing, it's not at all clear that this election will heal any of Iraq's wounds.