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The health condition of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, is a closely kept secret, but there have been whispers that he is suffering from pancreatic cancer and may be dying. The line of succession is the subject of world speculation.

Poll workers in Afghanistan are counting the ballots after the country voted Thursday in presidential elections. Attacks by Taliban militants killed more than 20 civilians and security personnel. Results are not expected until Saturday.

Newspapers are in trouble, and many Web sites, blogs and cable news shows have opinionated hosts at the helm. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Alex Jones talks about his book, Losing the News, and the crisis facing impartial reporting.

After a year-long battle with brain cancer, Senator Ted Kennedy died Tuesday night. He was 77. Only two senators have served longer than Kennedy. Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank says Kennedy is the most powerful man never to have been president.

Attorney General Eric Holder has picked prosecutor John Durham to investigate CIA mistreatment of terrorism suspects. The decision comes as the Obama administration releases a newly unclassified CIA report detailing the agency's treatment of terrorism suspects.

Both major candidates for president of Afghanistan claim to be leading the vote count, as stories of violence and intimidation at polling places continue to emerge. Guy Raz speaks with Jean MacKenzie, a correspondent for GlobalPost.com and the director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in Afghanistan, about the election and its aftermath.

In big cities and small towns, high school football is the ritual that defines the fall. And for many young men, it defines who they are. All season long, NPR brings you the stories, struggles and victories of the sport, while exploring the costs and issues it raises.

The government fund that protects most bank deposits has fallen to $10.4 billion, from more than $45 billion last year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced Thursday. The FDIC also said its list of "problem banks" grew to more than 400 institutions since the spring.

President Obama welcomed the nation's students back to school Tuesday with a televised speech urging hard work and high hopes. Some critics of the president had warned the speech would be an advertisement for the White House agenda, but the actual remarks contained little cause for controversy.

Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico is part of the bipartisan "Gang of Six" reaching for a compromise on the health care overhaul. But you've probably never heard of him. That's because he's a process guy who shuns microphones and works behind the scenes to make deals. NPR's Andrea Seabrook has this profile of Bingaman's role in health care.