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In Laredo, Texas, an elite debutante ball is one of many events held to celebrate George Washington's birthday. A new documentary, Las Marthas, explores the tradition. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks to director Christina Ibarra.

Amid this year's World Cup, American sportscasters have been turning frequently to the term "nil" when talking about scores, using it instead of zero. Nil, though, is a British term — not a soccer term. Katherine Connor Martin, head of U.S. dictionaries for the Oxford University Press, tells Robert Siegel why the word might be gaining currency.

In the past five years, the conflict in Syria has helped dramatically change the profile of a jihadi fighter: No longer are jihadi groups forced to meet in secret forums; instead, they're openly on Facebook, and the movement is democratizing.

GOP Sen. Thad Cochran faces a tough runoff election against challenger Chris McDaniel, a Tea Party-backed state senator. Mississippi voters will decide whether Cochran gets a chance at a seventh term.

Health insurance markets vary across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each one is implementing the health law with varying degrees of failure, success, enthusiasm and hostility. The differences in sign-ups tell the tale.

Online pornography was the cutting edge of e-commerce during the Internet's early days, but its heyday is over. To recoup some of those costs, one porn empire in San Francisco is using data analytics, lifestyle events and new products to keep customers loyal.

The Yankees signed the Japanese superstar pitcher this week for a whopping $155 million. NPR's Rachel Martin talks sports with sports correspondent Mike Pesca about what that means for the Bronx Bombers' bottom line.

Beginning next week, NPR News will be taking an in-depth look at the unprecedented oil drilling boom happening on the Northern Plains, where the state of North Dakota has fast become one of the nation's most productive drilling regions. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with NPR reporter Kirk Siegler, back from a recent reporting trip in North Dakota for the series.

Over the years, the Grammy awards have become less and less about music and more about an entertainment spectacle. The nominations were even announced on an hour-long TV show on a Friday night.

In the 1970s, the U.S. Dietary Goals advised Americans to cut back on fat and eat more carbs to lower the risk of heart disease. But some experts say this high-carb, low-fat diet helped fuel obesity.