Search results for

A new report from the National Research Council says it is safe to ingest perchlorate -- a chemical linked to decreased thyroid function and found in drinking water in more than 35 states -- at doses 20 times greater than the "reference dose" currently proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Hear NPR's Jon Hamilton.

The fate of three Japanese civilians held hostage in Iraq hangs in the balance. Government officials say they will not comply with a demand to withdraw a small contingent of Japanese troops engaged in reconstruction work in Iraq. The Arabic news network Al-Jazeera is reporting the hostages may be released soon. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and NPR's Rob Gifford.

Melissa Block talks with Tom Goldman about reaction to the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drug use among Major League Baseball players, including comments from baseball commissioner Bud Selig and Donald Fehr, director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has found evidence of "deeply rooted culture of cheating" and use of performance-enhancing drugs. It is calling for Russia to be suspended from international track events.

The White House releases an intelligence assessment from October 2002. It concluded that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq would have developed nuclear weapons by the end of the decade. But a footnote from the State Department raises doubts, calling reports suggesting Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from Africa "highly dubious." Hear NPR's Don Gonyea.

Kyrgyzstan's emergencies ministry says the plane went down about 100 miles west of the U.S.-operated Transit Center at Manas. That base supports U.S. military operations in nearby Afghanistan.

Two members of the Duke University lacrosse team were named in sealed indictments handed down form a Durham, N.C., grand jury, according to reports. The charges stem from a night in March, when a dancer at a house party thrown by team members told police she was sexually assaulted by three men.

The federal government's top doctor has released a report detailing substance misuse in the U.S. and how it can be addressed. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy…

at the FBI's forensic lab. She talks with outspoken whistleblower Frederick Whitehurst. He says that other agents contaminated and misplaced evidence... sometimes in such high profile cases as the Oklahoma City bombing. Whitehurst says his own lab reports were changed by superiors to make the lab look good and to help prosecutors. The FBI denies the charges. The agency now has to respond to the Justice Department, following a year-long investigation.

Emergency crews responding to last July's London bombings were failed by poor communications, which caused delays treating survivors, an inquiry has concluded. The London Assembly report says some rescuers had radios that didn't work on the underground rail network -- and others' mobile phones failed.