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Foreign aid can be a mixed blessing. For a while, in one small Nigerian town, the money flowed. Five years later assistance came to an end, and that left thousands of orphans to fend for themselves. NPR’s Brenda Wilson reports.

Congestion delayed travelers 79 million more hours and wasted 69 million more gallons of fuel in 2003 than in 2002, according to the latest study from the Texas Transportation Institute. The report concludes that urban areas need more road capacity and better management.

The Battle of Baltimore -- fought 190 years ago this week -- inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics that later became the U.S. national anthem. Historian Anthony Pitch tells NPR's Liane Hansen about the events that led to a decisive American victory and the end of the War of 1812.

Researchers have successfully used a technique that selectively shuts off genes to lower levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, in mice. The findings, reported in the journal Nature, suggest that RNA interference may be a revolutionary development for medical science. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

Last September we ran an essay -- "The Absolute Worst Thing" -- from Seth Carey. He suffered from ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He could think and feel, but could not move or speak without great difficulty. Seth Carey died Friday evening.

In An Ocean of Air, author Gabrielle Walker plunges into the Earth's atmosphere, exposing its layers and colorful history. From Galileo to global warming and wind storms, Walker explains the role of this complex substance on Earth.

Digital TV? HDTV? If you don't know whether the one is equal to the other, take comfort: You're not alone. An expanding range of options, and the looming switch to all-digital broadcasting, make a couch-potato evening much more complicated than it used to be. Luckily, there are teenagers to help untangle things.

After giant sell-offs on the world's stock markets Friday, the downward trend continued Monday in Asia. Japan's Nikkei average slid to its lowest close in 26 years. As the markets opened in Europe, there was a sharp drop in early trading. On Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 312 points.

Foxx described her childhood — being raised by a single mom, growing up in public housing and going to Planned Parenthood for health services

The helicopter had stopped communicating with the Perseverance rover during a test flight. Trouble for the overachieving rotorcraft threatened to cut short its otherworldly flight exploration.