National

Romy Vasquez leads the boys in drills ahead of an upcoming Eagle Scout ceremony.

Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful ... This Great Teacher Abides By The Scout Law

11:32am May 20, 2015

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

For 27 years, Romy Vasquez has been working with Boy Scouts in South Central Los Angeles, where, he says, it's easier to find a gang to join than a Boy Scout troop.

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People exercise along the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; the metro area was ranked as America's fittest city for the second year in a row.

Wanna Go To Fit City? List Ranks America's 50 Fittest Metro Areas

9:44am May 20, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The new American Fitness Index is out, with some good news and bad news. Five cities fell five or more slots; Washington, D.C., finished first, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Rabbis Diversify To Connect To Students; Just Don't Bring Up Israel

10:46pm May 19, 2015

by Monique Parsons

As the number of religious young people declines, Hillel International is trying to build a "big tent" Judaism for secular and religious students alike. But some say that tent may not be big enough.

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A Reddit mascot is shown at the company's headquarters in San Francisco. Reddit has published a new policy aimed at harassment on the site.

National

Reddit's New Harassment Policy Aimed At Creating A 'Safe Platform'

8:20pm May 19, 2015

by NPR Staff

Interim CEO Ellen Pao says the site wants to encourage a variety of views, within limits. "It's not our site's goal to be a completely free-speech platform. We want to be a safe platform," she says.

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The National Security Agency campus in Fort Meade, Md.

National

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions

8:18pm May 19, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

If you haven't been paying attention, here's a primer on the changes Congress is considering making to U.S. surveillance practices.

Beau Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's Son, Hospitalized

7:50pm May 19, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The former Delaware attorney general is being treated at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. In 2013, he underwent surgery after being diagnosed with a brain lesion.

Clinical Psychologist To Head Chicago's Cook County Jail

7:06pm May 19, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block interviews Nneka Jones Tapia, a clinical psychologist who was appointed to lead one of the country's largest jails. More than a third of Cook County's inmates are mentally ill.

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State Department To Release Hillary Clinton Emails By January 2016

7:06pm May 19, 2015

by Tamara Keith

Campaigning in Iowa Tuesday, former Secretary of State Clinton said the timing of the release is beyond her control. It was the first time she answered questions from the press in several weeks.

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Demolition crews remove the last remains of a house that was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, which battered parts of the East Coast, in 2013.

As States Ready Disaster Plans, Feds Urge Them To Consider Climate Change

7:06pm May 19, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

Several U.S. senators are accusing the Federal Emergency Management Agency of injecting "unnecessary, ideological-based red tape" into the disaster-preparedness process.

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Fall Of Ramadi Sparks New Criticism Over U.S. Strategy In Iraq

7:06pm May 19, 2015

by Tom Bowman

The fall of Ramadi, Iraq, to self-declared Islamic State militants has highlighted possible shortcomings in the U.S. strategy to fight the Islamic State.

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