NPR News

The U.S. government has agreed to pay a total of $492 million to 17 American Indian tribes for mismanaging natural resources and other tribal assets, according to an attorney who filed most of the suits.

The World Health Organization said 92 percent of the world's population breathes air containing pollutants exceeding WHO limits, in new research released Tuesday.

There are two "firsts" in the list of highest-paid comedians that was put out by Forbes Tuesday: For the first time in a decade, someone other than Jerry Seinfeld tops the rankings; and a woman is in the top 10 for the first time, according to Forbes' tally.

Jean Shepard, one of the first women to find success in country music as a solo act, died Sunday at age 82. Shepard was a feisty, straight-shooting singer who created a career in an industry where she had few female role models.

For more than a century, the designers of tall buildings have used mostly concrete and steel. But advances in structural engineering have sparked new interest among architects in one of the world’s oldest building materials: wood.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson talks with Michael Green, a Vancouver-based architect who says wood is just as strong as concrete or steel — and more sustainable.

It has been a common belief that low-emissions vehicles, like hybrids and electric cars, are more expensive than other choices. But a new study finds that when operating and maintenance costs are included in a vehicle's price, cleaner cars may actually be a better bet.

The cars and trucks we drive are responsible for about a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions in this country. That's why Jessika Trancik, an energy scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, decided it was time to take a closer look at vehicle emissions.