Search results for

Boulder, Colo., is home to a large number of non-essential workers furloughed by the government shutdown. The economic impact is beginning to be felt in the city as the political standoff has continued. It is now in its 11th day.

Opponents of a proposed marijuana tax have been handing out free joints at rallies. An ethics group insists the pot must be disclosed as a campaign contribution. Now the mayor of Denver wants to act. He tells Colorado Public Radio he's proposing to outlaw handouts of free weed in city parks.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is currently overseeing Syria's dismantling of its chemical weapons stockpile, is cited for having "defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law."

The Vatican minted thousands of medallions in gold, silver and bronze. A portrait of the pope was on one side and on the other, the Latin phrase that inspired Pope Francis to join the Jesuit order. The medals were promptly recalled after the Vatican discovered Jesus was misspelled as Lesus.

President Obama and House Republicans get their fiscal discussions rolling... A devastating new poll concentrates Republican minds... Senate Republicans work with their Democratic colleagues on a potential solution.

Also: Syria's rebels accused of killing civilians; and Utah finds a way to reopen its national parks.

With the partial government shutdown in its 11th day, there's much speculation about a possible break in negotiations between the White House and Republicans. But despite the noise, very little seems firm.

Novelist Elif Shafak describes how fiction has allowed her to explore many different lives, to jump over cultural walls, and how it may have the power to overcome identity politics.

Writer Andrew Solomon asks what it means to raise a child whose identity is different from yours.

Entrepreneur Tan Le tells her family's harrowing journey from Vietnam to Australia. She talks about how her upbringing as a Vietnamese refugee living in Australia has defined her identity.