A new survey shows stunning progress in medical care in the war-torn country. Renee Montagne speaks with Alex Thier who oversees projects in Afghanistan for the U.S. Agency for International Development. They discuss the tremendous efforts that have been made to improve medical care in that country over the last decade.
The Democratic political action committee American Bridge 21st Century has taken over the website newtgingrich.com. Visitors to the site — which is not controlled by Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign — were re-directed to, among other things, the website Tiffany & Co., and to articles critical of the former House speaker.
If the company's board approves, Yahoo could receive about $17 billion in a deal that would shed most of its Asian assets. That means Yahoo would dramatically decrease its valuable stake in Ali-baba — China's largest Internet company. The deal would get the company some much-needed cash.
The death of longtime leader Kim Jong Il puts his son and heir apparent in the spotlight, even as preparations for next week's state funeral are still under way. The younger Kim inherits a country in dire economic straits, and faces a tough fight to consolidate his political power and legitimacy.
Earlier this year, NPR's Tom Bowman reported on the high casualty rates experienced by the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment of the Marine Corps — the Darkhorse Battalion. This was during their deployment in one of Afghanistan's southern provinces. Morning Edition reached out to a member of that battalion who is home for Christmas this year. Renee Montagne talks to Staff Sgt. James Foley, who joined us on the phone from Camp Pendleton in Southern California.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is campaigning hard in New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Jan.10. The former Mass. Governor has seven events scheduled Thursday. He's been focusing on New Hampshire's primary rather than the Iowa caucuses.
Add another costly settlement to Bank of America's multi-billion dollar tally of woes tied to the 2008 acquisition of mortgage giant Countrywide. The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that the North Carolina-based bank will pay $335 million to settle allegations of discriminatory lending.
The state of Hawaii is in danger of losing millions of dollars in Race to the Top funds due to its "unsatisfactory" performance.
The suburban Southwest is awash with empty lots and zombie subdivisions — developments that have been abandoned by builders. Experts believe up to a million dirt lots in central Arizona were in some stage of approval for new homes when the housing market crashed. Urban planners say to fix the zombie problem, the state must realize the that people are leaving the suburbs and should consider "smart decline." Peter O'Dowd of member station KJZZ explains.
With less than two weeks before voting begins in Iowa, three Republican candidates are pulling out the big guns. Callista Gingrich, Anita Perry and Anne Romney appeared in campaign ads for their husbands.
Ratings for this week's episode of the reality TV show, All-American Muslim, dropped more than 30 percent from the previous week. The show had plenty of drama off-screen earlier this month when home improvement retailer Lowe's admitted it pulled its ads off the show after pressure from a conservative Christian group.
The fight between Syria's government and anti-government forces continues. Activists and groups that monitor the country say recently hundreds of people have been killed in the villages and towns near the Turkish border as the Syrian government mounts an offensive on anti-government forces.
Multiple explosions in Baghdad killed dozens of people and injured scores more throughout the city. While previous bombings targeted check points or police, Thursday's victims appear to be mostly civilians. Some worry that the violence is a way to stoke sectarian tensions, which are already high.
Americans make more charitable donations than people of any other country, and this is the time of year they dig the deepest. In Little Rock, Arkansas, that means the anti-poverty charity, Heifer International, is going full throttle. Contributors purchase living things, which are donated to struggling families in 52 countries.
Attention lottery players in Georgia: No one has stepped up to claim the $77 million jackpot that expires on Monday. The state's lottery offices will be closed starting tomorrow for the Christmas holiday. But the lucky winner can claim the prize at the lottery kiosk at Atlanta's main airport.