Search results for

Gen. Michael Hayden faced tough, bipartisan grilling Thursday from a Senate panel weighing his nomination to head the CIA. Responding to sharp questioning from several senators, Hayden repeatedly defended the legality of two controversial surveillance programs begun at the NSA during his six years at the helm of the top-secret intelligence agency.

In Iraq, insurgents conducted attacks across the country Tuesday, killing more than 20 people, including several Iraqi policemen and a U.S. soldier. In Washington, top Pentagon officials encouraged Iraqis to finish work on a new constitution on schedule.

Jack Coughlin, a gunnery sergeant in the Marines, is the author of the new book Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper. He grew up in a wealthy Boston suburb and joined the Marines at age 19, spending the next 20 years behind the scope of a long-range rifle as a sniper. He has more than 60 confirmed kills, 38 of which took place during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In the 1990s, Bobby Valentino was part of the teen vocal group Mista. Now he's gone solo, with a self-titled CD and a single, "Slow Down," that's already topped the R&B charts. Ed Gordon talks with Valentino about his burgeoning career and his soulful influences.

The federal government recently sold 155 acres on the top of a landmark mountain in Crested Butte, Colo., for just $5 per acre under the terms of an 1872 mining law. Many are calling for the overhaul of an antiquated law that lets mining interests buy prime real estate at dirt-cheap prices, without owing the federal government or taxpayers a penny in royalties. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

At 21,450 pages — think 15 copies of War and Peace stacked on top of each other — One Piece includes every panel of the long-running Japanese comic of the same name.

The newest generation of workers seem to be at the top of managers' worry list these days. These 20-somethings, known as the Millennial Generation, are eager to bounce up the corporate ladder without putting in the time on the lower rungs.

A book about a dog has been at or near the top of nonfiction best-seller lists for about a year now. Librarian Nancy Pearl suggests some other notable books featuring, but not necessarily written by, canines.

The shootings at Virginia Tech have prompted the postponement of a much anticipated Senate hearing with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The nation's top law enforcement official is under pressure to explain his role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

With a yellow background and a black banner on top, some Kansans say it looks too much like New York's plates — or the University of Missouri's colors. Gov. Kelly says it's back to the drawing board.