Search results for

Boulevard Brewing has become a Kansas City staple since its founding in the 1980s. It has many loyal local fans — and soon, a new international owner, Duvel. The deal says a lot about how the world now values a product made with a firm sense of place.

Saturday is the day the White House promised the website for the Affordable Care Act will work for the "vast majority of users." NPR's health policy correspondent Julie Rovner explains what that means, and whether the deadline is going to be met.

The Senate this week pushed through the nomination of Democrat Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA controls Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Watt replaces an official who was a thorn in the side of Democrats, and the move changes the landscape of housing finance reform.

One reason North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his uncle executed, some analysts say, is that he felt disrespected. The uncle, Jang Song Thaek, allegedly failed to applaud with enough enthusiasm when Kim was given a key post. It's also thought that Kim wanted to send a message: Don't mess with me.

Nicholas Mevoli was chasing an American record for diving without supplemental oxygen or fins. It appears he reached the depth; about 236 feet. But he couldn't say "I am OK" when he reached the surface — part of the required protocol for records — and later died.

The House has approved a Republican-sponsored bill that would allow insurance companies to continue offering policies that would be canceled under the Affordable Care Act. The Keep Your Health Plan Act was adopted by a vote of 261-157, with the support of 39 Democrats.

Iran's economy is in terrible shape. Inflation is rampant, Iran's currency — the rial — has plunged in value and oil exports have fallen dramatically. There's wide agreement that sanctions have squeezed Iran financially and increased pressure on its leaders to negotiate over the country's nuclear program.

After a procedural vote in the Senate on a bill that would temporarily extend emergency insurance for the jobless, President Obama held a White House press conference to pressure Congress to keep the momentum going. But Republican leaders say they need spending cuts or job-creation plans in return.

A radical group with links to al-Qaida has taken intermittent control of key parts of Fallujah in western Iraq. It's the same area where U.S. troops saw some of their bloodiest fights during the Iraq war a decade ago, costing the U.S. more lives than any other region in Iraq.

More than 1 million people lost their unemployment benefits as 2014 began. Whether or not those benefits get extended, economists say there are ways to change the program that will make it work better. One suggestion is work sharing, which has helped reduce Germany's unemployment.