Enlarge Robert Smith/NPR Hans Hover has one foot in Germany, and one in the Netherlands. Robert Smith/NPR Hans Hover has one foot in Germany, and one in the Netherlands. Zoe Chace and Robert Smith are reporting from European borders this week. This is the first story in a four-part series. A metal strip on the

Becky Lettenberger/NPR Sofia Martinez, 40, is a registered nurse in Plant City, Fla., who supports both the DREAM Act and Republican Mitt Romney, who says he would veto it. As the presidential election nears, Morning Edition has begun a series of reports from an iconic American corner: First and Main. Several times in the next

The Olympic Games seem to celebrate the extremes of athletic physique — from tiny gymnasts to impossibly huge shot-putters. But why are they shaped that way? We’ve put together an infographic that explores how athletes’ bodies have changed over the last century, and the role physics plays in each event. Here on Shots, we’re taking

Enlarge J. Scott Applewhite/AP President Bill Clinton signs welfare reform legislation into law on Aug. 22, 1996. J. Scott Applewhite/AP President Bill Clinton signs welfare reform legislation into law on Aug. 22, 1996. In an attack likely to conjure up for many President Reagan’s successful use of Cadillac-driving welfare queens as an issue in presidential

Enlarge Courtesy of the Camarillo Community Band. Horn players in the Camarillo Community Band. Courtesy of the Camarillo Community Band. Horn players in the Camarillo Community Band. This month we are collecting your stories about the good things Americans are doing to make their community a better place. Some of your contributions will become blog

Enlarge Adam Pretty/Getty Images U.S. water polo players on the bench react during their semifinal match between Australia and the United States at the Water Polo Arena in London. The Americans will play for gold on Thursday. Adam Pretty/Getty Images U.S. water polo players on the bench react during their semifinal match between Australia and

Enlarge Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images Siarhei Karneyeu of Belarus (in blue) landed most of the punches in the third round of his bout with Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan, who wasn’t penalized for holding. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images Siarhei Karneyeu of Belarus (in blue) landed most of the punches in the third round of his bout with Teymur

Enlarge Seth Wenig/AP Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state during the Bush administration, is scheduled to speak from the main podium at the Republican National Convention later this month. Seth Wenig/AP Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state during the Bush administration, is scheduled to speak from the main podium at the Republican National Convention later

A judge in Washington, D.C., has turned back an effort by seven men charged with a notorious 1984 murder to overturn their convictions, ruling the evidence against them remains “overwhelming” and the testimony of witnesses who changed their story are “not worthy of belief.” “In recent years, particularly since the advent of forensic use of

Enlarge Al Bello/Getty Images Michael Phelps and the special award he received Saturday night to mark his Olympic achievements. Al Bello/Getty Images Michael Phelps and the special award he received Saturday night to mark his Olympic achievements. An only-at-the-Olympics tale: As Michael Phelps left a news conference at the Olympic Aquatic Center on Saturday, a

Enlarge Adek Berry /AFP/Getty Images South Korea’s Kim Min Jung (left) and Ha Jung Eun were among the players disqualified for not trying hard enough. Adek Berry /AFP/Getty Images South Korea’s Kim Min Jung (left) and Ha Jung Eun were among the players disqualified for not trying hard enough. On this final day of badminton

Enlarge Paul Gilham/Getty Images Andy Murray during today’s match against Roger Federer. Paul Gilham/Getty Images Andy Murray during today’s match against Roger Federer. One month after his hopes were dashed on the same famous court at Wimbledon, Scotland’s Andy Murray just won the men’s tennis title at the London Olympics in front of a joyous