Search results for

Judge Robert Olson rejected an argument from defense lawyers that Clarence Dixon's psychological problems prevent him from rationally understanding why the state wants to end his life.

"Like the apocalypse, like a horror film," is how one evacuee describes weeks of sheltering in the vast, Soviet-era steel plant. Her daughter says, "Each day felt like it would be our last one alive."

For the second time this month, the most sacred Shiite shrine in Iraq was damaged during fighting. U.S. military officials said the damage to the Najaf shrine did not result from American fire. U.S.-led forces were battling Shiite militia in Najaf and Kufa, in southern Iraq. Officials say at least 11 people were killed and more than 20 wounded. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

American musical icon Ray Charles died of complications from liver disease Thursday at his Beverly Hills home. In a career that lasted more than half a century, Charles defied categorization and brought his soulful stylings to jazz, pop, country and R&B.

Sen. John Kerry announces that he will accept the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in July. There had been speculation that Kerry, the all-but-named nominee of his party, would put the acceptance off in order to generate more press and ease spending limits. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's David Welna.

A federal appeals court upholds Oregon's law allowing physician-assisted suicide. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's attempt to block the law exceeded his federal authority. The court also said Ashcroft's directive against the measure, which he issued in late 2001, was unenforceable. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Oregon Public Broadcasting's Colin Fogarty.

Most American men over 50 get an annual blood test, called a PSA, that is thought to indicate whether they may have prostate cancer. But a new study questions the accuracy of the widely used test and raises questions about how best to screen for the cancer. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Eric Watkins from the Baghdad office of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting about reaction in the Iraqi press to the search for a new national leader.

A suicide car bombing near a U.S. base in Baqubah kills one U.S. soldier and several Iraqis. In Mosul, a car bomb aimed at the area's provincial council kills several Iraqi bystanders. South of Baghdad, six soldiers from Poland, Latvia and Slovakia are killed while defusing mines. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

Justice Department officials will warn the American public Wednesday of possible terrorist attacks against the United States sometime this summer. Officials say they've received non-specific intelligence information about the possibility that al Qaeda or other terrorists will try to disrupt the presidential campaign or other high-profile events. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Larry Abramson.