Slapping on a nicotine patch may not just be for smokers trying to kick the habit.
In an intriguing test, researchers tried nicotine patches as a memory booster for nonsmokers with mild declines in their thinking ability, a precursor to dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
Jodi Kantor spoke to over 200 sources, including White House aides and close friends of the President, while reseaching her new biography on the Obamas. Kantor is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times.
In late 2006, Barack Obama held a meeting with his wife Michelle and his advisors to weigh whether he should run for President.
"And Michelle Obama, in front of everybody, asks her husband a very dramatic question," says New York Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor. "She says, 'What do you think you can bring to this that the other candidates can't?'"
Her husband paused for a second, and then responded, "I really think if I became President, it would inspire people all over the world to think of new possibilities."
The emotionally charged task of putting price tags on the lives of coal miners killed in the nation's deadliest mine disaster in 40 years continues for a fifth day in West Virginia.
Sources familiar with the mediation talks say the families of 13 Upper Big Branch mine explosion victims are still considering settlement of wrongful death claims with mine owner Alpha Natural Resources.
Six families settled yesterday in mediated negotiations that began Friday at a resort in Glade Springs, W. Va.
At least 30 people were killed at a busy market in northwest Pakistan after a bomb was placed inside the car of a local militia group tasked with fighting against the Taliban.
CNN reports the explosion occurred in the Jamrud Market in the Khyber near the Afghan border. The AP adds:
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman speaks to reporters before a campaign stop in Concord, N.H. In interviews, Huntsman has said that his goal in New Hampshire is to "beat market expectations."
Myanmar's upcoming special parliamentary elections just became more legitimate. Aung San Suu Kyi, a leading opposition figure in the country as well as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said she will mount a campaign for a seat in parliament.
After a 21-0 victory over LSU in the bowl championship game last night, a final AP poll crowned the Crimson Tide No. 1. Alabama received 55 first-place votes, while LSU got one.
As the AP reports, yesterday's victory easily erased Alabama's Nov. 5 loss against LSU.
If the New Hampshire primary goes as widely expected, Mitt Romney should emerge the winner among the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. For weeks, polls in the state have shown him with a commanding lead.
But the 2012 campaign season has already delivered some surprises. Maybe New Hampshire will provide the latest in the series of unexpected twists?
Speaking in public for the first time since June, embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad said he would not leave power. According to Reuters, Assad blamed "foreign planning" for the uprising that has engulfed his country. Calling the protesters terrorists, he vowed to respond to threats with an "iron hand."
Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed to stay in power during a speech Tuesday, defying international pressure for him to step aside. He vowed to respond to threats against him with an "iron hand."
Some in New Hampshire have already cast their votes this morning. As they do traditionally, voters in Dixville Notch and Hart's Location, both small northern New Hampshire towns, cast their ballots shortly after midnight.
Blue Ivy Carter is only days old, yet the proud father released a song called "Glory." In the song, Jay-Z raps that his daughter is "the most beautiful thing in the world." The newborn chimes in with a few cries at the end of the song.
Five candidates spent Monday campaigning in the state. And we now hear from five NPR reporters, covering those candidates. They include: Ari Shapiro on Mitt Romney, Robert Smith on Ron Paul, Andrea Seabrook on Newt Gingrich, Don Gonyea on Rick Santorum and Tovia Smith on Jon Huntsman.
One of the most powerful producers in Hollywood is black, female, middle-aged and Muslim. Mara Brock Akil produces, along with her husband,The Game -- one of the biggest hit TV shows on cable. Last year, the couple collaborated on the film "Jumping the Broom.
