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Steven Sinofsky introduces a new Microsoft tablet computer and Windows 8 software to the media in Shanghai on Oct. 23. The former president of Microsoft's Windows division has since left the company.

Bigwigs Out At Microsoft And Apple. Now What?

Steven Sinofsky and Scott Forstall, instrumental figures at two of the world's biggest tech companies, have left their positions. What does that mean for the future of those companies?

Engineers at Rex Bionics in New Zealand developed an exoskeleton that allows people paralyzed from the waist down to walk again. Unlike other models, the Rex exoskeleton has a joystick control and doesn't require crutches.

I, Robot: Paraplegics Get An Assist

Wearable robots are making walking a reality for paraplegics in rehabilitation centers around the country. But before Iron Man-like suits become mainstream, they'll need to overcome cost and regulatory hurdles.

Liberal Group Proposes Reduced Medicare Spending

The Center for American Progress, a think-tank closely associated with President Obama, offered up a deal on Wednesday on how to cut the deficit by reducing spending for Medicare without, it says, hurting seniors.

Did The President Set The Right Tone?

President Obama held his first news conference Wednesday since winning re-election. He addressed the scandal involving former CIA chief David Petraeus, as well as the "fiscal cliff." Host Michel Martin discusses this week's political news with Andrea Seabrook, host of Decode D.C., and Keli Goff, political correspondent for The Root.

More than 40 years ago, the EPA banned oil companies from releasing wastewater into the environment, but made an exception for the arid West. If livestock and wildlife can use the water, companies can release it. Cows like these grazing near a stream of waste on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming are supposedly the reason the EPA lets oil companies release their waste into the environment.

Loophole Lets Toxic Oil Water Flow Over Indian Land

Every month, oil and gas operations dump millions of gallons of wastewater on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Under a long-standing EPA loophole, it's perfectly legal. Internal agency documents obtained by NPR show the water contains toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens and radioactive materials, that end up in natural rivers.

California begins a new plan to ration greenhouse gas emissions from large companies on Wednesday. Big companies must limit the greenhouse gases they emit and get permits for those emissions. Above, the Department of Water and Power San Fernando Valley Generating Station, in Sun Valley, Calif., in 2008.

Calif. To Begin Rationing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Starting Wednesday, the state begins America's most ambitious effort to control climate change: Big companies must limit the greenhouse gases they release — from smokestacks to tailpipes — and get permits for those emissions.

Democratic party volunteer Matt Lattanzi worked door to door for the Obama campaign while canvassing in a Youngstown, Ohio, apartment building on Oct. 28.

Obama's Political Moneyball Could Be The Shape Of Campaigns To Come

The Obama re-election campaign was informed by its deep dive into data on millions of voters. Some Republicans worry they're way behind in modern campaigning; others note that political science isn't rocket science, and say they can do just as well or better in 2016.

A U.S. Marine patrol walks across the charred oil landscape near a burning well near Kuwait City in March 1991. Concerns about oil supply were at play when the U.S. and its allies intervened during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. But American policy is changing now that Mideast oil imports to the U.S. are declining.

U.S. Rethinks Security As Mideast Oil Imports Drop

U.S. foreign policy and military commitments in the Middle East have long been tied to U.S. dependence on oil from the region. But imports from the Persian Gulf have actually declined sharply in recent years, which may lead to a realignment of policy priorities and an easing up of U.S. presence there.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is considered a leading candidate to become the next secretary of state. Leading Senate Republicans say they would seek to block her if she's nominated.

Obama Defends U.N. Envoy Amid Republican Attack

Leading GOP senators vow to block U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice from becoming secretary of state if Obama nominates her and object to how she characterized the attack on the U.N. Consulate in Benghazi.

Millions of U.S. families have a recent foreclosure on their record. Typically, that means waiting at least seven years before securing another home loan. But some families say they are having luck buying again — sometimes in as few as three years.

Foreclosed Homeowners Getting Back In The Market

Most lenders require borrowers to wait seven years before securing a new mortgage after losing a home to foreclosure. But in the wake of the housing crisis, millions of families have a recent foreclosure on their record — and some are finding ways to buy a new home in as few as three years.

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