U.S. News and National Top Stories : NPR

Middle East

American Journalist Arrested In Iran

February 28, 2009 • Roxana Saberi, 31, who has reported for NPR and other news organizations, moved to Iran six years ago. Her father says he does not know where she is being held or what the charges are.

World

Smuggling Route Goes Through Ecuador To U.S.

February 28, 2009 • Last June, Ecuador's president tried to turn his belief that borders should be open into reality. He announced that anyone from anywhere could visit Ecuador without a visa. Overnight, Chinese began arriving by the dozens. They apparently were hoping to use Ecuador as a springboard to the United States by tapping into the nation's vast human-smuggling business.

Smuggling Route Goes Through Ecuador To U.S.

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Veteran Finds Therapy On The Farm

February 28, 2009 • After three tours in Iraq, Marine Sgt. Colin Archipley decided he wanted a career outside the military. He now owns Archie's Acres, a hydroponics basil farm near Escondido, Calif.

Veteran Finds Therapy On The Farm

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Farmers Headed To Combat Zone

February 28, 2009 • Armed with 4 tons of winter wheat and farming tools, members of the Kansas National Guard are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. The Agribusiness Development team will help local farmers with their crops and livestock. Major Blaine Clowser, a member of the "combat farmer" team, talks about his pending trip.

Farmers Headed To Combat Zone

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Economy

Pentagon Faces Hard Choices

February 28, 2009 • President Obama's budget for the Defense Department increases funding for next year, but the Pentagon has been putting off hard decisions for years. The military may have to cut some big-ticket programs and balance the demands of war today with the need to retool the armed forces for the future.

Pentagon Faces Hard Choices

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Sports

College Budget Cuts Felt On Playing Field

February 28, 2009 • For the past few months, college athletic departments have been facing serious budget cuts. They've had to reduce their spending, and some have even gone so far as to eliminate sports teams entirely. An athletic director who made a tough decision, a coach who had to dismantle his baseball team and a football player who just learned this is his team's final season talk about the cuts.

College Budget Cuts Felt On Playing Field

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Politics

Obama, GOP Prepare For Battle Over Budget

February 28, 2009 • President Obama is calling on lawmakers to pass his $3.6 trillion budget. But Republicans are continuing their entrenched opposition to his proposals, warning that instead of spending, the government should be sacrificing to safeguard the future.

Obama, GOP Prepare For Battle Over Budget

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World

Drug Violence In Mexico Threatens U.S. Borders

February 28, 2009 • A brutal wave of drug violence is ravaging cities near the U.S.-Mexico border, and governments of both countries pointed fingers at each other this week over who's to blame.

Drug Violence In Mexico Threatens U.S. Borders

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Sports

Barry Bonds' Trial Postponed — Indefinitely

February 28, 2009 • Bonds, baseball's home run king, is charged with 10 counts of making false declarations before a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice. The charges stem from his 2003 testimony to a grand jury investigating banned performance-enhancing drug use in sports.

Politics

Obama Defends Spending Plan

February 28, 2009 • In his weekly radio address Saturday morning, President Obama said his $3.6 trillion budget proposal reflects the priorities of the voters he met on the campaign trail, but he acknowledged not everyone shares those priorities.

The Impact of War

Deployment Leaves Guard Families On Their Own

February 28, 2009 • Oregon's National Guard unit is preparing for its largest deployment since World War Two. Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Guard and Reserve members have rotated in and out. As civilians, their service brings a unique set of skills to war zones — and a host of challenges to loved ones left behind.

Deployment Leaves Guard Families On Their Own

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Opinion

Politics

How The Right Sees This Week

February 28, 2009 • A big battle over a huge budget is underway with President Obama's economic package. Are Republican lawmakers just throwing spitballs at the battleship of a massive spending plan, or do they have concrete alternatives?

How The Right Sees This Week

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World

Obama Announces Troop Pullout By August 2010

February 28, 2009 • President Obama announced the pullout of combat troops from Iraq Friday at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He spoke to an audience of some 2,000 Marines-- for whom the reduction in Iraq will instead mean more time in Afghanistan.

Obama Announces Troop Pullout By August 2010

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Politics

Obama Defends Plan As Economy Sinks

February 28, 2009 • The U.S. economy continues to spiral downward. A report released Friday by the Commerce Department shows that the economy contracted at the end of last year by the fastest pace since 1982. This puts even more pressure on President Barack Obama, who this week presented his $3.6 trillion budget proposal. Saturday morning, the president said he knows he faces an uphill battle.

Obama Defends Plan As Economy Sinks

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Your Money

What's New At The Library? Financial Advice

February 28, 2009 • More than two dozen libraries around the country are getting grants to train librarians and set up programs to teach people about investing. Libraries have the ability to reach large numbers of people who may need help with their finances.

What's New At The Library? Financial Advice

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