How would we create a probe that could bridge the distance to the stars? Project Icarus was one design for a nuclear powered "rocket". Here is a quick video showing the basic idea. From the authors:
Linda Wertheimer talks to Simon Johnson, the former chief economist at the IMF, about the debate over who should run the organization. For 65 years, the head of the International Monetary Fund has been chosen from industrialized Europe. Dominique Strass-Kahn of France recently resigned as head of the IMF after being arrested on charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in Manhattan.
A raging wildfire in eastern Arizona could engulf a pair of transmission lines that supply electricity to hundreds of thousands of people in New Mexico and Texas. The fire has already forced thousands of people from their homes. For the latest developments, Steve Inskeep speaks with Sergeant Richard Gwynn of the Apache County Sheriff's Office in eastern Arizona.
Rumors about peace talks between the U.S. and the Afghan Taliban have been simmering even as the summer fighting season heats up. While the substance of any talks remain unconfirmed, the United Nations may take action this month to clear away obstacles to a political settlement. U.N. officials say they want to be ready to take advantage of any opportunity for a breakthrough even in the midst of heavy fighting.
The world has changed in many ways the last few months, but one thing remains the same: Moammar Gadhafi is still in power in Libya's capital. Diplomats including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are gathering in the Persian Gulf city of Abu Dhabi to search for a way to remove him.
What started out as a routine press conference to announce the formation of a city commission on youth and public safety, shifted into more of a town hall style public meeting Wednesday in Mayor Jim Gray’s office headquarters. First District Councilman Chris Ford says a recent uptick in violent crimes in urban areas has prompted the need for a comprehensive and community-wide approach.
California could give state-funded financial aid to undocumented immigrants in college. The bill, called the California Dream Act, is working its way through the state legislature. Proponents say kids who came here illegally shouldn't be punished for their parents' decisions. Opponents say that California can't afford the benefit and that it will only lead to more illegal immigration.
How much you pay when you swipe your debit card will now be capped by the Federal Reserve. That's despite an effort in the Senate to delay new regulations over how much banks can charge for debit card transactions. Both banks — which collect those so-called swipe fees — and retailers — who pay them — mounted an intense lobbying effort.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday on the constitutionality of the health care overhaul. Twenty-six states are challenging the law. The panel will decide whether to reverse a Florida judge's ruling that struck down big parts of the overhaul.
