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NPR's Melissa Block looks back on the history of New York State's abortion law. The country's most liberal, abortion law was signed thirty years ago by Governor Nelson Rockefeller.

Nearly a century ago, musician W.C. Handy recorded the first blues hit, "Memphis Blues." In the years that followed, he produced dozens of Billboard chart hits that were re-released again and again. Producer Barrett Golding of the Hearing Voices radio project profiles Handy, "the Father of the Blues."

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa tweeted today that he has submitted his resignation, “effective immediately,” amid his country's worst economic crisis in decades.

Growing use of methamamphetamine among the gay community has public health officials worried. A recent study that showed a link between crystal meth use and unprotected sex among gays also found that users were significantly more likely to be HIV positive than non-users.

Lawyer Johnnie Cochran, who led the defense team that won an acquittal for O.J. Simpson, died Tuesday in Los Angeles of a brain tumor at age 67. A look back at the life and career of the celebrity attorney who became a household name, thanks to the Simpson trial.

NPR's Julie Rovner describes why lawsuit reform is such a key issue for President Bush and the specific measures he is backing.

We explore the tsunami's impact on the small village of Ondachchimadam, on the east coast of Sri Lanka. NPR will revisit the village periodically over the next year to chart its progress in the tragedy's aftermath. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

The Pentagon receives the results of another investigation into alleged abuse of prisoners by the U.S. military, this one focusing on harsh interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It's the seventh major report on alleged torture techniques since last year's scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

A report by a presidential commission investigating pre-war intelligence in Iraq offers a bleak view of intelligence-gathering and analysis. It includes a similarly grim assessment of efforts in Iran and North Korea and offers recommendations to improve the process.

Gary Larson's "The Far Side" cartoons delighted in placing bugs in hilariously human situations. A scientist at Oregon State University uses Larson's cartoons to help students learn -- and laugh -- about insects.