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The B Reactor is the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor located at the Hanford site in Richland, Wash. The three-story-high block of graphite contains about 2,000 "process tubes" arranged in a grid. These tubes contained uranium, and when enough uranium was brought together, a chain reaction of neutrons turned some of it into plutonium — which became the fissile core of nuclear bombs.

A Peek Inside A Once Top Secret Spot In Atomic Age History

Want to take a tour of the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor? It's in Richland, Wash., and if you're lucky, your guide will be one of the people who worked here when the place was still new. Physicist Paul Vinther signed on at the plant in June 1950, and he now gives tours.

Biden heads to Asia to reassure allies that China is a still a top priority

President Biden heads to Asia Friday for a meeting of the Quad group, which includes leaders from India, Japan and Australia. The unspoken focus of the gathering is China.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, sworn in last week as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says she will focus on improving Americans' access to health care. Any discussions of shoring up Medicare funding, she says, should also entail strengthening the program's benefits.

Expanding Health Coverage Is Top Priority For New Head Of Medicare/Medicaid

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says she'll focus her time in charge on getting more Americans insured.

For the third year in a row, the percentage of companies that offer high-deductible plans as the sole health insurance option will decline in 2020, according to a survey of large employers by the National Business Group on Health.

Firms Seeking Top Workers Find They Can't Offer Only High-Deductible Health Plans

Big firms are again offering more generous health plans alongside or instead of policies with sky-high deductibles. Why? They need to do so to stay competitive and recruit top talent.

U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley salutes during a D-Day anniversary ceremony at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France on Tuesday.

The U.S.' top general reflects on the changing face of war, 79 years after D-Day

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, marked the D-Day anniversary in Normandy this week. He spoke to NPR about the modernization of warfare and what AI might mean for the future.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has been selected to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration, a source familiar with transition discussions confirms to NPR.

Biden Picks California Attorney General Xavier Becerra For Top Health Post

The state official and former congressman would enter the job with a historic public health crisis raging. In his current role, Becerra has fought Trump efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Falls From Top Of Holiday Playlists

After years, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has been displaced from the top of retail stores' holiday music playlists. NPR investigates the news behind this startling development.

Meet Shalanda Young, one of Biden's top negotiators in the debt ceiling talks

Shalanda Young was a top House aide for years, navigating government funding fights between Congress and the White House. Now, she's one of President Biden's negotiators on the debt limit drama.

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol meets on March 28, 2022.

Here are the 9 lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Seven Democrats and two Republicans — all selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — make up the committee tasked with investigating the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The Scoreboard - June 2nd

One flag football team is headed to the State Final Four; baseball, softball, and lacrosse Sectional Champions have been crowned in WNY, and fans at LECOM HarborCenter were treated to a gold medal game between Team USA and Canada over the weekend.

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