Scott Neuman

Three out of four Americans believe the Bible is the word of God, according to a new Gallup poll; some say the literal word, others that a supreme being inspired the text. But an increasing number also view the book as simply a collection of fables, legends and history.

The old saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans."

But in the case of the Roman numeral for 50, the National Football League has decided, at least for 2016 (and, admittedly in San Francisco, not Rome), to do as the Arabs.

The official explanation is that "Super ...

The last of the Navajo "Code Talkers" who used their native language as the basis of a cipher that confounded the Japanese military during World War II has died at age 93.

Chester Nez, of Albuquerque, N.M., died Wednesday of kidney failure, member station KPCC reports. He was the ...

Editor's Note: The two girls charged in the attack have been named in some news reports, including an earlier version of this post. However, after careful consideration of the information's news value, NPR is no longer naming the girls because of their ages.

Creepypasta, a horror fantasy website that allegedly ...

A San Francisco man described as a social media expert and political consultant appeared in federal court on Tuesday charged with one count of possession of an illegal destructive device after an FBI search of his apartment reportedly turned up bomb-making components.

Ryan Kelly Chamberlain, 42, was arrested Monday after ...

The leader of Pakistan's powerful Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) was arrested Tuesday in London, where he's been living in self-imposed exile since the 1990s.

Reuters says Altaf Hussain was taken into custody in relation to a murder case, but the BBC says he was arrested on suspicion of money ...

Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt's former army chief, has secured a whopping 96.9 percent of the vote in the country's presidential election, but fewer than half of those allowed to cast ballots did so, according to the election officials.

Sisi's leftist opponent, Hamdeen Sabahi, secured just 3 percent of the ...

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, pro golfer Phil Mickelson and Las Vegas sports gambler "Billy" Walters are reportedly the target of an investigation by the FBI and Securities and Exchange Commission into alleged insider trading.

The Wall Street Journal says the agencies "are examining whether Mr. Mickelson and Mr. Walters ...

Six police officers have been indicted in connection with a 2012 chase in Cleveland that resulted in the deaths of two unarmed suspects in a hail of gunfire.

A grand jury returned indictments on two counts of manslaughter against patrol officer Michael Brelo. Five supervisors were indicated on misdemeanor ...

The State Department on Friday confirmed that a U.S. citizen, who they believe to be Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, took part in a suicide truck bombing in Syria earlier this week.

Reports that a Syrian rebel calling himself Abu Hurayra al-Amriki (Abu Hurayra the American), a name allegedly adopted by Abu-Salha, ...

The leader of Thailand's military junta said it could take a year or more before new elections in the country, as he repeated warnings to protesters opposing last week's coup, saying they lack a "true understanding of democracy."

Army Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who leads the National Council for Peace ...

Jay Carney, who fielded reporters' tough questions for more than three years as White House press secretary, will resign.

President Obama interrupted the Friday media briefing to make the announcement.

"Jay's had to wrestle with this decision for quite some time," Obama said, announcing the move.

"Jay has become one ...

You might call it the ultimate long shot — a group of space enthusiasts trying to re-establish contact with a wayward satellite launched in 1978. Figuratively speaking, it's been off the radar for decades.

No more.

"The initial contact was a tone followed by specific commands," project organizer Keith Cowing ...

Edward Snowden says that during his time as a contractor with the National Security Agency he raised concerns about the extent of its electronic surveillance, but the NSA's own search of email shows he only asked the agency's legal department for a single "clarification" on a technical issue.

Following a ...

A man whose pregnant wife was stoned to death by angry relatives in Pakistan earlier this week has admitted that he killed his first wife so he could remarry.

It's a disturbing twist to the already disturbing story that we reported on Tuesday of 25-year-old Farzana Parveen, who was

Pope Francis is hoping to demonstrate the power of prayer next week when Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas join the pontiff at the Vatican for an exercise in peace building.

Reuters describes his invitation to the two leaders to join him at the Vatican for a ...

Ford announced Thursday a recall of some 1.4 million vehicles, including more than 1 million SUVs with a power steering defect and nearly 200,000 Taurus sedans with a corrosion problem. The company also said it was recalling 82,576 sedans with floor mats that could interfere with the accelerator.

The Dearborn, ...

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports today on another alleged gang rape and murder in India — this one involving two teenage sisters from the lowest Hindu caste whose bodies were found hanging from a mango tree.

Julie says the two girls, ages 14 and 15, were killed in a village about ...

U.S. officials are investigating claims circulated on social media sites that an American fighting with Syria's rebels helped carry out a suicide truck bombing in the war-torn country over the weekend.

Al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-linked rebel group, announced via Twitter the "martyrdom" of Abu Hurayra al-Amriki (Abu Hurayra the ...

Apple announced Wednesday that it is acquiring Beats Electronics, agreeing to pay $3 billion for the audio equipment and subscription streaming music service founded by Dr. Dre and producer Jimmy Iovine.

While it is relatively small in comparison with major acquisitions made by other tech companies, the deal represents ...