Dan Charles/NPR

NPR News

Stevia Growers Bet On Sweetener Success

The first big fields of stevia ever grown in the U.S. will sprout this summer in the Central Valley. One company is trying to turn this semiwild, zero-calorie plant into an industrial crop at Silicon Valley speed.

With Syria Embassy Shut, What's Next For The U.S.?

After months of bloodshed in Syria, President Assad remains unrepentant and in control.

In Battleground Colorado, Independents On The Rise

In key states, registered independents are increasing more quickly than Republicans or Democrats.

Is White, Working Class America 'Coming Apart'?

Charles Murray argues that the white working class is slipping behind.

Program Highlights

The California ReportThe California Report

Last 1,100 Youth Inmates Housed by State Most Violent

Last year, Governor Jerry Brown proposed closing down all state-run youth prisons and eliminating the state's Division of Juvenile Justice. Counties have taken responsibility for the better part of roughly 10,000 offenders under the age of 26. But the last 1,100 young inmates still in state hands require a lot of careful attention.

Also from The California Report:

ForumForum

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg joins us to discuss the role of the FDA in protecting public health, how the agency approves new drugs and her views on what she calls "smart regulation."

Khmer Rouge Leader's Sentence Now Life in Prison

A U.N.-backed tribunal in Cambodia extended the jail time of Khmer Rouge chief jailer Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, from 19 years to a life sentence. Kaing Guek Eav was the director of the notorious Tuol Sleng facility in Phnom Penh, where an estimated 12,000 people died.

Perspectives

Daily commentary from KQED listeners

Life Without Gluten

Debbie Duncan's daughter has had to avoid eating gluten virtually her entire life.

Safe at Home

Linda Sondheimer discovers that when it comes to personal safety, money makes the difference.

My Best Mistake

Richard Swerdlow's young students learn the best thing they ever did was a mistake.