NPR Blogs

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday that it won't fight the sanctions imposed against American cyclist Lance Armstrong.

As New Jersey and New York continue to pick the pieces in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the death toll has slowly crept up to 97.

I'd almost forgotten about the NYC Marathon, thanks to Sandy, and when I did remember that this is "Marathon Weekend," I just assumed it would get cancelled.

As of this writing, the ING New York City Marathon is not cancelled. But it should be. Immediately.

Alan Murray, deputy managing editor and executive editor, online, at The Wall Street Journal, is taking the post of president at the Pew Research Center.

He's succeeding a man who would certainly be familiar to many NPR listeners and to those who like to pore over polls. Andrew Kohut, who has been the center's president since its founding in 2004, will "stay on as founding director and continue to provide counsel on political polling and global attitudes research," the organization announced today.

Sandy is scary. And it's scary to think that there's more where she came from. This may be a turning point. Finally, it seems, fear wins.

The fear dynamic has been at the heart of the debate about climate change in the United States, or rather, at the heart of the lack of debate.

Americans are not climate-change deniers. Americans just haven't gotten the memo that they're supposed to be scared.

Update at 5:17 p.m. ET. Marathon Cancelled:

After receiving withering criticism, officials have decided to cancel the New York City Marathon, the largest 26.2 mile road race in the world.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had insisted on allowing the marathon to continue, issued a statement saying he did not want to taint the event.

If you need an MRI of your knee in Colorado, the price varies — a lot.

You can pay anywhere from $350 to $2,336. It's a huge range, but the truly remarkable thing about the prices is that we know them at all.

Prices for health care aren't public in most places, making shopping for the best deal nearly impossible. And patients pay different amounts for the same procedure based on their insurance coverage, too.

Obstetricians, gynecologists and emergency room doctors will be shut out of the higher Medicaid pay that primary care doctors will start collecting in January.

The Obama administration made the ruling late Thursday.

Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid rates for primary care doctors will soon be on par with what Medicare pays. The overhaul law included the hike to encourage doctors to see the larger number of patients who will be covered by a Medicaid expansion.

NPR's librarians are helping us keep track of two sobering statistics about Superstorm Sandy:

As of 3:44 p.m. ET:

-- According to NPR's count, the death toll keeps rising. It is now at 101. The Associated press is reporting 94 deaths.

A video that appears to show rebels in Syria executing a small group of soldiers from the regime of President Bashar Assad has prompted human rights groups and officials to appeal to all sides to respect the human rights of their prisoners.

Ten of this morning's most compelling stories about the aftereffects of Superstorm Sandy:

-- "Staten Island Weeps At Discovery Of 2 Little Bodies." (SILive.com)

-- "Estimate Of Losses Is Up To $50 Billion." (The New York Times)