Search results for

Laurie Neff reports from Jerusalem on Israel's decision today to go head with the construction of a large housing project in disputed east Jerusalem. That decision was made despite U.S. misgivings and a Palestinain warning of violence. The Har Homa project will place 6,500 homes for Jews in an area claimed by Palestinians as their future capital. Paelstinians see the move as Israel's attempt to solidify its claim over all of Jerusalem before final status talks on the future of the city can be held. Israel says it simply needs more housing for all the people who want to live in Jerusalem, and has pledged to build 3,000 units of arab housing near Har Homa as well.

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) says he will step down as Senate Republican leader following a furor over remarks that seemed to endorse America's segregated past. Lott faced a Jan. 6 vote on his status as incoming majority leader and a challenge for the post from Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN). Hear from NPR's Alex Chadwick and NPR's David Welna.

Hackett has been riding the coaster for 25 years. The pandemic slowed his progress, but he recently hit 6,000 rides. Hackett isn't stopping to celebrate. His next goal is 10,000 rides.

Jacob Chandler successfully arranged letters "A" through "Z" in 2 minutes and 8.6 seconds. Chandler says he was inspired to take on the challenge to show his son that anything is possible.

The 24-year-old Polley has acted professionally since the age of 6. She starred in the Atom Egoyan films Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter. She's currently starring in the film My Life Without Me, based on a story by Nanci Kincaid called Pretending the Bed is a Raft. It's about a young, working single mother who learns she's going to die but keeps it a secret. The changes she makes to her life give her a new sense of liberation. Polley also will appear in the upcoming film The I Inside and a remake of the cult horror film Dawn of the Dead.

More than 20 million workers earn less than $9 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At those levels, many people have trouble making a living. In Corbin, Ky., NPR's Noah Adams talks with 24-year-old Marshall Cox, who earns $6.25 an hour as a fast-food worker but dreams of pursuing a career in drafting.

Guinness World Records has declared them the tallest family in the world. The family has five members. The shortest is 6 feet, 3 inches and the tallest is 7 feet, 3 inches.

In the 1950s Dickie Goodman took bits of pop songs, cut them up like a collage with voices telling wacky stories of flying saucers and gave birth to a new form of novelty records. Goodman continued making these records until the late 1980s and they became small time capsules of culture. Jon Goodman has an appreciation of the "King of Novelty." (6:15) Jon Goodman's book is called The King of Novelty. Jon Goodman's CD of novelty tunes is called 25 All-time Novelty Hits and includes some of Dickie Goodman's work. See http://www.varesesarabande.com.

President Bush turns 60 years old on July 6. Whether or not you get invited to his party, you can send him a greeting. A New York City performance artist is traveling the country, collecting people's thoughts so they can share them with the president.

The U.S. economy continues to spiral downward. A report released Friday by the Commerce Department shows that the economy contracted at the end of last year by the fastest pace since 1982. This puts even more pressure on President Barack Obama, who this week presented his $3.6 trillion budget proposal. Saturday morning, the president said he knows he faces an uphill battle.