U.S.

At some point in nearly every student’s college search, one question inevitably arises: how will I afford to attend this institution? While the attainment of a postsecondary degree has arguably become more of an expectation than an advantage in the job market, college tuition is steepening across the nation. Financial...

As the Gang of Eight prepares their immigration reform bill, the President and state legislatures have also taken measures to address the U.S. immigration issue. Sen. McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Graham (R-SC), Sen. Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Flake (R-AZ), and Sen. Bennet (D-CO)...

When Americans think of drones, many likely imagine equipment used by the American military for targeting terrorists in the desolate corners of Afghanistan and Pakistan; however, more uses for drones exist than the media would have the public believe. In recent months, the halls of Washington and state legislatures have...

Recent mass shootings, most notably the devastating school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, have brought debates involving gun ownership and use to the fore. While some legislators are calling for stricter gun control laws, others are moving in the opposite direction by pushing legislation that would...

This month, VPR had the opportunity to sit down with David Maraniss, an associate editor at The Washington Post. In addition to Barack Obama: The Story, Maraniss is the author of five critically acclaimed and bestselling books. Maraniss is a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the Pulitzer for national...

In 1983, the FDA enacted a law that any man who has had sexual activity with another man, even once, since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in 1977 is ineligible to donate blood for life . In 1983, the logic behind the blanket ban was reasonable: statistically, men who...

Every fourth grader in America knows that he lives in a democracy. He learns from an early age that democracy means, “Rule by the people,” and that he cannot use his first amendment right to insult his teacher. He learns that the United States broke away from Great Britain because...