Search results for

Most revolutionary political figures consider compromise a dirty word and a sign of weakness. Yet Mandela consistently preached pragmatism, and many of his defining moments involved acts of flexibility, reconciliation and magnanimity.

That includes all living American presidents — except George H.W. Bush — as well as 26 members of Congress. President Obama has confirmed he and first lady Michelle will attend Tuesday's memorial service at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

What do 64-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad and 13-year-old entrepreneur Maya Penn have in common? At the TEDWomen conference in San Francisco, a range of speakers shared the ways innovation and ingenuity kept them young.

There's no question that people have mixed motives when they send out their cards. No doubt they want to put the best face on their own lives, offering an annual report marked more by pride, perhaps, than honesty. Christmas cards may be self-serving and smug, but they're also well-meant attempts to connect.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinelfound that agents recruited mentally disabled men, made them a central part of stings and then charged them for crimes committed during the operations.

Jive-talking, jazz-loving "hep cats" from the 1930s and 1940s are the great-grandparents of today's hipsters. The interest of white fans in black music helped fill Harlem's nightclubs and prompted derision. Hipsters were criticized for being the equivalent of a "pretentious poet laureate."

With an unstable host, a reluctant sidekick and a house band oblivious to its surroundings, The Eric Andre Show has been described as "the weirdest show on TV." For all its inappropriateness, the show has generated a rabid fan base and has been renewed for a third season.

The esteemed UK songwriter says the idea of making a holiday record seemed laughable at first. He tells NPR's Arun Rath how he came around, and performs a few songs from the new Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a popular Democrat, former governor and strong proponent of the Affordable Care Act, is taking some heat back home for the problems with HealthCare.gov. She faces re-election next year, but a formidable Republican opponent has yet to emerge.

Eight tech giants — including Google, Apple and Facebook — have written an open letter to the president and Congress warning that current government surveillance practices are undermining freedom. This follows leaks showing tech firms were part of widespread NSA surveillance programs of email and phone records.