Search results for

Fifteen top posts at the Department of Homeland Security, including retiring Secretary Janet Napolitano's position, are now vacant or soon will be. Many are being filled on a temporary basis, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle want the Obama administration to get busy filling those jobs, too.

Afghanistan's top political comedy sketch show mocks aspects of day-to-day life in hopes of shaming the government to clean up its act. The cast of Zang-e-Khatar, or Danger Bell, has tackled everything from corruption to bad roads, and they've received death threats for doing it.

Watch C-SPAN long enough and you'll see members of Congress using big visual aids, known as floor charts. Many are about as sophisticated as those you'd see in grade school. Here are some of the best — and worst.

David Greene speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea, Scott Horsley and Brian Naylor about The Des Moines Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. The three reporters are riding in the event, also known as RAGBRAI, to explore the Iowa they didn't see on the presidential campaign trail.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has outlined the options and risks of U.S. military involvement in Syria. Read his letter to the chairman of the Senate's Armed Services Committee.

Kids' meals have never been a huge moneymaker for Taco Bell, so the move is probably a lot less financially painful for the company than it would be for, say, McDonald's. Nutrition advocates have long criticized the plastic playthings included in fast food kids' meals.

Five years after the start of the financial crisis, the U.S. banking industry continues to earn strong profits. On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs became the latest big bank to report better than expected earnings. But rising interest rates mean a riskier environment for banks.

The Federal Reserve Chairman continued to soothe investors, saying the Fed would not wind down its bond-buying program until economic conditions improve.

Stock and bond markets reacted positively to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's remarks on the economy Wednesday morning. Bernanke was on Capitol Hill delivering the Fed's twice yearly update on the economy and Fed policy before the House Financial Services Committee.

If confirmed she would fit a tradition for the Japan post — where many other prominent Americans have served. But she would be the first female ambassador to Japan.