Morning Edition

Yemen has long struggled as one of the least developed countries in the world. But now, after a year of protest and unrest that saw the country's longtime dictator step down, the situation for millions of Yemenis is dire.

Aid groups say some 10 million people are now without enough food to eat, and more than 200,000 children face life-threatening levels of malnutrition.

As NATO troops leave Afghanistan, there will also be a decline in aid money that has flooded the country over the past decade and created hundreds of thousands of jobs funded by donor money.

That means fewer jobs for Afghans, and skilled Afghans may be tempted to leave the country as part of a brain drain that could further weaken a fragile state.

In a recession, watching the meter on a taxi tick higher and higher can be distressing. But in Burlington, Vt., the Recession Ride Taxi lets customers set their own price.

Eric Hagen is a Wall Street banker-turned-cab-driver whose one-man "pay-what-you-want" taxi service has accrued dozens of faithful customers.

'I'd Be Walking'

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This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

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It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

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And I'm Renee Montagne.

It's been a busy morning at the Supreme Court. Justices released several opinions, including a ruling on Arizona's controversial immigration law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. That law gave police broad powers to stop suspected illegal immigrants and demand their papers, but civil rights groups said it went too far and gave states too much authority over immigration policy.

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And today's last word in business takes a look at what happens when devices make a big hit in the water.

A couple of years ago, I jumped in a pool with my daughter, and we were in that pool quite some time before I realized that my phone had come with me - my late phone.

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NPR's business news starts with good times for bank chiefs.

While the financial world keeps grappling with losses, the industry's leaders have raked in annual pay raises averaging nearly 12 percent. The Financial Times found JPMorgan Chase's CEO Jamie Dimon was among the top earners, with a pay package of more than $23 million last year, an 11 percent increase over the previous year. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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And we have a bit of sad news from the Galapagos Islands. The giant tortoise known as Lonesome George, believed to be the last living member of its subspecies - has died. We reported on the tortoise in 2008 when Lonesome George mated with a female from a similar species. The hope was his subspecies would be carried on. But the eggs turned out to be infertile. By tortoise standards, Lonesome George died relatively young. He was believed to be about 100 years old. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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We're expecting soon to learn Supreme Court decisions on two gigantic cases. One case involves the Arizona immigration law. The federal government has challenged that law as an intrusion into federal authority.

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Justices are also deciding the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law. The main challenge is to the individual mandate, which after 2014 would require most people to get health insurance or pay a fine.

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It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. And I want to let you know that reporters at the Supreme Court are reading and listening to a decision this morning, on Arizona's immigration law. The Court has thrown our parts of the law, but retained the show your papers provision that allows police to stop and frisk suspected illegal immigrants. We'll bring you more as we learn it.

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You know, if you're weighed down by worry, you find a distraction. That at least is what Europeans are doing amid their economic trouble. They've been turning to their favorite sport - soccer. This weekend saw the last two Euro 2012 quarterfinals. This is a huge competition viewed in Europe, as second only to the World Cup. NPR's Philip Reeves of course has been following the action. He's on the line from London.

Hi, Phil.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: Hi.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes painful joint inflammation and can be debilitating for many people who suffer from it. New research shows that the female hormone estrogen, along with proteins produced by the body's fat cells, may play an important role in the development of the disease.