WNYC Newsroom

In a speech from the White House Briefing Room on Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama confirmed that suspicious packages found overseas did contain explosive material.

The president said he was informed on Thursday night of suspicious packages from Yemen, en route to the U.S. — specifically, two Jewish sites in Chicago. Those packages were intercepted, and found in Midland, England, and Dubai. Obama said additional precautions are being taken at the nation's airports — including additional checks of cargo — as investigations continue.

One of the world's greatest gems goes on display Thursday at the American Museum of Natural History.

The blue Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond boasts 31-carats -- 4 carats smaller than it was when diamond magnate Laurence Graff bought it in 2008 for $24 million -- scandalizing historic diamond experts when he had it cut to remove imperfections.

The MTA board has approved increases on tolls at certain New York bridges and tunnels. Crossings that only collect one-way tolls will increase by $1, while round-trip tolls, like those on the Verrazano Narrows, will increase by $2. E-ZPass users will only see an increase of 5 percent. 

Charges have been dropped against three of the suspects accused of taking part in a brutal anti-gay gang attack in the Bronx earlier this month.

A New York City police unit that tracks terror threats on the Internet played a key role in the arrest of a New York man accused of trying to join the Taliban by enlisting in the U.S. military.

George Gonzalez, the executive director of the Board of Elections, has been fired from his job, just one week before the General Election.

George Gonzalez, the executive director of the Board of Elections, has been fired from his job, just one week before the General Election. The Board has been heavily criticized for m...

Retailers that traffic in orange-and-black are expected to see a boost, in these spooky economic times. The National Retail Federation estimates that nearly 150 million Americans will participate in Halloween this year, each spending, on average, $66 on costumes, candy and decorations. 

Health officials say a new survey found that about 40 percent of New York City teens are sexually active and nearly one in ten of those say they've had at least one same-sex partner.

Those responsible for the fire at the former Deutsche Bank building that killed two firefighters in 2007 will face criminal charges. Three construction company officials have failed in their bid for a dismissal of manslaughter charges over a blaze at a contaminated building at a Ground Zero tower.

New York State's highest-ranking elected officials rigged the bidding process for an unqualified gaming company seeking a lucrative contract to bring gambling to Aqueduct race track. That's the conclusion of a new report by the state's Inspector General Joseph Fisch.

On Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo released his urban agenda. Although the agenda didn't include any plans for transit, reporters in attendance at Cuomo's press conference asked him about transit issues.

New York State's highest-ranking elected officials rigged the bidding process for an unqualified gaming company seeking a lucrative contract to bring gambling to Aqueduct race tr...

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo says he will not debate his Republican opponent Carl Paladino again before election day.

Lawyers handling foreclosures in New York state must now sign a form verifying all documents in the proceeding are accurate. The new rule, issued by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, comes as mortgage lenders are under scrutiny for taking short cuts while processing hundreds of thousands of foreclosures.

Connecticut's Republican candidate for the Senate has spent much more than most on her campaign.

Tom Bosley, who played the father of Ron Howard's character Richie Cunningham on the long-running show "Happy Days" has died. Bosley was 83 and died of heart failure on Tuesday at his home in Palm Springs.

The economy is recovering, but New York state's fiscal condition is not. 

According to the state comptroller's office, New York has collected more taxes compared to year ago, but not enough to meet this year's budget projections.  Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said state tax collections will have to grow nearly 12 percent in the second half of the fiscal year to meet those expectations. 

 

The JetBlue flight attendant who made the phrase "deploy the slide" popular after he quit his job by grabbing two beers and exiting his airplane on the JFK tarmac has pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to avoid jail time.

Tom Bosley, who played the father of Ron Howard's character Richie Cunningham on the long-running show "Happy Days" has died. Bosley was 83 and died of heart failure on Tuesday at his home in Palm Springs.