Search results for

President George Bush's re-election campaign begins running hard-edged ads against likely Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry with the election eight months away. The Kerry campaign reports that for the next few days it will be running fewer ads and deciding what tactics to pursue next. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Scientists report that they have developed a tiny molecular computer that has the potential to monitor individual cells and release drugs if signs of illness or cancer arise. The innovation, reported in Nature this week, is still being studied, but researchers say it could revolutionize therapy methods. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

There are an estimated 6,000 western private security contractors in Iraq. Often times, the line between defense and offense can blur as contractors are drawn into heavy firefights with insurgents. There's no real authority structure to control these contractors, and some U.S. lawmakers worry that it's setting a dangerous precedent in a war zone. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

U.S. Marines begin pulling back from their positions in Fallujah, a day after negotiating an end to the U.S. siege of the Iraqi city. The Marines will turn over security to an Iraqi unit led by one of Saddam Hussein's former generals. The Marines will remain positioned outside Fallujah. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush Friday. British officials say Blair hopes to flesh out a role for the United Nations in Iraq's transition. Blair has faced criticism at home for having little influence when it comes to Iraq -- despite Britain's 10,000 troops there. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

The nation's gross domestic product, or value of goods and services, grew at a 4.2 percent annual rate during the first three months of the year, an improvement over the end of 2003 but not as strong as many analysts were expecting. The Commerce Department's prime price index, omitting food and energy, rose 2.3 percent, compared with 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

A U.S. civilian working for Halliburton in Iraq has escaped his captors after being held hostage for three weeks, say U.S. military commanders. Truck driver Thomas Hamill, from Macon, Miss., was taken captive during an April 9 ambush on a supply convoy and held in a house south of Tikrit, the U.S. military said. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon.

We hear excerpts from the commission investigating U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. The panel also inquires into what changes have been made to ensure future attacks are stopped. Among the speakers we hear from include George Tenet, director of the CIA in both the Clinton and Bush administrations; and Robert Mueller III, Director of the FBI from June 2001-August 2001.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Alan Klapmeier, CEO and co-founder of Cirrus Aircraft, which makes an airplane equipped with its own parachute. Over the past week, two different Cirrus pilots encountered in-flight emergencies and brought their planes safely to the ground by deploying their on-board parachutes -- only the second and third emergency uses of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). This technology was first used in an emergency in October 2002.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the debut album by the Eagles of Death Metal called Peace Love Death Metal. The group's drummer is Josh Homme, the singer-guitarist of the hard-rock band Queens of the Stone Age.