National News From NPR

Chasing Okla. Storms: 'Technology Can Only Go So Far' Sat, 25 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400: Host Scott Simon speaks with Val Castor, the senior "StormTracker" for News 9 in Oklahoma City, about what it's like to do the job in one of the most climatically volatile regions of the country.

Tough Arizona Sheriff Gets Judicial Reprimand Sat, 25 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400: In Arizona, a federal judge ruled against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department, saying it used racial profiling to enforce the state's tough immigration laws. Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Ted Robbins about the ruling.

IRS Hearings Highlight Ambiguity Of Nonprofits In Politics Sat, 25 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400: The congressional hearings about the IRS's handling of Tea Party applications for tax-exempt status raise the question of why and how tax-exempt groups engage in politics in the first place.

Baptist Church In Oklahoma Churns Out Meals For Victims Sat, 25 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400: Hundreds of volunteers have come to Moore, Okla., to help the community following Monday's tornado. Some are helping clear debris, others bringing out water and supplies to people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, and whose lives are in disarray. One group of volunteers is cooking more than 10,000 meals a day.

Pentagon's Historical Displays Honor Americans' Sacrifices Sat, 25 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400: Nearly 18 million tourists descend on our nation's capitol every year, and most of them are keen to spend time at the many free museums in Washington, D.C. But only about 100,000 people take the trip across the river to a museum of a different sort: the Pentagon. The Pentagon's exhaustive historical displays offer fresh insight into the range of the Defense Department's activities.

'Please, No More Clothes': Okla. Asks For Monetary Donations Sat, 25 May 2013 05:55:00 -0400: As residents of Moore work toward recovery after Monday's deadly tornado, supplies are pouring in from across the country. Volunteers and relief organizations are sifting through everything from diapers to food and teddy bears. But the groups say what's really needed is the flexibility of money.

Obama Keeps Distance From Torture Debate, At Least For Now Sat, 25 May 2013 05:55:00 -0400: President Obama banned enhanced interrogation techniques, but he's largely avoided discussing whether the tactic ever produced valuable information. He might not be able to avoid it forever: The CIA is preparing an official response to a report that concluded the techniques were worthless.

Gals Who Grill: What Will It Take For Women To Man The Q? Sat, 25 May 2013 06:29:00 -0400: The grill "is the one and only male-dominated appliance in America," says a researcher who recently crunched the numbers. He found that men are more than twice as likely as women to be the primary grillers at home. One reason? Grilling can feel like a form of recreation.

Court Rules That Arizona Sheriff Engages In Racial Profiling Fri, 24 May 2013 19:36:00 -0400: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's department violated the rights of Latinos in its crackdown on illegal immigration, a federal judge says, issuing an injunction against the practice.

Toronto Mayor: 'I Do Not Use Crack Cocaine' Fri, 24 May 2013 18:57:00 -0400: Rob Ford responded to a video that surfaced last week that The Toronto Star says appears to show him smoking the drug.

Obama's Terrorism Fight Is Colored Gray, Not Black And White Fri, 24 May 2013 18:39:00 -0400: If President Obama's newly recalibrated counterterrorism strategy demonstrates anything, it is his penchant for nuance.

'Four Little Girls' Awarded Congressional Gold Medal Fri, 24 May 2013 17:13:00 -0400: They were just little girls when they were killed in what came to be known as the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing. And now Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, nearly 50 years after the attack in Birmingham, Ala.

Ex-Guatemalan President Extradited To U.S. Fri, 24 May 2013 15:23:00 -0400: Alfonso Portillo was taken from a hospital bed in Guatemala City and flown to New York to face charges of laundering $70 million through U.S. banks.

Heart Failure Treatment Improves, But Death Rate Remains High Fri, 24 May 2013 15:21:00 -0400: Treatments with drugs and implanted devices have made it much less likely that people with heart failure will die suddenly. But this chronic disease is still a common killer, researchers say.

Tornado Safe Rooms In Schools A Popular, But Costly Idea Fri, 24 May 2013 18:00:00 -0400: In the aftermath of the destruction in Moore, Okla., residents throughout Tornado Alley want storm shelters installed in schools. Some schools in the region already have them, but funding to build new ones is hard to come by.