Search results for

The United States "burned" some intelligence sources when Secretary Powell told the U.N. Security Council yesterday what those had revealed. But American intelligence agencies believe the sources were not of great importance and contend that the loss of sources was outweighed by the need to convince the world that Iraq still conceals illegal weapons programs. NPR's Mike Shuster reports.

John Dillon reports one in seven Vermont dairy farms are expected to go out of business within the year, victims of the lowest milk prices in 25 years. The situation in all the northeastern states is just at grim. Economists say the smaller New England farms just can't compete with bigger operations in the west.

This week, New Jersey physicians are staying off the job to protest rising malpractice prices. In doing so, they join the ranks of doctors in several states who've taken similar action. President Bush and Congress are seriously considering putting caps on jury awards to try to bring expenses down. That is a very controversial idea. In this report Patricia Neighmond talks to experts about why expenses are rising.

Since the end of the Cold War, civilian contractors become vital to the military as armed forces shrink by more than a third. If America goes to war against Iraq, not everyone in battle will be in uniform -- and many civilians will be close to the frontlines. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Historians and other scholars are examining the state of black studies. Some 400 black studies programs and departments exist, but there have been few conferences such as the one in New York this weekend, and some say there's an identity crisis. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

In an effort to reduce costs, American Airlines asks its unions to make concessions worth nearly $2 billion annually. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company also closes two reservations offices and announces 750 flight-attendant layoffs. Bill Zeeble of member station KERA reports.

NPR's Joe Palca reports that NASA has sent teams to California and Arizona to expand its ground search for debris from the space shuttle Columbia. Large pieces, possibly one or more engines, have been located in Louisiana. The loss of Columbia is forcing NASA to reevaluate the future of the international space station. The space station is not in immediate danger, because a Russian supply vehicle docked with it yesterday.

NPR's Richard Harris reports that NASA is dismissing the theory that the primary cause of the space shuttle Columbia disaster was damage from a piece of foam insulation that broke off and struck the shuttle during liftoff. NASA is instead focusing on overheating inside the left wing during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere and reviewing the last seconds of data from the shuttle.

NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports Secretary of State Colin Powell goes before a key Senate committee today, as members of Congress take stock of the evidence he presented to the United Nations yesterday. Some Democrats say if the United States attacks Iraq, it must maintain a peace-keeping force there for years to come.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with NPR's Anne Garrels in Baghdad about Iraq's response to Secretary of State Powell's presentation at the Security Council today. Two of Saddam Hussein's top advisers were made available to reporters in the Iraqi capital shortly after Secretary Powell completed his presentation.