NPR

npr.org — Climate change is a stark reality in America's northernmost state. Nearly 90 percent of native Alaskan villages are on the coast, where dramatic erosion and floods have become a part of daily life. Perched on the Ninglick River on the west coast of the state, the tiny town of Newtok may be the state's most vulnerable village.

npr.org — Okay, let's get this out of the way: Scandal is a ridiculous show. The hit ABC drama about a Washington "fixer" named Olivia Pope just wrapped up its second season with one of its trademark cliffhangers. (Assume spoilers, y'all.) Scandal's plot arcs aren't really arcs so much as straight vertical lines or curlicues.

npr.org — After protests from some MPs and after only about 15 minutes, the Afghan parliament halted debate Saturday on a bill aimed at curbing violence against women. As the BBC reports, the bill would have solidified a law passed by presidential decree in 2009, which banned "violence against women, child marriages and forced marriages."

npr.org — Syrian President Bashar Assad essentially dismissed attempts by the United States and Russia to bring the civil war in the country to a political solution. "Believing that a political conference will stop terrorism on the ground is unreal," Assad said in an exclusive interview with the Argentine newspaper El Clarin .

npr.org — Hadfield just spent 146 days up in the International Space Station, during which he performed rock concerts and shared his dazzling photographs with nearly a million Twitter followers.

npr.org — For years, reports have suggested that Afghanistan is sitting on massive deposits of copper, gold, iron and rare earth minerals valued up to $3 trillion. This provides hope for a future economy that would not have to rely so heavily on foreign donations. But with an uncertain political, regulatory and security environment, international investors are hesitant.

npr.org — President Obama had a reputation when he took office as a liberal former constitutional lawyer who had condemned Bush-era national security policies. But he has proven to be even tougher than President George W. Bush on prosecuting national security leaks. The seizure of Associated Press phone records is just the latest example.