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Government To Give GMAC $7.5B In New Aid

The Treasury Department said the investment will help provide a reliable source of financing to auto dealers and people looking to buy GM and Chrysler vehicles. Strengthening GMAC will help stabilize the country's auto financing market, which should help the economy, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said.
Posted: 05/21/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

New York Says Prostitution Ring Ran On Craigslist

Seven New York residents have been indicted on charges of running a prostitution ring on Craigslist. Meanwhile, Craigslist's chief executive is suing South Carolina's attorney general, claiming the prosecutor's threat to file prostitution charges against the San Francisco company is unreasonable.
Posted: 05/20/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

Torture Debate Ties Washington In Partisan Knots

The rhetoric over harsh interrogation tactics — and clamor for disclosure and inquiry — are intensifying. President Obama is being urged to step in and name an independent panel to examine what went wrong in the Bush Justice Department.
Posted: 05/20/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

Congress Sends Obama New Credit Card Rules

The bill includes a requirement that consumers receive at least 45 days' notice and an explanation before their interest rate is increased. The bill also would make it tough for anyone under 21 to obtain a card.
Posted: 05/20/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

Prayer May Reshape Your Brain ... And Your Reality

Scans show that people who spend untold hours in prayer or meditation go dark in the parietal lobe, the brain area that helps create a sense of self. A researcher says these people may be rewriting the neural connections in their brains — altering how they see the world.
Posted: 05/20/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

New York Tackles Wage Theft Against Immigrants

Nearly half of New York City's work force is foreign-born. And labor officials say these immigrant workers are among the most exploited. Now, after what critics call years of neglect, the state's Labor Department is testing out a more aggressive approach to help them.
Posted: 05/19/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

Assassinations On The Rise In Afghanistan

The number of assassinations in Afghanistan is growing, particularly in Kandahar province, where Taliban militants are strong and well-organized. Dozens of politicians, government employees, activists and Muslim clerics have been targeted. The threats have halted much government and social work in Kandahar, officials say.
Posted: 05/19/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

'Buried' Haitian City Braces For New Storm Season

The Haitian city of Gonaives continues to dig out from mudslides left by a series of hurricanes last summer and fall. People have barely had time to prepare their homes for the next storm season, beginning June 1. And the dangerous conditions that led to the flooding and mudslides remain.
Posted: 05/19/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

Hewlett-Packard Profits Down On Lower PC Sales

Hewlett-Packard Co. says its quarterly profit dropped 17 percent as sales of personal computers and printer ink slumped. The numbers were still in line with Wall Street's forecasts. Sales fell 3 percent to $27.4 billion in the second quarter, matching analyst estimates.
Posted: 05/19/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

The Secret Advantage Of Being Short

Imagine if someone touches your toe and your nose at the same time. You feel those touches simultaneously; but really the signal from your nose reaches your brain before the signal from your toe. This is part of the reason why one neuroscientist thinks short people might experience things faster than tall people.
Posted: 05/18/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines

Military Officers Tie Energy To National Security

A report by a group of retired military officers says the overall U.S. energy posture "constitutes a serious and urgent threat to national security — militarily, diplomatically and economically." One vulnerability: the nation's electrical grid.
Posted: 05/18/2009 News Headlines / Storys Provided by : NPR News Headlines