NPR News

Church is a place where people go to worship, reflect and get away from the daily grind. A church in Paris, Ky., takes that a step further. They allow…

The U.S. has spent millions of dollars since the 1980s on anti-drug ads. But research shows that some of these older public service announcements might be counterproductive. Now that the ads are shifting to reach teens who want to rebel, new studies show they may actually be more effective.

It's hard to determine just how many veterans became ill because they were at nuclear test sites, but one soldier who witnessed more than 20 bomb explosions in the Nevada desert in 1957 says a lot of good men died because of it.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is not joining other Kentucky officials in calling for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Many leading Republicans in…

Economists and the markets were skeptical about the Fed's latest plan to cut already-low interest rates in an effort to boost the economy. But, as one business professor says, "there's no magic elixir" for the situation the U.S. is in.

The head of the IMF has been arrested in New York for alleged sexual assault. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is also a possible French presidential candidate, was taken into custody on board a plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Host Liane Hansen speaks with journalist Ulysee Gosset, an anchor with French television.

Queen Elizabeth pays a state visit to the Republic of Ireland this week. The four-day trip is the first by a British Monarch in 100 years. Relations between the two nations have been tense since the Republic's 1921 independence and partition from the north and the decades of intermittent violence. Liane Hansen speaks with Irish journalist Conor O'Clery about the Queen's visit.

This past week was an eventful one for the Republican 2012 presidential hopeful field. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Ron Paul announced that they would run, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced he wouldn't, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tried to tackle his health care dilemma. NPR's Mara Liasson brings us up to date on the 2012 candidates for the Republican presidential nomination.

The worst flooding along the Mississippi river in decades has many people looking back to the Great Flood of 1927. It swept over seven states and displaced 700,000 people, the most destructive river flood in U.S. history. Samuel Edgar Lee Jr., of Winnsboro, La., was 9 years old at the time of the flood; he shares his memories.

The new book The Pun Also Rises, by 1995 O. Henry Pun-Off World Champion John Pollack, traces the surprising long and rich history of what some people call the lowest form of humor.