U.S.

Supreme Court Considers Separation Of Church And State In Playground Case

5:12pm April 19, 2017

by Nina Totenberg

A request for Missouri state funds to resurface its playground landed before the Supreme Court Wednesday because that preschool is part of a church ministry.

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National

Los Angeles Police Institute De-Escalation Policy To Avoid Shootings

5:12pm April 19, 2017

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Joe Domanick, associate director of the Center of Media, Crime and Justice at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, about the decision by the Los Angeles Police Commission to require officers to try to de-escalate tensions before they shoot.

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National

Massachusetts Prosecutors Move To Dismiss Thousands Of Tainted Drug Cases

5:12pm April 19, 2017

by Deborah Becker

Prosecutors in Massachusetts have a court imposed deadline this week to decide how many cases they will dismiss because of a drug lab scandal that potentially tainted 24,000 criminal cases. They estimate that fewer than 1,000 cases will be re-prosecuted. The scandal involved a former state chemist found guilty of tampering with evidence.

President Trump's New Order Gives China Tech Opportunity To 'Hire American' Too

5:12pm April 19, 2017

by Aarti Shahani

The same week that President Trump issued his hire American executive order, the president of one of China's top tech companies said his company wants to do the same thing. Baidu's President Ya-Qin Zhang hit the Stanford University campus trying to recruit American computer science students.

Trump Administration Sends Mixed Signals About Iran Nuclear Deal

5:12pm April 19, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Iran expert Raymond Tanter, who served on the National Security Council under President Reagan and was involved in arms control talks from 1983 to 1984, about the Trump administration's re-examination of the Iran nuclear deal.

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about crime to local, state and federal law enforcement officials in St. Louis on March 31.

Justice Department Veterans Warn Federal Money Could Have 'Strings Attached'

5:12pm April 19, 2017

by Carrie Johnson

A new review announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions could have big consequences for local jurisdictions that refuse to follow federal immigration and marijuana laws.

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Karen Handel, in a congressional seat runoff, pictured when she was a vice president at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. She landed in controversy there about Planned Parenthood funding.

Ga. Republican, At Center Of Planned Parenthood Controversy, Back In Spotlight

4:34pm April 19, 2017

by Domenico Montanaro

Karen Handel kept her distance from Trump in the Georgia special election, but her efforts to strip Planned Parenthood of its funding from the Susan G. Komen foundation could keep liberals fired up.

National

Car Design School Prepares For New Age Of Driverless Vehicles

4:30pm April 19, 2017

by Sonari Glinton

A car design school confronts the challenge of getting people to overcome their misgivings about driverless cars. Many Americans are not comfortable with self-driving cars, despite the fact that the industry is spending billions on the new technology.

President Donald Trump signs the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act at the White House on Wednesday.

Trump Extends Troubled VA Program That Pays Private Doctors

3:45pm April 19, 2017

by Eric Whitney

The Veterans Choice program was supposed to make it quicker and easier for vets to see a doctor by paying for private-sector care. But it's ended up being slower and more complicated.

The perception of universal success among Asian-Americans is being wielded to downplay racism's role in the persistent struggles of other minority groups, especially black Americans.

'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks

2:30pm April 19, 2017

by Kat Chow

The perception of universal success among Asian-Americans is being wielded to downplay racism's role in the persistent struggles of other minority groups — especially black Americans.