U.S. Audio/Video - NPR

A deal by General Motors to sell Saab has collapsed. GM says that Koenigsegg Group has decided to end the deal that was announced in June. Analysts say unless another buyer emerges soon, the Swedish car brand could be history.

For months issues have been arising from President Obama's push to overhaul the nation's health care system. A new one has cropped up. The White House responded Tuesday to a gun-rights group that says the proposed bill is bad for gun owners. It's another hot button issue for Democrats to deal with as the bill moves forward.

At President's Obama's first state dinner Tuesday night, the menu was largely vegetarian in homage to India's Prime Minister Singh. Guests feasted on red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns. Plus an arugula salad from the White House garden and pumpkin pie to top it off.

For teenagers, a driver's license has traditionally been a passport to freedom — but a license may not offer the thrill it once did. Teens are finding there isn't much need to learn to drive. These days there is text messaging and Skype as ways to keep in touch with their friends. Insurance companies and federal statistics show that the number of teenage drivers is down by millions.

Among the many unanswered questions about this month's Fort Hood attack are: Was it an act of terrorism? Or an act of insanity? Most terrorism experts agree that the two aren't mutually exclusive, and that Fort Hood meets the legal standard of terrorism. Incidents like Fort Hood are forcing terrorism experts to refine what should count as a terrorist act.

President Obama and his wife hosted an elaborate state dinner for India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. As a sign of India's rising stature, this was the first "official" visit honoring a head of a foreign government at the White House during this administration. Earlier in the day, the two leaders pledged to strengthen their economic ties. But the issue of Afghanistan kept coming up during their news conference.

Our sense of what's dangerous on the road is not always accurate, according to Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do. Take roundabouts: "People fear roundabouts in America — they've been called 'Circles of Death,' Vanderbilt says. "And nothing could be further from the truth."

The newspaper said it would close bureaus in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago at the end of the year to save money and will focus news efforts on covering the nation's capital. Six correspondents are being offered jobs in Washington, while three news aides will be let go Dec. 31.

Pollin, who brought an NBA championship to the nation's capital, was the NBA's longest-tenured owner. He considered his greatest accomplishment the construction of an arena in a neglected neighborhood, which has spearheaded a revitalization of downtown Washington since its opening in 1997.

NPR has reconstructed what officials did or didn't do over the past year with regard to Maj. Nidal Hasan, the alleged Fort Hood shooter. Sources say it's likely that the FBI, which looked into Hasan last winter, may have missed clues about his character because it got information from the wrong Army file.

President Obama said Tuesday he intends to finish the job in Afghanistan, adding he would soon announce his strategy for the country. The comments came in a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is on a state visit to the U.S.

Families gather at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to welcome back the Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment — known as "America's Battalion" — after months deployed in Afghanistan. But not every family is going to see their Marine: Thirteen of the Marines died in Afghanistan.

One hundred fifty feet high and 300 feet wide: That's the size of a massive rockslide that last month shutdown Interstate 40 near the Tennessee-North Carolina line. Engineers now say it won't be until February when the highway reopens.

Students at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania are upset about a school rule requiring overweight students to take an exercise course in order to graduate. The rule applies to students with a body mass index above 30. James DeBoy, chair of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Lincoln University, says the school officials believe that its their responsibility to alert students to the dangers of obesity.

South Carolina lawmakers began impeachment hearings Tuesday against Gov. Mark Sanford. The legislators began a hearing on the governor's five-day absence in June when he went to Argentina to meet his lover and left no one in charge of the state. Cindi Scoppe, associate editor of The Slate newspaper, says Sanford and the legislature had been at odds even before the scandal.

The town council in Tiburon, Calif., voted to spend $200,000 to install security cameras to screen every car that comes into the affluent, low-crime town. But some say the recordings could open the town up to lawsuits or be used against the residents themselves.

June O'Neill says the national debt would grow and the elderly on Medicare would suffer, but her successors at the Congressional Budget Office disagree.

A Kentucky census worker found naked, bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree with "fed" scrawled on his chest killed himself but staged his death to make it look like a homicide, authorities said Tuesday.

The Department of Transportation levies $175,000 in fines against three airlines for their role in the stranding of passengers overnight in a plane at Rochester, Minn., in August even though it was only 50 yards from a terminal.

The decision to host Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as President Obama's first state visitor was designed as a deliberate signal of India's prominence in Washington.

Food banks are looking for innovative ways to make sure they have enough of the right kinds of food at the right times. Virtual food drives allow donors to choose items that the food bank needs. And because food banks buy in bulk, they can get more bang for the donated buck.

Documents unsealed Monday in a Minnesota investigation allege a broad and effective recruitment campaign to persuade Somali-Americans to join an Islamist insurgency in Somalia.

It will be another week before senators begin floor debate on the Democrats' health care overhaul bill, but many in Washington are already predicting the demise of its current provision for a modest government-run insurance program.

As millions of Americans plan for long drives to Thanksgiving dinner, many will use GPS devices to guide the way. But analysts say GPS-enabled cell phones, now with bigger screens and better speakers, are going to cut into the sales of stand-alone devices.

New York state has a tough new law on drunk driving that includes serious jail time for people convicted of driving drunk with a passenger under the age of 15. If a child is injured, the driver could get up to 15 years in prison, and if a child is killed, that penalty rises to 25 years. The law is aimed at catching parents and other relatives who get behind the wheel of the family car when they've had one too many.

Hewlett-Packard's profits jumped 14 percent in the latest quarter. HP says profits were up primarily due to aggressive cost-cutting and better results from its technology services division. That helped balance deep declines in the high tech firm's other major businesses. Sales of personal computers, servers, software and printers all dropped from a year ago. HP's overall revenue fell 8 percent.

The White House hosts India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the first formal state visit of Barack Obama's presidency. There are talks between the two leaders Tuesday, and later a state dinner. India is becoming a major player in global affairs — one that the U.S. needs on its side when it comes to issues like climate change, trade and countering extremism in South Asia.

The "diverging diamond" highway interchange is being put to the test in Missouri. Fans of the new design say it improves traffic flow by eliminating problematic left turns. There's just one catch: It briefly sends cars over to the left side of the road.

The Obamas host Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday night at the most formal of all dinners. First lady Michelle Obama said she and the president will be like swans, gliding with poise and serenity — while paddling furiously to get things right.

Better-designed highways played a role in reducing road fatalities to a 40-year low last year. But safety advocates say the road is still a dangerous place, especially once drivers leave the Interstate Highway System and on roads designed with only drivers in mind.

Sales at That's My Room in Salt Lake City have slowed to less than $5,000 a month. Despite making cutbacks, the owners say, they haven't taken a paycheck since the store opened a year and a half ago — right when the recession hit.

The debate in Washington over how much the health care overhaul bills will cost has largely centered on the bottom line for the federal government. But polls repeatedly show Americans are much more concerned about how a reshaped health care system will affect their own family's financial situation.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and manufacturer Stork Craft Manufacturing of British Columbia announced a recall of 2.1 million drop-side cribs on Monday following reports of the deaths of four children who suffocated in defective cribs. It is the largest crib recall on record.

The president is likely to address the nation Dec. 1 to outline strategy for the way ahead in Afghanistan, sources tell NPR. The announcement of a troop increase would be followed by testimony on Capitol Hill by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The number of hate crimes against religious groups in the U.S. jumped more than 8 percent during 2008, according to data released Monday by the FBI. That was the most notable percentage increase in the FBI's 2008 Hate Crime Statistics report, which showed an overall rise in hate crimes of 2 percent from 2007.

California roads once were the envy of the world. But like a lot of things in the Golden State these days, they’re not what they used to be. Federal Highway Administration data show that of the 20 major urban areas with the worst roadway conditions, eight are in California, with 64 percent in "poor condition."

The economic downturn forced many companies to seek extra ways to shrink costs: Some imposed furloughs or fewer work hours; others tried a straight wage reduction. Many of those companies are now concerned, however, about hanging on to their employees.

Catholic bishops and other church institutions are renewing an aggressive stance against the advance of social polices they see as contrary to their beliefs. The U.S. Catholic bishops pushed for the passage of an amendment to the House health care reform bill limiting the use of taxpayer funds for abortions.

It's one thing to be a Marine wife, and yet another when you are the wife of the commanding officer — and the other wives are looking to you for guidance. Stephanie Cabaniss's husband is commanding a battalion in Afghanistan. She discusses the stress and strains of being the highest-ranking spouse.