Nation

‘Orange Is the New Black’ author’s biggest mistake inspired prison activism and a hit TV show

By PBS News Hour

As governments invade privacy, tools for encryption grow more popular

By Charles Pulliam-Moore

In the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA collecting massive amounts of user meta-data, many people went in search of safer, more secure ways to use the internet anonymously. Once thought to be something only used by the…

How many vacation days has President Obama taken?

By Associated Press

President Barack Obama as of Friday has spent all or part of 138 days on vacation, less time away from the White House than his predecessors. Here's a look at how they compare. The totals exclude trips to the Camp…

When should police use deadly force?

By Ruth Tam, Hari Sreenivasan

Even with two investigations underway regarding Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Mo., questions raised during two weeks of riots over the lethal use of police force are unlikely to fade. Did Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Brown,…

Lawsuits challenge FAA ban on commercial drone flights

By Joan Lowy, Associated Press

The FAA has been working on regulations that would permit commercial drone flights in U.S. skies for more than 10 years, but the agency is still at least months and possibly years away from issuing final rules to permit flights…

Obama administration announces new birth control fixes for religious groups

By Josh Lederman, Associated Press

Seeking to quell a politically charged controversy, the Obama administration announced new measures Friday to allow religious nonprofits and some companies to opt out of paying for birth control for female employees while still ensuring those employees have access to…

In Bank of America settlement, who’s feeling the pain?

By Simone Pathe

The day after Bank of America's record $16.65 billion settlement with the Department of Justice, Making Sen$e looks back at how the bank increased their holdings of risky mortgages and looks forward at whom -- from consumers to shareholders --…

WATCH: Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

By Judy Woodruff

PBS President Paula Kerger nominated Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Watch NewsHour's co-anchors accept.

Islamic State militant group used less restrictive social network

By Charles Pulliam-Moore

The Islamic State extremist group began using a social networking website with less restrictions on users after other social media sites, Twitter and YouTube in particular, removed content related to the group.