Search results for

As the debate over the political calculations behind President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage continue, Host Scott Simon checks in with acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Armistead Maupin to talk about this as a cultural moment.

It's known as the quiet period — the SEC-mandated time before an initial public offering when a company's top officials have to avoid anything close to hype. And with Facebook's IPO expected next week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his colleagues are pretty much staying mum.

The Discovery Channel's annual series is one of the longest running events on cable television. After 25 years on the air, it has become an American icon of sorts. "Shark Week" executive producer Brooke Runnette explains how the team keeps the shows exciting year after year.

As the party conventions approach, elaborate theatrics on the part of presidential candidates are at the forefront. NPR critic Bob Mondello takes a look at the ways campaigns frame their candidates to make them stand out like Broadway stars.

The Washington Monument was seriously damaged by an earthquake last summer that left hunks of stone lying around the base of obelisk. Months later, National Park Service officials are finalizing a plan for repairs, but the structure will remain closed for at least another year.

Australia's Northern Territory is home to the cunning, powerful and deadly saltwater crocodile — the world's largest. And in the territory's capital, Darwin, the crocodile is both feared and beloved.

Former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon is making her second run for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut. Once again she is campaigning with primarily her own millions. And her opponents again say she can't separate herself from the controversial side of professional wrestling.

Law and national security experts got together last weekend for a dogfight they call the Drone Smackdown. The contest, though tongue in cheek, still raised lots of questions about the proliferation of drones, the rules of combat and federal efforts to regulate them.

NPR's Richard Harris talks with host Scott Simon about the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors, one year after multiple meltdowns there spread radioactive materials across a swath of northern Japan. Huge technical challenges remain and prospects for resettling the area are uncertain.

The Army staff sergeant who allegedly killed 16 civilians has been moved to a detention facility in Kuwait. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta continues his visit to Afghanistan. And the Taliban says it is supspending talks with the U.S.