AT&T may have suffered another setback to its proposed $39 billion merger with rival wireless company T-Mobile. The FCC on Tuesday released a detailed analysis of its reasons for opposing the deal, contrary to AT&T's wishes.

The man who shot President Reagan in 1981 has gradually been winning more liberties after being confined to a mental institution for decades. On Wednesday, a judge will begin to consider whether he deserves more privileges that could pave the way for him to live in the community.

Eleven babies have died while sleeping next to adults this year in Milwaukee. The city's health department has started an anti-bed-sharing campaign aimed at preventing more infant deaths, but critics say the grim images demonize parents rather than educating them.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a case testing whether the federal government is liable for damages when it violates the Privacy Act by disclosing that an individual is HIV-positive. It says it's only liable for economic harm, not emotional.

A 2009 White House memorandum protects federal scientists from political interference. But a watchdog group alleges that federal officials allowed politics to affect the design of a scientific study — exactly the sort of abuse the directive was designed to prevent.

Businesses' desire to make sense of vast troves of data means mathematicians are in high demand, creating a recruiting war for talented analysts. DJ Patil, a "big data" expert who now recruits for a venture capital firm, compares raw data to clay: shapeless until molded by a gifted mathematician.

The Great Recession hit the industrial Midwest especially hard in recent years. Now, though, local leaders in at least one small Illinois city believe the worst is finally behind them. But they need to diversify — and attract new residents.

In the 1960s, Dave Bing and Jim Boeheim were the starting guards for Syracuse University's basketball team. Since then, both men have shown a huge capacity for loyalty. But as they face tough times in Detroit and at Syracuse, they're also risking their legacies.

Rep. Barney Frank, the long-time liberal voice (and a fast-talking and brusque one at that) who has announced he won't be running for re-election, discussed with NPR's Guy Raz, co-host of All Things Considered, the items of unfinished business he plans attend to during his remaining year in Congress.