U.S.

Boy Scouts work on canoes at camp Maple Dell outside Payson, Utah. The Mormon church is considering pulling out of its 102-year-old relationship with the Boy Scouts after the Boy Scouts changed its policy on allowing gay leaders in the organization.

Mormons Face A Painful Loss If The Church Severs Boy Scout Ties

11:17am August 04, 2015

by NPR Staff

Scouting has been the official program for Mormon boys for more than 100 years, but that may change after a vote allowing openly gay leaders. A Brigham Young professor says a split would be wrenching.

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National

Acquitted Of Extreme Corruption, Former Officers Now Sue For Defamation

11:16am August 04, 2015

Five former members of a Philadelphia Police Department narcotics squad are suing the city's top officials for defamation. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeremy Roebuck explains.

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Officials are investigating the cause of a tent collapse that killed two people and injured more than a dozen others.

National

Circus Tent Collapse Kills 2 During Storm In New Hampshire

11:03am August 04, 2015

by Bill Chappell

"We lost two lives — a father and a daughter — at an event that was supposed to be fun," Gov. Maggie Hassan says. Dozens of people were sent to hospitals.

Ready, set, fly! The ball bearings glued to this bumblebee's legs simulate the weight and placement of pollen loads. The tag on the insect's back is a lightweight sensor, designed to track its movements in flight.

Heavy Loads Of Pollen May Shift Flight Plans Of The Bumblebee

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Foraging bumblebees can pick up nearly half their weight in pollen before heading home to the hive, research shows. All that weight tucked into hollows on their hind legs can complicate flying.

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Alabama Drivers Are Filling Up On Cheap Gas

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Kyle Gassiott

Motorists everywhere are noticing: Gasoline prices are dropping again. Some experts expect them to keep falling — down to perhaps $2 by winter. But in Alabama, gas prices are nearly that low already.

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Obama's Climate Plan Faces Huge Political Challenges

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Scott Horsley

Even before he officially unveiled it, President Obama's plan to cut the carbon pollution produced by power plants faced significant opposition.

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How EPA Rules Would Hit Coal-Heavy West Virginia

10:52am August 04, 2015

Host Melissa Block speaks to West Virginia University law professor James Van Nostrand about the impact of EPA power plant rules in his state.

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National

Puerto Rico Fails To Make Its Bond Payment

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Greg Allen

Puerto Rico's default on Monday raises pressure on Washington to step in with help and opens a new chapter in Puerto Rico's relationship with its lenders — one now expected to move to the courts.

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Koch Brothers Gather Conservative Donors To Hear GOP Candidates

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Peter Overby

The Koch brothers' political network of wealthy donors this weekend auditioned five GOP presidential candidates, another sign of billionaires' increasing political clout.

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The sea snail Conus magus looks harmless enough, but it packs a venomous punch that lets it paralyze and eat fish. A peptide modeled on the venom is a powerful painkiller, though sneaking it past the blood-brain barrier has proved hard.

Snail Venom Yields Potent Painkiller, But Delivering The Drug Is Tricky

10:52am August 04, 2015

by Joe Palca

The drug derived from the venom of cone snails must be injected into the spinal column to get beyond a patient's blood-brain barrier and bring relief. But scientists think they may have a workaround.

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