Government officials in Pakistan say at least 800 people died in the past week in the worst flooding the region has seen since 1929. The United Nations estimates that about a million people have been affected by the disaster. The BBC's Lyse Doucet is
The Netherlands officially ended its combat mission in Afghanistan today, the first NATO country to bring troops home from an increasingly unpopular war. Brigadier General Josef Blotz is a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force. He
President Obama is reaffirming a pledge to end US combat operations in Iraq by the end of the month, but he told a gathering of disabled veterans in Atlanta today about the military's huge shift to the other hot zoneAfghanistan. We will continue to f
Workers are grieving the deaths of eight colleagues killed in a mass shooting at a beer distribution company in Manchester, Connecticut this morning. Police say the gunman, also an employee of Hartford Distributors, opened fire before he killed himse
Opponents of California's ban on gay marriage are celebrating a federal judge's decision to overturn the law. Mary Bernardo is an attorney with Massachusetts-based Gay Lesbian Advocates Defenders who says the argument against same-sex marriage is wea
Senate lawmakers have confirmed US Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. NPR's Audie Cornish reports the vote was 63-37. Elena Kagan is the first female solicitor general, and now she'll be one of three women sitting on the United St
The unemployment rate holds steady at 9.5%, with job growth lagging in July. But President Obama says things are looking up in the private sector. (But the) fact is, we've now added private sector jobs every month this year. Mark Zandi, chief economi
The official in charge of the Gulf oil spill-up says that the blown-out well will be further sealed this week. But as NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports, he is promising that won't be the end of relief efforts. The well has already been sealed from the to
You can now call her Justice Elena Kagan. She was sworn in this afternoon as the 112th justice for the US Supreme Court. NPR's Allison Keyes tells us Kagan is the fourth woman to serve on the high court. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts first
A House ethics panel releases new details on charges against California Congresswoman Maxine Waters. We've got the latest from NPR's Audie Cornish. In its reports, ethics committee investigators alleged the congresswomen's chief of staff, who is also
Five people including former Republican Senator Ted Stevens are confirmed dead following a plane crash in southern Alaska last night. NPR's Martin Costi with the latest. Ted Stevens was on board a single-engine plane that was flying in the southern p
The major indexes on Wall Street are down more than 2% with fresh concerns over the US economy. Last check, Dow was down 263 points at 10,381. The drop started in Asia, where stocks fell 2.7%, led to heavy selling in Europe and then (in) the US. Art
It appears same-sex marriages in California will remain on hold for at least another week. A Federal judge issued the ruling just a short time ago. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates is at NPR West, monitoring development. Karen, how long are same-sex marriag
After sharp declines on Wall Street in recent days, stocks are ending the week relatively calm, apparently unaffected by today's economic data. Overall, retail sales rose 0.4% in July, not as much as analysts had hoped, but take up autos and gasoline
The First Family is in Florida for a 27-hour-visit that combines a vacation with a sales pitch. The president said he wants everyone to know that Gulf Coast beaches are clean and open for business following the BP oil spill. The president also wanted
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls the flooding in Pakistan the worst natural disaster he's ever seen. The UN chief spent the day flying over the hardest-hit areas. As many as 20 million people are affected. From the city of Multan in the souther
Even though more than half a billion eggs have been recalled in the salmonella outbreak, some farmers want you to know you don't have to give up omelets or eggs Benedict. Krista Eberle of the United Egg Producers points out only two farms are involve
After three weeks of relentless rain and floods, one fifth of Pakistan is under water. The BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports there are more pledges of aid from United Nations members meeting in New York. The economic impact of this disasters already beco
Israeli and Palestinian leaders plan to meet face to face for the first time since talks collapsed nearly two years ago. They've been invited to Washington early next month. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says each side will need to do its part t
New unemployment claims hit the half million mark, the highest level since November. Analysts say last week's surge underscores more trouble in the jobs market with employers slashing positions as the economic recovery continues to slow. A symbolic m