Search results for

Energy policy rarely takes center stage in a presidential race, but with gasoline prices soaring, voters seem to be paying attention this year. Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are touting long-term plans to cut dependence on foreign oil and develop new sources of energy at home. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports that one issue getting post-Sept. 11 attention is the need to smooth the transition from one president's administration to the next, with regard to terrorism and national security.

The U.S. government is sending 20,000 talking books to Afghanistan in an effort to improve maternal and child health. The country has the world's highest maternal mortality rate, and statistics for children are even grimmer. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Trumpeter Steven Bernstein hunts for music that's been overlooked by classic jazz. He does his musical detective work in a back room he calls his "laboratory."

As China's strict communist ideology erodes, prostitution booms. But Christian churches are sprouting in the heartland. In the third of a series on his journey through the world's most populous nation, NPR's Rob Gifford notes the resurgence of prostitution and religion.

Government investigators continue poring over the documents and photographs that led to this week's terror warnings, some of them from a laptop computer seized in Pakistan. The files reportedly contain detailed information about financial institutions in New York City, Newark and Washington, DC. Hear Homeland Security advisor Frances Townsend and NPR's Michele Norris.

Writers often have precise rituals for putting their thoughts on paper. Spy novelist Daniel Silva admits his approach is manically methodical. As part of the Creative Spaces series, Silva invites NPR's Michele Norris into his den to talk process.

President Bush has nominated House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss (R-FL) to direct the Central Intelligence Agency. But it's unclear what Goss' role would be, as Congress considers a proposal to create a national director to supervise the CIA and other intelligence agencies. Hear NPR's Pam Fessler.

In a one-day visit to Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld praises the country's efforts to register voters ahead of the October elections. Addressing Afghanistan's booming opium production, Rumsfeld says U.S. forces will step up their efforts to crack down on the country's drug trade. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and reporter Rachel Martin.

in Kabul, preparations are being made for Afghanistan's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Foreign organizations are trying to give the country's political parties the information, tools and tactics they need to become viable parts of the democratic process. Hear reporter Rachel Martin.