National

The journalist Juan Williams is out with a new book this week. In it, he makes the case that his acrimonious termination last fall by NPR is part of a larger and ominous pattern of suppressing undesired voices.

The delay suggests that the House speaker does not have the votes he needs to pass his plan. Boehner may bring the bill back for a vote later or pull the bill from consideration.

As the Arctic tundra warms up, fires may become more common. And as a giant burn in 2007 shows, those fires could turn the tundra from a carbon sink into a menacing source of atmospheric carbon.

Starting a year from now, most new health insurance policies will have to include a comprehensive list of women's preventive health services with no copay or deductible. Under the rule, insurers would have to cover all prescription contraceptives approved by the FDA.

Congressional leaders hope to pass a deal calling for more than $2 trillion in spending cuts, but the door is still open to a downgrade of the government's top-notch credit rating. Last month, Standard & Poor's put the chances that the U.S. could lose its AAA rating at 50 percent if Congress failed to come up with a "credible agreement to reduce the debt."

The rating agency said the debt ceiling agreement is a step in the right direction for the country and said the chances of a default on its debt remain "extremely low."

With the debt-ceiling legislation signed into law Tuesday afternoon, the nation no longer needs to worry about defaultmageddon, at least not until early 2013. That's when the U.S. Treasury once again runs out of room to borrow again. Even though there wasn't a default this time, the partisan fight left plenty of wreckage lying about.

The federal government recently announced that starting Aug. 2012, insurers must offer female preventive health services without extra costs to patients. Host Michel Martin discusses the controversial plan with the Health and Human Services Secretary. Martin also explores what the debt deal means for the Affordable Care Act with a Senior Correspondent from Kaiser Health News.

Monday, August 8 @ 9:00 - 11:00 am Listen as President Obama speaks about the economic situation, and as financial experts talk to NPR about the debt, the nation's credit rating and long-term outlook.

For centuries, the ice-choked Northwest Passage has been prized as a potential trade route. Now, rising Arctic temperatures mean the waterway is expected to open up for longer periods — a boon for shipping companies seeking a shortened trade route and for nations vying for untapped natural resources.

The orange goo that took over the shore of a remote Alaskan village is actually a mass of fungal spores — not microscopic eggs, as scientists at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration first believed. The spores are from a rust fungus, experts say.

The temblor, centered about 100 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., shook buildings and rattled nerves up and down the East Coast. Phone services and airports were affected, but early reports indicated damage was minimal.

All Things Considered Sept. 29, 2011 In Alaska's picturesque Bristol Bay region, developers are looking to build an enormous copper and gold mine. They promise the effort will be carried out in an environmentally responsible way — and provide area jobs. But fisherman, conservationists and native groups have joined efforts to thwart the mine, fearing it will pollute fish and wildlife. Melissa Block talks about the battle for Bristol Bay with reporter Daysha Eaton of member station KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska. Listen for Full Story on NPR.org

The Alaska Volcano Observatory has lowered the alert level for a volcano in the remote Aleutian Islands. Scientists on Friday said in a release that the level of unrest has subsided at Kanaga Volcano, prompting the alert reduction.

A Fort Wainwright-based soldier has admitted to taking thousands of dollars in gifts, cash and favors from an Iraqi contractor.

Tuesday at 9:00 am - it's an NPR News special - live coverage of President Obama's news conference. The White House event occurs as Mr. Obama's Republican rivals face off in 10 Super Tuesday primary contests. It also follows the president's Monday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Join Jennifer Ludden for in-depth coverage and analysis. If the news conference goes past 10:00 am, KSKA will join Talk of Alaska in progress. Here and Now will return Weds. at 9:00 am.

A former executive of EyakTek, a subsidiary of the Alaska Native Eyak Corporation is admitting his role in a $20 million government contracting fraud scheme.