Enlarge image i Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images It may have struck many people as odd that Lamar Alexander, the senior senator from Tennessee, gave a shout-out to Alex Haley, the author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, during his remarks at

Enlarge image i Marine Gen. John Allen. Alex Wong/Getty Images Marine Gen. John Allen. Alex Wong/Getty Images Marine Gen. John Allen has been cleared in a misconduct inquiry prompted by the extramarital-affair scandal that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus. The Washington Post, which broke the story, reports: “The messages from Marine

Enlarge image i Marine Gen. John Allen. Alex Wong/Getty Images Marine Gen. John Allen. Alex Wong/Getty Images Marine Gen. John Allen has been cleared in a misconduct inquiry prompted by the extramarital-affair scandal that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus. The Washington Post, which broke the story, reports: “The messages from Marine

Enlarge image i Experts say universal background checks need to be updated and changed to actually work. Pat Sullivan/AP Experts say universal background checks need to be updated and changed to actually work. Pat Sullivan/AP One of President Obama’s gun control proposals appears to have widespread support — universal background checks for gun purchases. Some

Enlarge image i A group of volunteers is helping biologists see whether there are any martens left in the Olympic National Forest in Washington state. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service A group of volunteers is helping biologists see whether there are any martens left in the Olympic National Forest in Washington state. U.S. Fish and

Enlarge image i British farmer and businessman David Cundall (left) leads an archaeological excavation team searching for buried World War II Spitfires at an airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Jan. 7. He holds a miniature model of the fighter plane and is accompanied by Tracy Spaight, director of special projects at video game company Wargaming.net, who

Enlarge image i Standing near the Remington Arms factory, Beth Neale, deputy mayor of Ilion, N.Y., says she’s watched a lot of large manufacturers leave the region. She’s not sure Ilion would easily recover from losing Remington. Marie Cusick for NPR Standing near the Remington Arms factory, Beth Neale, deputy mayor of Ilion, N.Y., says

Enlarge image i President Obama is officially sworn in Sunday by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Blue Room of the White House. Next to Obama are first lady Michelle Obama, holding the Robinson Family Bible, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha. Larry Downing/AP President Obama is officially sworn in Sunday by Chief Justice John

More bodies have been reported found at the gas plant in Algeria where a four-day standoff with Islamist militants came to a bloody end on Saturday. An Algerian security official tells the AP that the state of the bodies makes it difficult to tell whether the dead are hostages or attackers. The standoff ended Saturday,

Enlarge image i Chelsea Clinton makes cards with 8-year-old Addison Rose on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday as part of the National Day of Service events. Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is the honorary chair of the National Day of Service. Steve Helber/AP Chelsea

Enlarge image i People gather Friday outside a hospital in eastern Algeria as they try to get information on those wounded during a military raid on a gas plant where Islamic extremists were holding hostages. Anis Belghoul/AP People gather Friday outside a hospital in eastern Algeria as they try to get information on those wounded

Algerian special forces stormed a gas installation where militants were holding several hostages on Saturday, according to Algeria’s state media. The reports, which could not be verified by NPR, say 11 militants and seven hostages were killed during what is being described as a final assault to end the four-day standoff. The Algerian Press Service