U.S.

National

How The Entertainment Industry Helped Influence Support For LGBT Issues

3:00pm June 29, 2015

Variety Magazine is publishing a special issue devoted to the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage — and the entertainment industry's role in helping shift public perceptions on this issue.

Queue Listen Now

National

Funerals And The Future Of The Confederate Flag

2:54pm June 29, 2015

by Joel Rose

There were moments of wrenching sadness during this weekend's funerals for three members of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. But there was also a sense of determination to move forward. Meanwhile, the South Carolina state legislature will meet next month to debate the future of the Confederate flag.

Queue Listen Now

Parents rally against SB 277, a California measure requiring schoolchildren to get vaccinated, outside the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif.

In Bid For Stricter Vaccine Rules, Officials Grapple With Decades-Old Distrust

2:25pm June 29, 2015

by April Dembosky

California lawmakers have decided to tighten the criteria for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children. But some parents resent officials telling them how to care for their children.

Queue Listen Now

A Philadelphia mural titled You Go Girl by Jetsonorama and Ursula Rucker. This is just one of many murals that the city's Mural Arts Program helped create.

What Right Do Muralists Have To The Buildings They Paint On?

1:52pm June 29, 2015

by Paige Pfleger

Musicians have their instruments, painters have their canvases, and muralists have ... walls. But when the building a mural is on is changing, the muralist has to choose to fight — or say goodbye.

National

Supreme Court Says Use Of Lethal Injection Drug Is Legal

1:47pm June 29, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Lawyers for Oklahoma death row inmates argued midazolam does not reliably induce a comalike sleep, violating the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

7 Solutions That Would Improve Graduation Rates

1:26pm June 29, 2015

by Anya Kamenetz

High school graduation rates are improving; an investigation into the numbers shows some of that is due to quick fixes. Policy experts respond with their suggestions for meaningful change.

Flowers line the sidewalk in front of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C.

How Well Do Hate Crime Laws Really Work?

1:14pm June 29, 2015

by James Doubek

Proponents of hate crime laws say tough punishments modify behavior and show society's intolerance of hate. But trying to measure the deterrent effect of hate crime laws is difficult.

Stuart Kinlough/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Vaccine Against Meningitis B Gets A Boost From CDC

12:22pm June 29, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

A federal health advisory committee now says everyone aged 16 to 23 should talk to a doctor about whether they need to get immunized against a rare but dangerous strain of meningitis.

Queue Listen Now

National

Supreme Court Wraps Up Big Term With Death Penalty, Redistricting And More

12:22pm June 29, 2015

The high court ended its term Monday with rulings on redistricting powers and a lethal injection drug. For details on the court's decisions this term, Renee Montagne talks with NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Queue Listen Now

New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico (left) speaks during a news conference Sunday evening as Gov. Andrew Cuomo looks on. At the press conference, both men detailed the capture of fugitive David Sweat earlier that day in Malone, N.Y.

National

Police Capture Prison Escapee David Sweat, Ending Weeks-Long Manhunt

9:57am June 29, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Police say the convicted murderer who escaped from a prison in New York earlier this month, has been shot but captured alive. Just days ago, his accomplice, Richard Matt, was fatally shot by police.