Suffering Americans seek medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids and other powerful pharmaceuticals. Though legal in 29 states, doctors say the lack of strong data make it hard to recommend.
America's emergency alert system expects local authorities to warn the public in case of a ballistic missile attack. Some wish the feds would cut out the middle man.
If you're Native American, this controversial term about your blood can affect your identity, your relationships and whether or not you can become a citizen of your tribe.
The larger appeals court reversed a decision by a three-judge panel that in effect put off the girl's abortion. She is in federal custody, and authorities refuse to release her for the procedure.
A 2013 California law that granted driver's licenses to immigrants in the country illegally reduced hit-and-run accidents by 7 to 10 percent in 2015, meaning roughly 4,000 fewer hit-and-runs.
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America, about what it takes to bring innovation to government.
The director of the Office of Government Ethics has been outspoken in calling for President-elect Donald Trump to divest from his businesses. Now, congressional Republicans want him to testify.
President-elect Trump has said a top priority is to freeze hiring for the federal government. But even those who support reducing the federal workforce say that a freeze can have unintended effects.
Protecting decades-old systems from hackers is like "trying to put air bags into an old car," the government's chief information officer says. The administration proposes $3.1 billion in upgrades.
Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement means that aid agencies will have to deal directly with the federal government. State services and benefits for refugees in Texas are expected to end in January.
The Interior Department says Native Hawaiians can now choose whether to form a unified government, which could eventually enter into formal government-to-government relations with the U.S.
Rising sea levels have eroded Shishmaref for many years. Now, the Inupiat Eskimo village has voted to move. One resident told NPR that it's a matter of protecting their unique community.
National monument designations that bypass Congress are hugely controversial. In this presidential election year, the politics in a state like Nevada are even more sensitive.
Cliven Bundy and many of his militia followers are now in jail, but some Western ranchers vow to continue defying the federal government when it comes to cattle grazing on public lands.
President Obama plans to ask Congress for $755 million in cancer-research funding in his 2017 budget. That's in addition to $195 million already approved in 2016.
Gov. Robert Bentley says the federal government failed to consult the state regarding refugee placement. Alabama is the second state to sue the government over the resettlement issue.
The armed occupiers of a federal wildlife refuge have been free to come and go. Deadly government raids in the 1990s, such as Waco and Ruby Ridge, means there's less appetite for force these days.
The government had contracted with the tribes to provide services but then didn't pay the agreed-upon price. The parties are settling a decades-old lawsuit over it.
Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass a measure to keep the government funded. If no agreement is reached, federal agencies could be shuttered again — the second time in three years.
There's growing tension between the state government and big cities in Texas. Republicans in the statehouse are chafing at moves by municipal governments in large cities and are crying foul.
Locals are launching an effort to turn control of Ash Springs over to the county, and reopen the pool to all users. Who should control the swimming hole?
Drought conditions are hurting Nevada's wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management tried to provide food and water to horses on the range, but now says it must gather more than 50 that are threatened with starvation and dehydration. Wild horse advocates say the drought is just a pretext to get horses off the range. Should land managers leave the horses on the range? Or should they put them into holding pens?
