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The Senate Armed Services Committee votes unanimously to approve Robert Gates as the new secretary of defense. In his sole day of hearings, Gates faced questions about Iraq and U.S. troop levels. The full Senate will vote on his nomination Wednesday.

The controversial new fat substitute Olestra is making its way to supermarket shelves. The Food and Drug Administration approved Olestra earlier this year for use in snack foods such as chips and crackers. Proctor and Gamble, which makes Olestra, says it will allow people to eat potato chips without the fat. Critics say Olestra causes gastrointestinal distress, and robs the body of important nutrients. Frito Lay is the first to come out with a product line based on olestra. The company is now test marketing the chips in three cities around the country. NPR's Joe Palca travelled to one of those test cities, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to see what kind of reception Olestra was getting.

Geraldine Coughlan reports from the Hague that the Netherlands today became the first country to legalize euthanasia. By a vote of 104 to 40, the Dutch parliament approved a bill to allow physician-assisted suicide. The new law states that doctors who help terminally ill patients end their lives must know their patients well. Euthanasia can not be practiced on foreigners who might travel to the Netherlands, hoping to end their lives. Euthanasia has been tolerated in The Netherlands for years. In 1993, parliament adopted guidelines for doctors to perform mercy killings. In theory, though, euthanasia remained a crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

Bloomington-Normal hospital officials said Thursday they have planned for surges in COVID-19 cases that could demand "desperate action."Advocate BroMenn…

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Imam Makram Nu'man El-Amin in Minneapolis about how the city has become more welcoming to its Muslim population.

The song title from the film The Lion King has been trademarked by Disney since 2003. In recent weeks, African media has launched a discussion on whether that's cultural appropriation.

The U.S. military struck a Venezuelan boat for the second time Monday, killing three people. President Trump says the vessel was carrying drugs to the United States.

Atlantic writer Ron Brownstein says Republican-led states are passing voting rights restrictions and other conservative bills as a backlash against Democratic control of Congress and the White House.

For the first time, a medically approved birth control app has been certified as a method of contraception. It relies on math, an algorithm and a woman's body temperature to determine fertility.

First responder communications show the power company in Altadena was slow to respond to Eaton firefighters — and that live power lines sparked new fires days after flames first broke out.