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Shots - Health News
12:25 pm
Thu March 7, 2013

To Save A Life, Odds Favor Defibrillators In Casinos

Credit Lennox McLendon / AP
Main Street Station casino security staffers Jim Daugherty (left) and James Boles show off an automated external defibrillator in Las Vegas in 1997. Back then, the idea of putting the devices in casinos to save lives seemed like a long shot.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 3:22 pm

If someone's heart suddenly stops beating, a quick shock can be a lifesaver.

By the time a person can get to the hospital, though, it's often too late. The chances of survival are best, in fact, if the shock is given within three minutes of a person's collapse.

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The Two-Way
12:22 pm
Thu March 7, 2013

Facebook Set To Unveil Big Changes To Your News Feed

Credit Facebook
The new look of Facebook's news feed.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:49 pm

Update at 1:31 p.m. ET. Larger Images, Mobile Oriented:

Facebook announced today that it was overhauling its "news feed." This is significant on two fronts: First, this is truly the first big makeover for the feature since its inception. Second, its users — some 1 billion worldwide — are known to be very touchy about changes.

Reuters said the new news feed is "visually richer" and "mobile device-oriented." It means the feed will look the same on your computer as it does on your mobile device.

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The Two-Way
11:51 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Bin Laden's Son-In-Law Arrested, Brought To U.S.

Credit HANDOUT / Reuters /Landov
A man identified as Sulaiman Abu Ghaith appears in this still image taken from an undated video address. A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden who served as al Qaeda's spokesman, Abu Gaith was detained in Jordan and sent to the United States.

Originally published on Fri March 8, 2013 11:22 am

Update at 4:30 p.m. EST. Details Of Capture

Osama bin Laden's son-in-law and a former al-Qaida spokesman, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, is in U.S. custody and is being held in a Manhattan jail. He could appear in a federal court as soon as Friday, U.S. officials familiar with the case say.

His capture is considered important not just because he was so close to bin Laden but also because U.S. officials have decided to try him in a federal court, not Guantanamo Bay.

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NPR Story
11:51 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Small Towns Struggle Too

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 12:30 pm

The city of Detroit has been in the headlines after the state announced plans to appoint an emergency financial manager. But how are smaller cities dealing with a budget that's in the red? To find out more, host Michel Martin speaks with Diana Garza, mayor of Floresville, Texas. Garza is new to the job — a position that pays $100 a month.

NPR Story
11:51 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Etana, Female Reggae Artist Shines

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:43 pm

Etana is a reggae soul artist whose music is infused with strength and positivity. She talks to host Michel Martin about the inspiration behind her new album Better Tomorrow.

NPR Story
11:51 am
Thu March 7, 2013

College Diversity Issues Continue After Admissions

Liberal arts colleges are trying hard to attract minority students and faculty. But what happens when they get on campus? Host Michel Martin talks to the dean and chief diversity officer of Middlebury College, Shirley Collado, and her former student Sheyenne Brown, about initiatives to make schools more inclusive for people of color.

The Two-Way
10:57 am
Thu March 7, 2013

U.N. Security Council Approves New Sanctions On North Korea

Credit Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images
U.N. Security Council members vote to adopt sanctions against North Korea on Thursday.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 12:54 pm

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions on North Korea just hours after Pyongyang threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the United States and its allies.

The Security Council's actions to clamp down on the North's nuclear program follow the country's third nuclear test, carried out last month in defiance of previous United Nations' sanctions.

The 15-0 Security Council vote Thursday includes China, which has backed North Korea in the past and is one of the country's few allies.

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The Two-Way
9:52 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Will Breaking Bread Break The Deadlock In D.C.?

Credit Olivier Douliery/pool / Getty Images
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., gave a thumbs-up Wednesday night after he and other GOP senators had dinner with President Obama.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:38 pm

Wednesday night it was dinner with a small group of Republican lawmakers.

Thursday it's lunch with 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

Next week, the president is due to have lunch with more Republican senators.

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The Two-Way
9:26 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Egypt's Locust Plague Threatens Israel

Credit Ariel Schalit / Associated Press
Locusts land on a sand dune in Negev Desert, southern Israel on Tuesday.

Originally published on Sun March 10, 2013 8:44 am

A swarm of locusts that began in Egypt and has crossed the border into Israel is inviting comparison to one of the Biblical plagues of Exodus.

The New York Times says the swarms are "like a vivid enactment of the eighth plague visited upon the obdurate Pharaoh. Others with a more modern sensibility said it felt more like Hitchcock."

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The Two-Way
9:12 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Today: First Key Votes On Gun Laws Since Newtown Shootings

Credit Brian Cassella / MCT /Landov
Guns on display at a show in Fort Wayne, Ind., last month.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 12:52 pm

Update at 12:45 p.m. ET. One Measure Approved So Far:

"The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation Thursday making gun trafficking a federal crime as lawmakers cast the first vote in Congress to curb firearms since December's horrific shootings at a Connecticut elementary school," The Associated Press writes.

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The Two-Way
8:42 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Mixed Signals: Jobless Claims Dip; Layoff Plans Rise

As we await Friday's much-anticipated report about the February unemployment rate and how many jobs were added to employers' payrolls last month, there are these new bits of economic data to chew over:

-- The Employment and Training Administration says there were 340,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week. That's down from 7,000 the previous week. Claims continue at a pace that's the lowest since first-quarter 2008.

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The Two-Way
8:14 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Suspect In New York City Hit-And-Run Surrenders To Police

Credit Timothy E. Wynkoop / AP
Julio Acevedo surrendered to authorities in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:18 pm

Four days after a hit-and-run in Brooklyn that killed a young couple riding in a cab, suspect Julio Acevedo surrendered to police at a convenience store parking lot in Bethlehem, Pa.

The New York Times says:

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The Two-Way
7:44 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Nearly 13 Hours Later, Sen. Paul Ends His Filibuster; Here's The Video

Credit Senate Television / AP
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., during his filibuster.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:45 pm

After nearly 13 hours during which he had only a few short breaks while sympathetic senators took over the talking, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky ended his filibuster of John Brennan's CIA nomination early Thursday.

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The Two-Way
7:15 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Book News: Who's Afraid Of Sheryl Sandberg?

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks in December 2011 in New York City.

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 8:22 am

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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Animals
7:14 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Arthritic Rabbit Benefits From Hydrotherapy

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. The life of a rabbit isn't always a piece of carrot cake. Heidi is a 15-pound continental giant rabbit in Dorset who suffers from arthritis. So a month ago, her vet prescribed an unusual treatment for a rabbit: hydrotherapy. Twice a week, she's strapped into a little orange life vest and paddles in a heated pool. Her owner told the BBC that Heidi has taken to it like a duck to water. Heidi also loves her post-swim shower. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Around the Nation
7:07 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Brick Doesn't Break Shop Owner's Creativity

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And if life gives you broken glass, make money. A vandal threw a brick through the window of a Pittsburgh printing shop. The owner, undismayed, offered the brick for auction to raise money to fix the window. Sympathetic friends threw in prizes to go with the brick, like tickets to a hockey game. The winning bid was $1,150, enough to fix the window and make a donation to charity.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Business
4:48 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Business News

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 7:20 am

A statement from the company says that unit will become a separate publicly-traded company by the end of the year, and allow Time Warner to focus on its TV side. Time Warner had been in talks to combine its magazines with another company but those negotiations broke down.

Europe
4:48 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Bolshoi Dancer Confesses To Masterminding Attack

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 6:53 am

In Russia, a prominent dancer with the fabled Bolshoi Ballet has confessed to ordering an attack on the company's director. The director suffered third degree burns after acid was thrown onto his face. For more on the scandals at the Bolshoi, Renee Montagne talks to writer Christina Ezrahi, author of Swans of the Kremlin: Ballet and Power in Soviet Russia.

Movies
4:48 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Will 'Oz The Great And Powerful' Live Up To Emerald Status

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 5:19 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

"The Wizard of Oz" means to a lot of people, a young Judy Garland in sparkly ruby slippers. But in the hundred years since L. Frank Baum wrote the Oz stories, they, or stories featuring Oz characters, have been produced dozens of times. The latest, a prequel that opens in theaters this weekend, called "Oz the Great and Powerful."

NPR's Mandalit Del Barco has more.

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Energy
3:07 am
Thu March 7, 2013

BP Bows Out Of Solar, But Industry Outlook Still Sunny

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 12:50 pm

The solar energy business is growing quickly, but future growth will not include oil giant BP.

At the IHS CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, BP's CEO made it clear the company is done with solar.

"We have thrown in the towel on solar," Bob Dudley said after delivering a wide-ranging speech Wednesday.

"Not that solar energy isn't a viable energy source, but we worked at it for 35 years, and we really never made money," he added.

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It's All Politics
3:05 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Obama Looks For A Spring Thaw With Congress To Start Melting Deficit

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Obama speaks to reporters in the White House briefing room on Friday following a meeting with congressional leaders.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 12:44 pm

President Obama is hoping for a spring thaw in White House-congressional relations.

The president had dinner Wednesday night with a small group of Republican lawmakers. He's also planning rare visits to Capitol Hill next week to discuss his agenda with both Democrats and Republicans.

Aides say Obama is trying to locate what he calls a "caucus of common sense" in Congress to tackle the country's long-term budget challenges.

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Law
3:04 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Challenge To Michigan's Gay Marriage Ban Grows From Adoption Case

Credit Paul Sancya / AP
April DeBoer (second from left) sits with her adopted daughter Ryanne, 3, and Jayne Rowse and her adopted sons Jacob, 3, and Nolan, 4, at their home in Hazel Park, Mich., on Tuesday.

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:36 pm

A federal judge in Michigan could rule as soon as Thursday on a challenge to the state's ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions. The challenge comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear two cases dealing with gay marriage later this month.

In the Michigan case, a lesbian couple sued not because they want to be married, but because they want to be parents.

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The Sequester: Cuts And Consequences
3:02 am
Thu March 7, 2013

With Budget Cuts For Ports, Produce May Perish

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 1:48 pm

Budget-cutting from the government sequester that began March 1 could affect U.S. exports and imports, including what we eat.

Customs and Border Protection officers regulate trade at the nation's 329 ports of entry, in harbors, airports and on land.

One by one, drivers approach booths with Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Ariz. More winter produce enters here than at any other place in the U.S. Semis filled with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers headed to grocery stores around the country.

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Africa
3:02 am
Thu March 7, 2013

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Fears Of Police Abuse Deepening

Originally published on Fri March 8, 2013 10:29 am

Egypt's police force was the underpinning of former President Hosni Mubarak's iron-fisted regime, and it quickly became the enemy of Egypt's 2011 revolution.

Yet there has been little to no reform of the police force to date. Human rights groups say the police have begun to act like armed gangs, laying down collective punishment in restive areas across the country. But the police say they are the victims, under constant attack by anti-government protesters.

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Planet Money
3:01 am
Thu March 7, 2013

Andrew Sullivan Is Doing Fine

Credit Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images

Originally published on Thu March 7, 2013 7:24 am

Two months ago, the popular political blogger Andrew Sullivan left the comfortable world of big media and struck out on his own. His bold new plan: Ask readers to pay $19.99 a year or more to subscribe to his blog.

"It was either quit blogging, or suck it up and become a businessman," he told me.

The usual way bloggers make money (if they make money at all) is to sell advertising. But Sullivan figured he could get his devoted reader base to pay. Within the first week, he'd raised half a million dollars. By the end of about two months, the total had crept up to $625,000.

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The Salt
2:59 am
Thu March 7, 2013

In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods

Originally published on Fri March 8, 2013 10:44 am

There's a kind of rice growing in some test plots in the Philippines that's unlike any rice ever seen before. It's yellow. Its backers call it "golden rice." It's been genetically modified so that it contains beta-carotene, the source of vitamin A.

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The Two-Way
7:38 pm
Wed March 6, 2013

Law Targets Sexual Violence On College Campuses

Originally published on Fri March 15, 2013 11:30 am

When President Obama signs an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday afternoon, the law will include new requirements for how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault.

Laura Dunn, who's been invited by the White House to attend, plans to be there.

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The Two-Way
6:13 pm
Wed March 6, 2013

U.S. Spent Too Much In Iraq, Got Little In Return, Watchdog Report Says

Credit Evan Vucci / AP
Ten years and $60 billion in taxpayer funds later, Iraq is still so unstable and broken that even its leaders question whether U.S. efforts to rebuild it were worth the cost. That's the finding of a report to Congress by Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

A decade and $60 billion later what does the U.S. have to show for the reconstruction efforts in Iraq? That's the question being answered by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction in his final report to Congress.

The report by Stuart Bowen was based upon audits and inspections, as well as interviews with Iraqi and U.S. officials and politicians. Here's the crux of what happened to that money, according to the report:

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The Two-Way
5:57 pm
Wed March 6, 2013

House Gives OK To $982 Billion Short-Term Spending Bill

The House has approved a bill to fund the federal government through the end of September. The $982 billion continuing resolution introduced by Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), who heads the Appropriations Committee, would avoid a potential government shutdown on March 27.

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