National

National

Blue Cut Fire Claims An Unknown Number Of Structures

7:09am August 18, 2016

by Nathan Rott

Firefighters in Southern California are struggling to battle the Blue Cut wildfire near San Bernardino. It's now burnt more than 25,000 acres. Tens of thousands of homes remain threatened.

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Louisiana Flood Victims Worry They Won't Have The Funds To Rebuild

7:06am August 18, 2016

by Jesse Hardman

Baton Rouge residents are starting to cleanup from historic floods that devastated parts of southern Louisiana. They are also starting to try to figure out how to pay for rebuilding.

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U.S. Women's Basketball Team Dominates Olympic Competition

6:19am August 18, 2016

by Russell Lewis

The U.S. women haven't lost a game at the Olympics since 1992. They have medaled in all nine of the Olympics they've competed in, and they're hoping their next medal is another gold one.

A close-up of soldiers in a diorama called "Desperation at Skull Camp Bridge." Here, Union cavalry tries to stem a Confederate breakthrough.

National

A Mew-seum? Civil War Stories, Told With Tiny Tails

5:05am August 18, 2016

by NPR Staff

The stars of the exhibits at Civil War Tails are the nearly 2,000 tiny clay soldiers. Their blue and gray uniforms are meticulously detailed, down to piping and patches. Look closely: They are cats.

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Rio Police Remove U.S. Swimmers From Flight To Ask About Reported Robbery

11:10pm August 17, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, two American swimmers who were with Ryan Lochte last weekend when their group reportedly suffered a robbery, are now speaking to police.

U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte is back in the United States, his attorney tells NPR. Police in Rio want to speak to the swimmer about his story that he was robbed.

Rio Highlights: Brazil, Germany Set For Rematch In Men's Soccer Final

9:51pm August 17, 2016

by Greg Myre

Germany humiliated Brazil in the semifinals of the World Cup in 2014 by the absurd score of 7-1. Now Brazil will have a shot at redemption in the Olympic soccer final on Saturday.

American Ashton Eaton competes in the shot put as part of day one in the decathlon in Rio on Wednesday. Eaton, the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder in the decathlon, is favored to repeat.

Ashton Eaton Begins Quest To Repeat As 'World's Greatest Athlete'

9:30pm August 17, 2016

by Shannon Sims

Eaton may be the best American athlete most Americans don't know. He's only in the spotlight during the Olympics, and he's trying to defend his decathlon title in Rio on Wednesday and Thursday.

The condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is inherited and can be a killer. But some of the genetic mutations once thought linked to the illness are actually harmless, geneticists say.

Study Of Sudden Cardiac Death Exposes Limits Of Genetic Testing

8:57pm August 17, 2016

by Richard Harris

Some genetic tests for a common cause of sudden heart failure can be wrong, researchers say, because the underlying science didn't take into account racial diversity.

National

Target Announces Expansion Of Bathroom Options In U.S. Stores

8:53pm August 17, 2016

by Richard Gonzales

The retail giant denies that a backlash to its policy of opening bathrooms to transgender choice has caused a slide in sales.

National

Louisiana Flooding Damage Reports, Still Preliminary, Are Sobering

7:47pm August 17, 2016

by Richard Gonzales

Early damage reports don't yet reveal the full extent of the damage caused by flooding in Louisiana, but at least 11 people have been killed and 30,000 evacuated. Some 40,000 homes have been damaged.