National

Gina Haspel is sworn in to testify at her confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee in Washington on May 9. The full Senate on Thursday confirmed Haspel as CIA director, making her the first woman to hold the job.

Senate Confirms Gina Haspel As CIA Director

6:12pm May 17, 2018

by Greg Myre

Haspel faced criticism for her role in the agency's waterboarding program. But several Senate Democrats joined almost all the Republicans to confirm her as the first woman to lead the CIA.

California To Require All New Homes To Have Solar Panels Starting In 2020

6:04pm May 17, 2018

by Emily Guerin

There will be intended and unintended consequences: lower emissions statewide, lower energy bills and more solar jobs. But the requirement means more expensive homes and may not have as big of an impact as desired.

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NAFTA Negotiations Have Yet To Produce A New Agreement

6:04pm May 17, 2018

by Scott Horsley

House Speaker Paul Ryan set a deadline of Thursday for a new deal on NAFTA, but negotiations have yet to produce such an agreement. NPR looks at what the implications will be if a new deal is not formed.

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Why The U.S. Birth Rate Is At Its Lowest In 30 Years

6:04pm May 17, 2018

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control says the U.S. birth rate is the lowest in 30 years. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks to Gretchen Livingston, from Pew Research Center, about why that is and it means for the U.S.

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Marines based in Okinawa, Japan, fire an M136 AT-4 rocket launcher as part of a weapons training exercise on the Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility, in 2014.

Army 'Leans In' To Protect A Shooter's Brain From Blast Injury

5:42pm May 17, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

The Army tells NPR of plans to monitor blast exposure across a military career, to enforce limits on firing certain weapons, and to even look into whether special helmets could help stop blast waves.

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Miss North Dakota Cara Mund reacts after being named Miss America in September. For the first time in the pageant's history the two branches of the organization will be lead entirely by women, the group announced Thursday.

National

Women Appointed To Top Miss America Leadership Positions After Scandal

5:39pm May 17, 2018

by Vanessa Romo

For the first time in the pageant's history the two branches of the organization — the pageant and the foundation — will be led entirely by women, who also happen to be former Miss Americas.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., confers with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

House Republicans Agitating For Immigration Fight

5:16pm May 17, 2018

by Susan Davis

A growing number of House Republicans want to force votes on immigration legislation this summer despite opposition from GOP leaders, including Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The Complicated History Of The U.S. Census Asking About Citizenship

5:02pm May 17, 2018

by Hansi Lo Wang

Lawmakers are set to question the Justice Department Friday about why it requested the 2020 census to ask about citizenship. The history of using the U.S. census to ask about citizenship has many twists and turns.

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A Look At What Special Counsel Robert Mueller Has Accomplished After 1 Year

5:00pm May 17, 2018

by Carrie Johnson

May 17 marks the one year anniversary of the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel leading the Russia investigation. The team has secured 19 indictments and five guilty pleas. But one area remains, so far, untouched: hacking.

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Long Before The Russia Investigation, Robert Mueller Was A U.S. Marine

5:00pm May 17, 2018

It has been one year since Robert Mueller was appointed Justice Department special counsel. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Mueller's biographer, Garrett Graff, about Mueller's background — namely his formative experiences as a Marine in Vietnam.

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