2011 June | Here & Now

In North Carolina Wednesday, victims of the state’s 45 year-long program that forcibly sterilized women, men and children, testified before a state task force considering possible compensation.

From Broken Social Scene to Drive By Truckers.

If you think that the competition shows on the Food Network are tough, try the pastry finals of the M.O.F. or “Meilleurs Ouvrier de France.”

Neil Heffernan was working for Teach For America when he realized his students were missing math basics. Year later, he’s come out with an application that shows teachers when students are lost.

There are now compostable forks and plastic bottles made from plants. But how do you dispose of them? Send us your questions and we’ll put them to an expert.

16-year-old Alec Loorz not only started “Kids Versus Global Warming” at age 12, but he’s now the lead plaintiff in a landmark case suing the federal government over climate change.

Calling the condition of America “totally unacceptable,” former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is formally entering the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes, promising new jobs, energy independence and a simpler tax code.

In an effort to change the image of Mormons as “cultish,” “polygamist” and “secretive” the Mormon church is embarking on a new ad campaign, as two Mormon GOP presidential candidates enter the spotlight.

President Barack Obama is expected to announce tomorrow plans to bring thousands of American troops home from Afghanistan, beginning next month. The draw down is splitting Republicans, with Sen. John McCain calling for a modest withdrawal, but Republican presidential candidates calling for more troops to come home sooner.

From Radiohead to Bruce Springsteen.

Kids under 13 aren’t allowed on Facebook, but many are faking their birth dates to sign on. Once they’re on, a Boston doctor found that 6% were approached by strangers for photos of themselves.

For people who use a wheelchair, a simple trip to the grocery store can be a challenge. Matthew Eddy made it across the entire country.

Flood control authorities call it uncharted territory: battling flood waters around a nuclear power plant. Two Nebraska nuclear plants are shoring up against floodwaters with sandbags, water-filled rubber walls and earthen berms. The power companies that operate the plants say they are safe, even if the waters continue to rise.

Since 2005, about 15,000 IEDs have been used on American troops, according to the military’s Joint IED Defeat organization. The U.S. military has spent $17 billion on technology to jam the devices and is now working on a next generation jammer that could not only disable bombs, but locate them, eavesdrop on the enemy and disrupt drones.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court sided with Walmart today, saying that a massive, sex discrimination lawsuit against the retailer cannot proceed as a class action.

From Modest Mouse to Clap Your Hands.

Have you ever wanted to tell your kid to get out of the car and walk home? Dave Lieber did, and he ended up facing two felony charges. Read an excerpt from his new book, “Bad Dad,” where he writes about the debate over parenting his case sparked.

A rare, previously unknown letter from America’s second First Lady Abigail Adams has turned up. The letter was written in 1788, as Abigail Adams was getting ready to sail home from her husband John Adams’ ambassadorship in London. He would soon be elected the country’s first vice president.

“Saudi ladies: Start (and don’t stop) your engines! Good luck!” That’s one of many tweets Friday calling on women in Saudi Arabia to take to the streets and drive a car.

NATO war planes hit Libya’s capital, Tripoli, again today. The daytime attacks are part of the alliance’s increased pressure on Moammar Gadhafi. The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen says, “Libya is now isolated, battered and divided, there’s a civil war in which NATO has taken sides against Gadhafi but still the colonel manages to hang on.”