Search results for

Mistletoe figures prominently during the holidays, offering some holiday cheer and an excuse to steal a kiss or two. But researchers found that removing mistletoe from an Australian forest also caused large numbers of birds to leave.

An estimated 1,500 American families are in the process of adopting from Russia. About 50 have already been matched with a child. Now, their plans are in limbo. Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed a law barring U.S. adoptions of Russian children.

The secretary of state has been recuperating from a stomach virus and a concussion she suffered when she fainted and fell. Congressional committees have been waiting for her to come testify about the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

The general who led coalition forces during the successful 1991 war to push Iraqi troops out of Kuwait, "removed the scar of Vietnam" from officers who had also served in that earlier war, says retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales Jr.

President Obama and congressional leaders will meet this afternoon. There's not much talk about a deal being reached that bridges their differences over taxes and spending. But at least a few lawmakers are still optimistic.

The drought gripping the nation's midsection has made the river very hard to navigate from St. Louis to Cairo, Ill., where it meets the Ohio River. By next week, barge traffic may have to halt altogether in that section, trade groups warn.

Day started singing and dancing when she was a teenager, and made her first film at 24. After nearly 40 movies, she walked away from that part of her life in 1968, and started rescuing and caring for animals. Here, she speaks to Terry Gross in a lengthy interview about her career in film and music.

A federal mediator says the International Longshoremen's Association and port operators have agreed in principle on key issues and will extend their negotiations by 30 days.

Wednesday marked the start of Kwanzaa, the seven day festival celebrating African-American culture. In the 1980s and '90s, many considered Kwanzaa a mainstream holiday like Christmas and Hanukkah. But now there seems to be less fanfare. Host Michel Martin speaks with Duke University's Mark Anthony Neal about whether Kwanzaa is still a thing.

It's that time of year when best-of lists abound, and Fresh Air's critics get in on the game: David Bianculli chooses his top television shows, David Edelstein names his favorite films, Maureen Corrigan weighs in with notable books and Ken Tucker tunes into to some of the best albums of 2012.