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A sign posted on a roadside fence outside a Dow Chemicals plant in Freeport, Texas. The front-runner for governor, GOP Attorney General Greg Abbott, sparked controversy recently by suggesting citizens should simply go to nearby chemical and fertilizer plants and ask what's being stored there if they are worried about hazardous materials.

Will Texas GOP Candidate's Actions On Chemicals Prove Toxic?

After a big explosion last year, Texans are worried about what's in nearby chemical plants. Attorney General Greg Abbott, who's running for governor, isn't making it easier for them to find out.

The White House has warned that without more money for the federal Highway Trust Fund, which helps states pay for road and infrastructure projects, construction delays will put thousands out of work.

Federal Highway Program Could Run Out Of Money Next Month

The Highway Trust Fund has been short billions for years. Without more money, the White House says construction delays will put people out of work, but Congress can't agree on a fix.

New Jobs Numbers: Has Economic Recovery Reached A Tipping Point?

The economy added 288,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 percent. NPR's Marilyn Geewax and The Wall Street Journal's Sudeep Reddy discuss the latest jobs report.

Roger Ebert was surrounded by movie memorabilia in his office. The new documentary <em>Life Itself</em> captures how Ebert lived life and faced death.

'Life Itself': An Unflinching Documentary Of Roger Ebert's Life And Death

In late 2012, filmmaker Steve James and Roger Ebert began talking about filming a documentary based on Ebert's memoir. Ebert's wife, Chaz, agreed. They didn't know that he would die within months.

Researchers at the University of Virginia and Harvard asked people to simply sit still and think. For many, the experience was less pleasant than it sounded.

Surrounded By Digital Distractions, We Can't Even Stop To Think

A study on the wandering mind had a simple request: Just think. But many participants couldn't sit still for very long, and they even were willing to shock themselves to avoid doing nothing.

Export-Import Controversy Gives Rise To A Tale Of Two Washingtons

While a debate rages over the future of the Export-Import Bank in Washington, D.C., the bank's potential demise has drawn warnings from the other Washington — Washington state. Ashley Gross of KPLU reports that businesses, labor unions and politicians are raising alarm bells about potentially severe consequences.

A Gap employee works at a store in San Francisco. The company plans to raise its minimum wage in phases to $10 an hour by next year.

Hiring Looks Good Now, But Wage Growth Lags

The improving labor market in June did not translate into significant pay hikes. Wages were just 2 percent higher compared with a year ago. Consumer prices have been rising at a 2.1 percent rate.

Ezequiel Vazquez and his 15-year-old son, Ilbaro, leave a government-run shelter in Guatemala City. Ilbaro was deported from the U.S. after spending six months in a Texas detention facility. He returned with a U.S.- issued duffel bag full of clothes, shoes, books and toys.

Deportation Threat Doesn't Diminish Young Migrants' U.S. Hopes

The U.S. is returning unaccompanied minors to their home countries. But life in Guatemala, where many of them are from, is so hard, they say they'll keep trying until they succeed.

By hijacking a user's computer, "bad" bots make it look as if she visits a website often, thus making the site more valuable to advertisers.

In A Battle For Web Traffic, Bad Bots Are Going After Grandma

"Bad" Web bots are going after everyone they can, but why? Because by hijacking Grandma's computer, they make it look as if she visits a site often, thus making the site more valuable to advertisers.

20th Essence Music Festival Opens In New Orleans

The event is a must for any true lovers of rhythm and blues music. David Greene talks to Jason King, who hosts NPR's 24/7 R&B and Soul music stream, about the festival which kicked off Thursday night.

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