Iraq's war widows
After two decades of war and civil conflict, about 1.5 million Iraqi women—10 percent of the country’s adult females—are widows, a new study says. Nearly 60 percent of these women lost their husbands in the violence that followed the 2003 U.S. invasion, and most are desperately poor.
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Infant abuse rises
The number of U.S. infants suffering “abusive head trauma” rose sharply after the recession started in 2007, a new study found. Researchers said the increase in abuse suggested that parents stressed by economic anxiety were lashing out at their crying babies.
Los Angeles Times
China helps build San Francisco's new bridge
The key components of the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge—including a mile-long cable made up of 137 steel sinews—were manufactured in China. By outsourcing much of the work abroad, the state says, it saved $400 million.
NPR.org
SAT scores reach a low point
The average SAT reading score for the graduating class of 2011—497—is the lowest since 1972.
The Washington Post
Drug use in the U.S.
The number of methamphetamine users in the U.S. dropped by more than 50 percent from 2006 to 2010, to 353,000 people, according to a new federal study. The number of cocaine users also decreased, from 2.4 million to 1.5 million over the same period of time. The number of marijuana users, however, grew—from 14.4 million to 17.4 million.
USA Today
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The best limited series of all timethe week recommends Trading cliffhangers and endless renewals for narrative closure
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Kabul braces for a waterless futureTHE EXPLAINER A confluence of manmade and environmental factors makes the Afghan city the first modern capital to risk running out of groundwater
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Why has the U.S. scaled down its stance on human rights?Today's Big Question The Trump administration has curtailed previous criticisms of human rights violations
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Obama vetoes aid to Syrian rebels, and morefeature President Obama nixed a plan to arm the Syrian rebels in 2012.
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The cost of the financial crisis, and more
feature The financial crisis may cost the U.S. almost $13 trillion.
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Robots on the battlefield, and more
feature The U.S. military has deployed about 3,500 robots to search for bombs or enemy soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Suicide deaths surpass battle deaths, and more
feature More active-duty U.S. troops have committed suicide this year than have been killed in battle.
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The hottest year ever? and more
feature In Iraq, where U.S. troops patrol in heavy armor, the temperature topped 126 degrees in July.
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More veterans, Harry Potter off best-seller list
feature The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001, to 2.9 million. With tens of thousands of Iraq war veterans coming home with such injuries as multiple amputations, brain damage, and burns, the federal government expects to be
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Consequences of war, Longer flight times
feature About 300,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars—18 percent of those who have served—are suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a comprehensive new Rand Corp. analysis. More than hal
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Promoting senators, Texting 101, Foreign tourists
feature Whether Democrats choose Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama to face Sen. John McCain in November, it will mark the first presidential election in the nation’s history pitting two sitting U.S. senators agai