NPR News

Pages

The Two-Way
5:01 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Lawmakers Demand Update On 'Fast And Furious' Personnel

Two Republican lawmakers investigating the botched gun trafficking operation known as Fast and Furious say they aren't finished yet.

In a letter obtained by NPR, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., are demanding an update on personnel actions taken by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives after a lengthy investigation by Congress and the Justice Department inspector general.

Read more
The Two-Way
4:39 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Former CIA Officer Expected To Plead Guilty In Leak Case

Credit Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Former CIA officer John Kiriakou (right), accompanied by his attorney, John Hundley, leaving federal court in Alexandria, Va., last January.

Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 11:11 am

Update at 11:35 a.m. ET, Oct. 23:

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, as expected, pleaded guilty this morning to revealing an undercover operative's identity.

According to The Associated Press:

Read more
All Tech Considered
4:34 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

European Union Protests Google's New Privacy Policy

Credit Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images
In this photo illustration, the Google logo is seen through a pair of glasses in Glasgow, Scotland. The European Union says a change in Google's privacy policy is a breach of European privacy law.

Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 5:53 pm

Parisian dance professor Charlotte King says she needs Google for her job and life, but she doesn't trust the world's top Web search engine.

"When I'm doing some research, the day after I have some proposition of products, of stores, of places, and it's really espionage. I was spied on. I don't want that. It's unacceptable," King says.

That viewpoint resonates in Europe. The European Union says a recent change in Google's privacy policy that allows it to combine and share data collected from all of its different services is a breach of European privacy law.

Read more
The Two-Way
4:23 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Great Caesar's Ghost! Clark Kent Quits 'Daily Planet'

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Back in the day, Clark and Lois were news hounds. Would they be bloggers today? (George Reeves and Noel Neill, from the television series Adventures of Superman, circa 1955)

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 4:53 pm

Another reporter has quit the mainstream news business because he thinks there's too much emphasis on entertainment rather than old-fashioned reporting:

"In Superman issue 13, the Man of Steel's alter ego, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, quits the Metropolis newspaper that has been his employer since the DC Comics superhero's earliest days in 1940," USA Today says.

Read more
Around the Nation
3:52 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

For Many Florida Ex-Cons, Voting Booth Is Off-Limits

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 6:44 pm

Across the nation, the number of people who have lost the right to vote because of a felony conviction has grown dramatically in the past three decades. Currently, almost 6 million people don't have that right — and about 1.5 million of them live in Florida.

While some states are making it easier for felons to get their voting rights back, Florida has taken the opposite approach — and the path for former convicts trying to get those rights back is often an arduous one.

Read more
The Two-Way
3:50 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Tibetan Farmer Is Eighth Protester To Self-Immolate This Month

The Tibetan Labrang Monastery in Gansu, northwestern China, is normally a place of tranquility. Now, it is also known for tragedy. Early this morning, a Tibetan farmer known as Dhondup headed to Labrang to perform the Buddhist ritual of walking around the monastery in prayer. Near the prayer hall inside the gold-roofed monastery, Dhondup lit himself ablaze in protest of Chinese rule in Tibet.

Read more
Shots - Health News
3:37 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Drugs May Help More Americans Keep Hypertension Under Control

Credit iStockphoto.com
The use of multiple blood pressure medications may be helping some Americans bring their hypertension under control.

With all the attention on meningitis, hantavirus, and West Nile virus outbreaks lately, it's worth remembering that regular old cardiovascular disease is still the number one

Read more
It's All Politics
3:32 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

One More Time: Here's Where To Get Debate 'Fact Checks'

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 5:06 pm

While President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney are debating tonight in Boca Raton, Fla., the fact checkers at news outlets and independent organizations will again be busy.

So for those who want to know where to go for their truth squadding:

Read more
Law
3:24 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

What Happens After Jurors Get It Wrong?

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 7:16 pm

About 300 people have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated in the U.S. thanks to DNA evidence. But overlooked in those stories are the accounts of jurors who unwittingly played a role in the injustice.

One of those stories is playing out in Washington, D.C., where two jurors who helped convict a teenager of murder in 1981 are now persuaded that they were wrong. They're dealing with their sense of responsibility by leading the fight to declare him legally innocent.

Read more
Around the Nation
3:24 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Mug Shot Time? Wipe That Smile Off Your Face

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 5:46 pm

In one North Carolina county, mugging too much for a mug shot can get you locked in a cell indefinitely.

First off, though, why would you smile for a mug shot? Thumb through those publications like The Slammer magazine filled with nothing but mug shots and you can find entire sections of people grinning it up.

Read more
Sports
3:24 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Amid Lockout, Ohio NHL Fans Cheer Virtual Team

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 5:25 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

The National Hockey League was supposed to launch its new season a week and a half ago, but a labor dispute has put that on hold. Still, that didn't stop fans of the Blue Jackets, based in Columbus, Ohio, from piling into a local bar last Friday to watch their team's home opener. Without a real game to watch, Michael Darr(ph), co-owner of Our Bar in Columbus, decided to show a video game simulation instead.

Read more
Music Interviews
2:58 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Kendra Morris: Skateboards And Karaoke Machines

Credit Eric White / Courtesy of the artist
Kendra Morris' debut album is titled Banshee.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 5:25 pm

The Two-Way
2:43 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Oldest Auschwitz Survivor, A Teacher Who Defied Nazis, Dies At 108

Credit TVB24
Antoni Dobrowolski during a 2009 interview.

Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 9:57 am

The Salt
2:36 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Docs Say Choose Organic Food To Reduce Kids' Exposure To Pesticides

Credit Elaine Thompson / AP
Parents now have more advice to consider when it comes to choosing organic foods. Here, Theo Shriver, 6, weighs organic produce at the Puget Consumers Co-op in Seattle.

For the first time, the nation's pediatricians are wading into the controversy over whether organic food is better for you – and they're coming down on the side of parents who say it is, at least in part.

Read more
The Two-Way
12:37 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

VIDEO: A Teacher Wins A Dance Battle With An Irish Jig

Credit YouTube
A teacher dancing a jig.

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 5:28 pm

Africa
12:33 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Will The '24-Hour City' Of Cairo Call It A Night?

Credit Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
Nighttime shoppers pause to look at a display at Cairo's Ataba market in May 2011. The government says shops must close earlier in order to save scarce electricity, but many Cairo residents are complaining.

Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 5:54 pm

When the sun goes down, Cairo bursts to life. Men play backgammon and smoke water pipes. Young fashionistas meet friends for midnight coffees. Families go shopping with small kids in tow.

Life in the Egyptian capital is lived at night. Last year, one study rated Cairo the "most 24-hour city" in the world. New York City trailed far behind at No. 32.

Read more
Business
12:08 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Can U.S. Still Lead In Economic And 'Soft' Power?

Credit Bill Pugliano / Getty Images
A Ford Focus on the assembly line in Wayne, Mich. "We have a lot going for us; we've got our problems, but others have problems that are as bad or worse," says Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 1:28 pm

At Monday night's foreign policy debate, the first round of questions for the presidential candidates will involve "America's role in the world."

The answers from President Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney likely will focus on military readiness and anti-terrorism efforts. That's what most Americans would expect to hear, given that their country has been involved continuously in overseas combat since the terrorist attacks of 2001.

Read more
Shots - Health News
11:55 am
Mon October 22, 2012

HIV Finding Opens New Path For Vaccine Research

Credit C. Goldsmith, P. Feorino, E. L. Palmer, W. R. McManus / CDC Public Health Image Library
The HIV-1 virus cultivated with human lymphocytes.

Researchers in South Africa have learned something new about how antibodies fight off HIV in research that could advance the quest to develop a vaccine against the virus.

Read more
Presidential Race
11:48 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Debates and Debauchery: Drinking Games In 2012

Credit Paul J. Richards / AFP/Getty Images
Bar patrons watch the Oct. 3 presidential debate at Bullfeathers, a bar a short distance from the U.S. Capitol. Drinking and debate-watching often go hand in hand — to the point where drinking games have been developed around watching the debates.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:32 pm

Here's a new idea for a Presidential Debate Drinking Game: Every time someone says "Presidential Debate Drinking Game" today, take a drink. Just kidding.

But drinking games have become a familiar part of the American political landscape — like buttons, bunting and bumper stickers. Where there are political rallies, there are protesting groups. Where there are campaign speeches, there are fact checking teams. And where there are presidential candidates' debates, there are drinking games.

Read more
The Two-Way
11:45 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Italy Finds Scientists Guilty Of Manslaughter For 2009 Earthquake Forecast

Credit Filippo Monteforte / AFP/Getty Images
One of the indicted, Bernardo De Bernardinis, who was deputy chief of Italy's Civil Protection Department, reacts during a his trial.

Six Italian scientists have been sentenced to six years in prison for what a judge said was a faulty forecast of the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila.

The BBC reports that prosecutors said the scientists, who work for the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, "gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake, while the defense maintained there was no way to predict major quakes."

Read more
The Two-Way
10:36 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Russell Means, Indian Activist And Actor, Dies

Credit Anonymous / AP
Russell Means, left, talks to media in 1973 in the village of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:48 pm

Russell Means, who was best known for his movie roles and his unrelenting and oftentimes controversial protests in favor of Native Americans, died this morning at his ranch in Porcupine, S.D.

Means starred in a number of Hollywood films including the Last of the Mohicans. South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Charles Michael Ray filed this report for our Newscast unit:

Read more
Africa
10:15 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Is Rwanda Ready For The UN Security Council?

Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 9:03 am

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. We will hear from a group of women who have all been diagnosed with the disease. We'll hear about how they're trying to rebuild their health and their lives. That conversation in just a few minutes.

Read more
History
10:15 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Childhood Memories Of The Cuban Missile Crisis

Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 9:03 am

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Rwanda has just been voted onto the U.N. Security Council for a two-year term. We will speak to the country's foreign minister about that and the country's ongoing efforts to move beyond its painful history of genocide and violence.

Read more
It's All Politics
10:10 am
Mon October 22, 2012

The Foreign Policy Debate: What To Expect

Credit Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images
The flag of Libya's National Transitional Council (second from right) flies outside the United Nations headquarters building in New York.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 2:48 pm

President Obama and Mitt Romney haven't spent much time talking about world affairs on the campaign trail, yet foreign policy can often define a presidency. America's next leader faces tough choices that range from redefining the U.S. role in the Middle East to managing the crucial relationship with China.

With that in mind, let's look at the topics most likely to come up in tonight's foreign policy debate — the candidates' final faceoff — in Boca Raton, Fla., and how international issues will shape the next administration.

Read more
The Two-Way
9:37 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Castro Brushes Off Death Rumors, Proves He's Still Alive With Pictures

Credit Granma
Fidel Castro.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 9:53 am

The lead story on the digital version of Cuba's communist newspaper Granma puts to rest the death rumors that have plagued Fidel Castro for weeks.

Read more
The Two-Way
8:55 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Tonight, Obama, Romney Take On Foreign Policy In Third And Final Debate

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images
Crew work to put finishing touches on the stage a day ahead of the third and final presidential debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

We've reached an important landmark in the presidential campaign: President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney face off tonight in the third and final presidential debate.

As was the case the last two times, the debate starts at 9 p.m. ET. This time, the venue is Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

If you believe the snap polls, the first debate went to Romney, the second went to Obama, which means we have a 1-1 tie with just minutes to go in the fourth quarter. That is to say, we're just two weeks away from Nov. 6.

Read more
The Two-Way
7:54 am
Mon October 22, 2012

'Light From Darkness': Another Mass Shooting Rocks Wisconsin Suburbs

Credit Jeffrey Phelps / Getty Images
Police personnel work outside the Azana Salon and Spa where three people were killed and four others wounded after a mass shooting on Sunday in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 12:30 pm

Within two months, two Wisconsin suburbs have been rocked by mass shootings.

What we know so far about yesterday's shooting in Brookfield, Wis., is that a 45-year-old man allegedly walked into Azana Salon & Spa and opened fire, killing three women and injuring four.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the alleged shooter, Radcliffe F. Haughton, was found dead inside the spa. He apparently committed suicide.

Read more
Presidential Race
7:11 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Candidates' Plans For U.S. Military At Home, Abroad

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

As we just heard, the candidates have already said a lot about foreign policy, but they have not necessarily addressed every question. Tom Ricks has been thinking about a subject that lurks somewhere beneath almost all discussions about global hotspots. Ricks has covered the U.S. military for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and in many books. His most recent work, "The Generals," examines top military officers in recent history and their grasp of strategy.

Read more
Science
7:11 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Amateur 'Planet Hunters' Find One With Four Suns

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now is the moment in the program when I admit that I am a total Star Wars nut. Those of you with me, you might recall that Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine enjoyed the warmth of not one but two suns. That dramatic scene, you remember Luke at dusk gazing at the weird peaceful sunset.

Read more
Presidential Race
7:11 am
Mon October 22, 2012

Foreign Policy Takes Center Stage In Final Debate

Originally published on Sun October 28, 2012 8:44 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Good morning.

Tonight the presidential candidates meet for the final debate of this presidential election. President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney will be in Boca Raton, Florida. The event will focus on foreign policy, which was never expected to rival the economy as a major issue in this campaign. But foreign policy has played a bigger role than anticipated in recent weeks.

Read more

Pages