State & Regional News

Catch some loose odds and ends from Tom Shortell's coverage in Washington, D.C., last week.

Republicans were the primary engineers behind the Berks County Democrat’s candidacy and announcement — and even wrote his acceptance speech.

Doctors say Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin is awake. But for viewers, watching his collapse on live TV could be leaving a lasting impact. A local psychologist says collective trauma can make people anxious.

Wolf said his request is “a critical step to allow the General Assembly to focus their work on this important, and potentially life-saving, task.”

The grant was originally announced in September, but budget complications delayed the delivery of the money to New Bethany Ministries homeless shelter in Bethlehem.

In the Pennsylvania Capitol, no other issue defines the legislative career of newly minted state House Speaker Mark Rozzi more than helping survivors of decades-old sexual abuse.

The sixty-two-year-old Democratic senator says he's fortunate to have good healthcare and he "can deal with this" while he prepares for surgery.

Some are hopeful the chamber will finally pass rule changes aimed at giving all lawmakers a say in making policy, but there’s reason to be skeptical.

Workers and their dependents can now get up to $2,000 a year for tuition, room and board at any of the 10 Pennsylvania State System universities.

U.S. Catholic bishops are wrapping up their annual meeting in Atlanta. They vowed to continue fighting the Obama administration over contraceptive health coverage. Plus, ten years after sexual abuse scandals were revealed, the bishops assessed whether they're doing enough to protect children. Host Michel Martin speaks with two religion reporters.

Eleven members of the Florida A&M University marching band were arraigned on felony charges Thursday, in the alleged hazing death of drum major Robert Champion. This comes after the university's president received a "no confidence" vote from the board of trustees. Host Michel Martin speaks with FAMU's President James Ammons.

In Iran on Tuesday, students and other protesters stormed the British Embassy in the capital Tehran, smashing windows, throwing firebombs and burning the British flag. The crowd had gathered at the embassy to protest new severe economic sanctions imposed by Britain, cutting off all banking with Iran. Renee Montagne talks with Washington Post reporter Thomas Erdbrink, who is in Tehran.

The former Massachusetts governor has been unofficially running for president for the better part of five years, and in that time, he has been asked about immigration over and over. Now some of Mitt Romney's rivals are arguing that his answers to the question have been inconsistent.

Congress had been hoping the deal supercommittee would, along with its deficit cutting plan, also deal with unemployment benefits and the payroll tax holiday. Now, with the supercommittee failed and folded, Congress will need to act in the final weeks of the year on these and other pressing deadlines.

When it comes to abortion, the former governor of Massachusetts appears to have changed his position, from being in favor of abortion rights to being opposed. But now some are asking if Romney ever supported abortion rights at all? Backers of abortion rights don't think so.

The U.S. Air Force says it will train more drone pilots in 2011 than fighter and bomber pilots combined. The distance between the pilot and the remotely controlled vehicle he flies is redefining what it means to be a pilot and creating some friction within the Air Force.

From health care to climate change to immigration, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has found himself at odds with conservatives over the years. But will Republican voters overlook those issues if they think he can beat President Obama?

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry.com's World Memory Project allows people to sift online through hundreds of thousands of documents that previously required a painstaking manual search.

Companies are trying to bring down their spiraling health care costs by helping employees lose weight. At Dow Chemical, managers hope to set an example by hitting the corporate gym at midday, and the company offers weight-management classes on demand, at workers' convenience.

From compost to mulch, fall leaves can be used to improve the health and ecological diversity of lawns. The National Audubon Society's Melissa Hopkins, who calls the leaves "free vitamins," has some tips on how to make the most of them.

Witnesses say Scott Olsen was struck in the head by a projectile when clashes broke out Tuesday between Occupy Oakland protesters and police. At a vigil Thursday night, veterans gathered with protesters to pay tribute to Olsen. They say his story is a reminder of the dangers of excessive force.