State and National News

Nik Wallenda has successfully walked across Niagara Falls on a 2-inch-wide cable. As if there wasn't enough drama, he added a bit of last-minute mystery to his audacious attempt.

Navy reservist Capt. John Murphy is a former chief prosecutor of the military commission established to try terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. His own case with NPR, however, is filled with implications for the rest of us.

For decades there was this debate about Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

On one side were people making what seems like the straightforward argument: People who get Medicaid fare better than people who don't.

On the other side were those making the contrarian argument. They argued that there is already a safety net for the poor and the uninsured, and that Medicaid's reimbursement rates are so low that most doctors don't see Medicaid patients anyway.

President Obama's decision to stop deporting young, otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants could help rebuild his support among electorally important Latinos after 18 months of futile efforts, some activists said Friday.

"There is overwhelming support for the protection of these children, as there is in the rest of the country. I think this could have an energizing effect on Latino voters," says Clarissa Martinez del Castro, director of immigration and national campaigns for National Council of La Raza.

Not to toot our own horn, but Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval loves NPR. The musician let it show while at NPR West for an interview with All Things Considered weekend host Guy Raz about his latest album, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You), a tribute to to his friend and American Jazz artist Dizzy Gillespie.

Drone strikes against members of al-Qaida in Yemen and Somalia have been widely reported. But for the first time, the White House has publicly acknowledged these operations.

The administration said the U.S. had taken "direct action" in both countries in a six-month report on U.S. combat operations required by the War Powers Resolution.