NPR News

The U.S. military set up a bank to collect brain tissue samples to better understand battlefield brain injury. But a law that prevents tissue donations from U.S. troops has severely hampered efforts.
The U.S. economic embargo on Cuba is still solidly in place. But the president's executive action opening relations with the island has set off a frenzy of speculation about a new era of U.S.-Cuba commerce.
Sleepy in the day and wide awake at night? Give the screen a rest....
Using an E-Reader before trying to nod off may disrupt sleep more than reading a paper book, a study suggests. Scientists suspect the screen's blue light is messing with a sleep-inducing hormone.
Vladimir Putin's popularity soared after the Winter Olympics and the annexation of Crimea. But his year is ending on a bitter note, with Russia in a deep recession and isolated internationally.