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National

A Museum Teaches Tolerance Through Jim Crow

Museum displays include examples of robes worn by the men, women and children of the Ku Klux Klan. Bill Bitzinger/Ferris State University hide caption

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Bill Bitzinger/Ferris State University

Race

A Museum Teaches Tolerance Through Jim Crow

WCMU

Michigan's new Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia is using the ugliness of racism to teach a lesson of acceptance. "We are a resource that does the thing that many Americans don't want to do," says museum founder and curator David Pilgrim, "and that is to talk about race in a direct way."

The Current U.S.-China Standoff Has A Precedent

The current case of a prominent Chinese activist seeking U.S. protection has echoes of a similar episode in 1989. Then, physicist Fang Lizhi took refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. He spent a year there before the U.S. and China reached a deal allowing him to move to the U.S. He died this month in Arizona, at age 76. John B. Carnett/Popular Science via Getty Images hide caption

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John B. Carnett/Popular Science via Getty Images

Asia

The Current U.S.-China Standoff Has A Precedent

Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng is believed to be under U.S. protection in Beijing. It's not the first time China and the U.S. have faced this kind of delicate question. Something similar happened in 1989, and it took a year for the two countries to resolve it.

Europe Pressures U.S. Tech On Internet Privacy Laws

Demonstrators with Guy Fawkes masks protest changing privacy policies on March 31, in Vienna. Ronald Zak/DAPD/AP hide caption

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Ronald Zak/DAPD/AP

Technology

Europe Pressures U.S. Tech On Internet Privacy Laws

American tech giants are under pressure from Europe to offer stronger privacy options to consumers. Privacy advocates say American Internet users will have the European Union to thank if tighter regulations pass, but the industry says the Europeans are hampering an American success story with regulation.

From Minister To Atheist: A Story Of Losing Faith

Teresa MacBain pauses while talking about her ongoing job search. She has been out of work since leaving her position as a Methodist pastor earlier this year. Colin Hackley for NPR hide caption

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Colin Hackley for NPR

Religion

From Minister To Atheist: A Story Of Losing Faith

Teresa MacBain admits that when she was ordained as a minister, she had big questions. She thought they'd make her faith stronger, but instead they haunted her. Then one day, she couldn't take it anymore. In a move that's left her unemployed and nearly friendless, MacBain has come out as an atheist — and she says it's a big relief.

Towns Debate Impact Of Calif.-Las Vegas Bullet Train

A bullet train that would deliver tourists from southern California to the Las Vegas strip could be the nation's first high-speed rail system to break ground. The private company, DesertXpress, will soon learn whether it's going to receive a $4.9 billion federal loan for the project. The train's supporters and its critics have squared off over the familiar issues of jobs versus wasteful federal spending. The proposed train is also pitting two small towns against each other.

The Impact of War

'Veteran Quest' A New Model In VA Clinics

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced in April that it will add over 1,500 mental health workers to its system to reduce the amount of time it takes a veteran to get an appointment. The announcement came ahead of a new government report that said the VA has been overstating the percentage of new patients who actually get a full evaluation within the department's goal of 14 days. Some veterans in Milwaukee — who say they still are not seen at their local VA when they want — are turning to a free clinic with a different approach to care.

In Cell Era, Timepieces Are Fashion Trend To Watch

Even as more people rely on cellphones to tell time, retailer American Apparel has found that novelty watches are selling well. Kaomi Goetz for NPR hide caption

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Kaomi Goetz for NPR

Business

In Cell Era, Timepieces Are Fashion Trend To Watch

With cellphones nearly ubiquitous, fewer people are relying on watches to tell time. But some retailers are doing brisk business marketing watches as fashion statements, or by appealing to shoppers' sense of novelty or nostalgia.