NPR News

The University of Wisconsin at Madison is losing its chancellor. Carolyn Martin was embroiled in the recent political battles over the budget for higher education in her state. She's acknowledged the "turmoil" of the past year but wouldn't say how big a role it played in her departure. She'll become president of Amherst College in Massachusetts.

President Obama took his licks from progressives who are meeting in Minneapolis at the Netroots Nation Convention, the annual gathering of liberal bloggers and other social media activists.

The panel that drew one of the biggest crowds at Netroots Nation so far was called "What To Do When The President's Just Not That Into You."

"It's like the president's not our boyfriend anymore," Joan McCarter, an editor at the Daily Kos website, said during the discussion.

Tornadoes have killed at least 530 people in the U.S. this year, the highest death toll since 1950.

But researchers say they are working on new detection and forecasting technologies that could help reduce tornado deaths in the future.

One of those technologies got put to the test on May 24 when a tornado touched down near Chickasha, Okla., and began heading northeast at near freeway speed.

Pilots at Denver-based Frontier Airlines are voting whether to reduce their pay and benefits to keep their employer in business. In exchange, they'll get a stake in the airline, which NPR's Jeff Brady says has been losing a lot of money.

When one man first began writing about the uprising against the regime in Syria, he was terrified. But now he and other Syrians realize there is a certain measure of virtual freedom to be had online. He uses his real name in interviews now, and believes Syrians will not go back to living in fear of the authorities.