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Yugoslavia Milosevic Reaction

NPR's Guy Raz reports from Belgrade, where the Yugoslav parliament today accepted the resignation of the country's prime minister Zoran Zizic. Zizic stepped down on Friday, to protest the extradition of former president Slobodan Milosevic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Milosevic's successor, President Vojislav Kostunica, is now struggling to keep the ruling coalition together. Despite the government crisis, many Serbs are happy to see Milosevic leave the scene.

Iraqi Red Crescent Works to Aid Fallujah Refugees

With major fighting in Fallujah over, attention now turns to the civilian population. Saa'id Hakki, chairman of the Iraqi Red Crescent, talks about the current humanitarian situation in and around the war-torn city. Hear Hakki and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

As La. Coast Recedes, Battle Rages Over Who Should Pay

Louisiana's coast is disappearing at the rate of about a football field an hour. Since the 1930s, the Gulf of Mexico has swallowed up an area the size of Delaware. You can see the water encroaching in Delacroix in St. Bernard Parish, less than an hour southeast of New Orleans. Here, a narrow crescent of land known locally as the "end of the world" is where the road abruptly comes to a dead end; in the distance, you see the tops of now-submerged trees. "It's hard to imagine if the coast continues to erode and enormous amounts of money are not invested in protecting it, that New Orleans could survive," says historian John Barry. Barry is known for his book Rising Tide, about the 1927 Mississippi River flood. Most recently, he was vice president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East and pushed a lawsuit alleging that oil and gas companies destroyed land that once served as a buffer protecting New Orleans from hurricanes. "The loss of this land has increased the storm surge on the flood protection authority's property — the levees — and made our burden much greater," he says. 'Sending A Message' The authority is responsible for maintaining an elaborate new levee system built after Hurricane Katrina, an endeavor expected to cost about $40 million a year. And it's not the only one looking for energy companies to pay up: Two Louisiana parishes are also suing for coastal restoration. The litigious environment discourages business investment, says Gifford Briggs, vice president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association. "That's sending a message to the oil and gas industry that if you want to operate in Louisiana, you have to be prepared to be sued," Briggs says. He rejects claims that companies are to blame for about a third of Louisiana's land loss because of the canals they cut through wetlands. "In the '60s and '70s, when we were doing exploration in coastal Louisiana, we had to create canals. So from a standpoint of land loss, it's clear that when you dig a canal or create a canal, that there's land lost," he says. "But being responsible for the coastal erosion side of it, that's not something we feel like we're responsible for." Briggs says the reason Louisiana has a coastal land crisis is not oil and gas activity, but the way the Mississippi River has been controlled by the federal government. Flood protection systems prevent sediment from flowing downstream to replenish the Delta. "Trying to blame us for something that is really the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers is really nothing more than just a money grab," Briggs says. 'Let's Have The Court Decide' Somebody should pay, says Stephen Estopinal, current vice president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East. He says the courtroom is the logical place to decide who should pay what. "You bring 'em in the court, and let's have the court decide. That is the conservative thing to do," Estopinal says. "The liberal thing to do would be to have Uncle Sam come in and make it all better." Estopinal is a surveyor and civil engineer from St. Bernard Parish, and has measured firsthand the disappearing coast. He says he's not out to cast oil companies as the lone villain. "I don't want the oil and gas industry to take the whole bullet, because they're a very important industry. I like gas in my car. I also like to have a home to go back to," he says. "We're not talking about inconvenience, we're not talking about the little birdies, or how nice things looked before and how bad they look now. We're talking about survival." The prospect of a legal fight has sparked an epic political battle in Baton Rouge. Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal and state GOP leaders are pushing bills to retroactively quash the lawsuits. Oil and gas severance taxes make up about 10 percent of the state's general fund budget. State Senate transportation committee Chairman Robert Adley worked most of his career in the oil and gas business. He says it is bad policy to target a key industry that had permission from the state to develop its natural resources. "I don't believe that anyone ought to be sued or exploited for doing what they were told to do," Adley says. "Now, it's easy to argue about the big bad oil companies and that kind of thing, but the truth of the matter is, we as a people, we want what they have." Proponents of the lawsuits say it's the other way around. "Oil companies can't leave Louisiana. We've got what they want," says Democrat Foster Campbell, a public service commissioner. "Here we have in Louisiana for years and years and years kowtowed to the oil companies under the threat we will leave Louisiana. They're not leaving Louisiana. We're where the oil is. We're where the gas is. We're where the delivery system is for America." And America needs what Louisiana has. The question is just who should pay to keep Louisiana intact.

George Jones: The Voice Of Heartbreak

George Jones died on Friday, April 26, 2013 in Nashville, Tenn. He was 81 years old. Jones, who had a voice that he could bend and pull to make listeners feel his pain, made a career of turning hard living into heartbreaking songs. In 2010, he spoke with All Things Considered's Melissa Block for an installment in NPR's 50 Great Voices series. On the front porch of George Jones' sweeping estate south of Nashville are two round tiles, each with a drawing of a rocking chair and a slash through it, a reminder that he doesn't need your rocking chair. Jones is perfectly tailored, wearing ostrich-leather shoes and that impeccable swoop of white hair. He performed about 90 concerts this year at age 79. Retire? No way. "I don't know what I'd do with myself," Jones tells All Things Considered host Melissa Block. "We don't wanna lay down and give up just 'cause we're old. Young people think we're crazy. Oh, one morning you'll wake up and look in the mirror like I did and say, 'What the devil happened? Whoo! Where did it go, oh, Lordy!' " Jones was the youngest of eight kids, born during the Depression in a log house in the Big Thicket, East Texas. His family didn't have electricity, but they did have a battery-powered radio. If you want to figure out where George Jones' voice comes from, he'll tell you — it all started there, drifting in over the static. "The only music we ever listened to out in the piney woods was Roy Acuff and the Grand Ole Opry," Jones says. "That was the only night of the week I was allowed to lay in the middle of the bed with Mama and Daddy, just long enough to hear Roy Acuff sing; then I had to go back to bed." In 1954, Jones was 22 when he got his first record deal with Starday Records in Beaumont, Texas. His producer was Pappy Daily. "Finally, Pappy Daily came in there and said, 'George, I've heard you sing like Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell. I just want to know one thing: Can you sing like George Jones?' I said, 'I thought you wanted to sell some records,' " Jones says, laughing. Whatever it is — the alchemy of Roy, Hank and Lefty, mixed with his own wrenching ache — Jones can pull and bend notes till they make you hurt. Pure Emotion That voice has turned on a new generation of country singers, including country star Dierks Bentley, who says he is proud to call Jones a friend. He even hangs a George Jones bottle opener on the keys to his truck. And what he hears in these songs is pure emotion. "He digs into every lyric, every word and milks every emotion out of that word or syllable," Bentley says. "It's really unique. It's definitely his own style — no one else can copy it." "Do you have a favorite George Jones song?" Block asks. " 'Walk Through This World With Me' is probably my favorite love song," Bentley says. "It's so sparse musically, and it leaves this huge space for his voice to really spread out in." Sometimes people say it sounds like Jones sings through clenched teeth. Bentley says it's like Jones is "holding that pain back." Either way, Jones sings what he knows: decades of hard drinking, drug addiction, violent rages, bankruptcy, failed rehab and failed marriages (most famously with his singing partner, Tammy Wynette) all filter into his songs. "I'm crazy over a ballad — one that's got a story, that's different from something you've heard before," Jones says. A Signature Song That brings us to "He Stopped Loving Her Today," a song about unrequited love that is taken to the grave: "He said I'll love you till I die / She told him you'll forget in time / As the years went slowly by / She still preyed upon his mind." After Jones finished recording this song, he told producer Billy Sherrill it was too morbid. "I said, 'Billy, I love the song,' but I said, 'It ain't gonna sell. It's too sad,' " Jones says. "But anyhow, how wrong could one person be? That turned out to be the signature song of my whole, entire career." Jones has made a career out of heartbreak and pain, but he says it's not who he is as a person. "It's not that you're unhappy when you're doing ballads," Jones says. "It's just that I try to live the song. During that three minutes or whatever it is, you try to step in that person's shoes. It seems for some reason the words tell you right away that you know how they feel." ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel. MELISSA BLOCK, Host: Today, in our 50 Great Voices series, a singer who's revered by everyone from Bob Dylan to Elvis Costello to Keith Richards. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE WINDOW ABOVE") GEORGE JONES: (Singing) I've been living a new way of life that I love so. BLOCK: George Jones. His voice is country music. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHY BABY WHY") JONES: (Singing) Tell me why, baby. Why, baby. Why baby, why you make me cry baby... (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE RACE IS ON") JONES: (Singing) I feel tears welling up cold and deep inside like my heart sprung up with string... (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN RING") JONES:

Astronauts Prepare for Shuttle Repair

Wednesday morning, NASA astronauts begin a spacewalk to remove bits of cloth sticking out from the heat shield on the underbelly of the shuttle.

U.N. Expert Clarifies Statistic On U.S. Detention Of Migrant Children

The author of a sweeping new U.N. study on the detaining and jailing of children worldwide acknowledges that he erred in saying the U.S. is holding more than 100,000 children in migration-related detention. The author, human rights lawyer Manfred Nowak, says he wasn't aware at the time that the number was from 2015. He adds that it reflected the number of children detained during the entire year. Nowak acknowledges that his use of the statistic was misleading, but he also maintains that his main point about the U.S. having high incarceration and detention rates for children still stands. In an interview with NPR on Wednesday, he said he was citing a number from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "I used the UNHCR data because it was the last UNHCR figure that was published, and that goes back to the year 2015," Nowak said. "And I haven't checked it that clearly in the press conference. So that was, of course, misleading." Nowak mentioned the number on Monday, as he discussed the U.N.-sponsored Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty at a news conference in Geneva. Referring to children who were detained by the U.S. after arriving at the border either unaccompanied or with their parents, Nowak said earlier this week: "The United States is one of the countries with the highest numbers. We have more than, still more than 100,000 children in migration-related detention in the United States of America. So that's far more than all the other countries where we have reliable figures." His comments were reported Tuesday by multiple news outlets, including NPR, which removed its story when Nowak's error became apparent. Revelations that the U.S. detention statistic dated to the Obama administration drew intense attention because as he spoke about the detention figure, Nowak also pointedly criticized the Trump administration's policies of separating children from their parents at the border. "I would call it inhuman treatment for both the parents and the children," he said on Monday, adding that he believes the policy runs afoul of several international civil rights treaties. In the U.S., children who arrive at the border unaccompanied are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, through its Unaccompanied Alien Children program and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. HHS says that over the 2019 financial year, approximately 69,550 unaccompanied children were referred to the UAC program. In its most recent news release about the number of minors in its care, the agency adds that since 2012, "this number has jumped dramatically." HHS currently has approximately 3,900 children in its custody through the UAC program, the agency says in an email to NPR. "The system-wide average length of care for minors discharged from ORR in the month of September 2019 is 57 days, down from the recent high of 93 days in November 2018," the agency says. HHS also lists the number of children it has unified with a sponsor in recent fiscal years, under both the Trump and Obama administrations: 2013-14 – 53,515 2014-15 – 27,840 2015-16 – 52,147 2016-17 – 42,497 2017-18 – 34,815 2018-19 – 72,593 When asked about the latest HHS figures, Nowak says, "So perhaps it's really down now to 69,000. That's fine — but again, it's much higher than other states that detain children in migration-related detention. So it's still the highest number. So I think the main message remains the same." As for how he came to quote data from 2015 — the year before he was selected to lead the U.N.'s global study on child detentions — Nowak said he was trying to answer one of the first questions at Monday's news conference, which focused on the U.S. detention of children as part of its migration policies. "I received quick info from my assistant, where he said that's the latest data that we have," Nowak says. "But I didn't know at that moment that it was [from] 2015. If I would have known that, I would not have mentioned it, because that's some time ago." The 2015 statistic does not appear in his global study's section on the U.S., Nowak notes. And he adds that he stands by the figures that are compiled in his report. "Whatever you read in the report is definitely accurate," Nowak says, adding, "we really checked it very, very well." To compile the study, Nowak and his researchers sorted through official records and statistics from advocacy groups and countries' replies. They also sent out questionnaires. Nowak said on Monday that the U.S. didn't respond to his team's official requests for data — but he added that many of the numbers they were seeking were publicly available. The global study's release coincides with the 30-year anniversary of the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. The U.S. signed the agreement but never ratified it; today, the United States is the only country in the world that has not ratified the U.N.'s treaty on children's rights. The study includes a key paragraph about the U.S.

When America Was Crazy About Rock Gardens

In the American West, water is so alarmingly scarce these days that California has imposed restrictions and, as the Sacramento Bee reports, landscapers are planting desert plants and rock gardens. The drought, Gov. Jerry Brown told USA Today recently, is "unprecedented in recorded history." The dryness may be unprecedented, but planting rock gardens is not. In fact, in early 20th century America, rock gardens were all the rage. Rock Festival Across the country, Americans competed to create the coolest rockery in the neighborhood. People in some states sold rocks to people in other states. People bought rocks for their size and color. It was neighbor against neighbor, with backyards as battlegrounds. Folks were rocking the suburbs. "My earliest memory of a rock garden was when I was a little girl at my grandmother's house on a slope that was not able to be mowed near her front walkway," says Linda Antonacio-Hoade of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences extension services. "It had beautiful rocks and plants with a color palette that played off the rocks. It was low maintenance and upkeep." The Penn State Extension offers suggestions for fashioning your own rock garden. Antonacio-Hoade believes that this was the reason rock gardens were so popular in the early 20th century. "When you think about the lack of modern conveniences," she says, "folks had many other things that needed to be done in order to live ... and garden maintenance was not high on the list." Now, garden maintenance is once again difficult for Americans living in dry places. Rocks Of Ages Rock gardens make sense everywhere — not just in water-starved climes, Antonacio-Hoade says. "The reason lawns are discouraged in drought areas is that they are a mono culture and take a lot of fertilizer and water to keep them looking pristine." The rock garden craze reached frenzy level in the 1930s. As people rocked their gardens, dispatches came in from all over. Here is a sampling from 1931: Illinois. "If the rock garden craze continues very long," a Chicago-area reporter noted on April 17 in the Daily Herald, "rocks will become scarce even in this rocky section of DuPage County." Kentucky. The Middlesboro Daily News of May 27 observed that Iowa rock gardeners were paying $1 a bushel for everyday granite, limestone and sandstone rocks. "Some New Englanders might sell their whole farms at a big profit," the reporter wrote. Minnesota. Rock sellers from the Gopher State peddled truckloads of rocks throughout the Midwest, according to the News Herald of Franklin Pa., on May 28. New York. An editor at the Rural New Yorker in the summer of 1931 opined that he was heartened by the rock-garden craze because it "foretells the change we have longed for these many years. The late Nineties saw our national thought turning toward the verities and away from the humanities, to a machine age in place of an age of art and literature." To him the low-maintenance aspects of rock gardens allows more "time for the finer things in life." Some people took it to the extreme. The built-in-the-1930s Hartman Rock Garden in Springfield. Ohio, for example, is a work of folk art fashioned from thousands and thousands of stones — with more than 50 structures and figurines. Rocky Ground Rock gardens were the rage in another way, too. One reason that Adam left Eden, railed one Ohio editorial writer in the June 6, 1931, Wilmington News-Journal in Ohio, "was that Eve wanted him to make a rock garden." He suggested that everyone band together and "establish a sort of Devils Island for people who make rock gardens and send all offenders there, giving them boulders and stink weed and daisies to work with until they are entirely cured." Not exactly a Nostradamus, the editorial writer predicted that the rock garden fad would "run itself out by 1934." In fact, he added, "I shouldn't be surprised to see its career cut as short as that of infantile golf." Golf is still around. And soon we may see a resurgence of rock-garden mania. Despite the editorial writer's, shall we say, dry wit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow me @NPRHistoryDept; lead me by writing lweeks@npr.org

Letter Puts End to Persistent 'Mockingbird' Rumor

New evidence may end the decades-old speculation that Truman Capote -- not Harper Lee -- wrote the novel, <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em>. Dr. Wayne Flynt, retired professor of history from Auburn University discusses the basis for the persistent rumor and explains why it is indeed false.

Former Leader Of National Arts Fund Says Organization Should Be Protected

The future of the National Endowment for the Arts is uncertain under President Trump. Some conservative groups are calling for the NEA, which provides grants for state and local arts organizations, to be eliminated. The White House hasn’t yet called for NEA funding to be cut or eliminated, but Trump’s calls for limiting government could mean the NEA and its sister organization the National Endowment for the Humanities, are at risk. Former Chairman of the NEA, Dana Gioia (@DanaGioiaPoet), explains to Here & Now&#8216;s Jeremy Hobson how the NEA serves communities and why he thinks it’s worth protecting. Interview Highlights On what the National Endowment for the Arts does &#8220;The National Endowment for the Arts over the last half century has been the largest annual funder of the arts and arts education in the United States. In most years, the NEA gives about 2,000 grants. They go to every state, every congressional district in the United States.&#8221; &#8220;Right now, it has a $148 million, which has actually declined over the last eight years, but the budget is actually misleading. The reason is that what the NEA does, and this is the thing that most people don&#8217;t understand, is it is the national catalyst for local arts and arts education. Every dollar that the NEA gives requires a match. So, whether it goes to the states, it goes to localities &#8212; and in the course of moving to Washington, this money actually multiplies by about seven times. So it represents about $1.2 billion of new funding. All of this money basically is invested in local economies, in the local schools, museums, arts organizations. And it provides those organizations with a, as it were, requirement to develop local support for the local programming. So it&#8217;s a very powerful organization in that sense. If I can give you an example: When I became the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, two states &#8212; Colorado and California &#8212; decided to cut their state arts budgets as a money-saving move. After some uncomfortable negotiation, I communicated to the states that if they discontinued their arts agency, by legal requirement, I could not give them funds. That compelled them to keep these organizations in operation, even though it was at a very minimal level. And it kept those services intact, so consequently, California which eliminated or tried to eliminate this agency, is now giving $25 million a year to the arts. It only stayed in existence because of the funds coming from the NEA.&#8221; Array On why funding should not be cut &#8220;I think it&#8217;s a misconception, and it&#8217;s an unfortunate situation. Supporting the arts and arts education is not a partisan position. If you ask most people whether they want arts in their communities, arts in their schools, there is an overwhelmingly positive response. People have been misled to thinking that somehow there is a remote federal arts agency that is funding a few elite arts organizations. What the NEA really does is fund art programs that are, for the most part, created in your community, by people in your community, to serve your community.&#8221; On whether the NEA will lose its funding &#8220;I don&#8217;t think so. And the reason is I think most people understand the quality of the programs that are being offered. The Big Read is to support literacy and reading. Shakespeare in American Community, which brings many local theater companies to produce production of Shakespeare so that high school kids can actually see the plays that they&#8217;re studying in school. Operation Homecoming provides workshops for the vets returning from military service, so they can write about their wartime experience. These are not programs that are remote from people&#8217;s lives. People see immediately the value of these programs, both on a national level and a local level. So, I think that what&#8217;s going to happen is that we&#8217;ll have to go through the same political debate, the same political arguments we did in the previous century. And ultimately, it will come down to the fact that supporting the arts and arts education is a bipartisan belief. That it&#8217;s pretty much a kind of misconception that&#8217;s driving the criticism. I mean, basically the criticisms of the NEA fall into two categories. One is that the arts is just simply something the government should not support. I don&#8217;t think people believe that. I think people see a role for culture in their communities. And the second is the sense that somehow the NEA goes against American values, and it&#8217;s promoting grants that are found offensive by people. This is really not true. The programs that the NEA supports really have almost universal public support.&#8221; On running the NEA under President Bush &#8220;Running the NEA under President Bush, we were able to raise the budget every year of his presidency. We were able to build a bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress.

Helen Fielding On Bridget Jones: Still Looking Good At 51

Who could forget that slightly manic — but ever so endearing — single gal looking for love in London: Bridget Jones. From her first diary entries in 1996, to her portrayal on the big screen in 2001, to her most recent ramblings in this year's Mad About the Boy, we've gotten to go inside the mind of Bridget Jones and see the truth, the whole truth about what it's like to be a woman most definitely now not in her 30s. The woman behind the diaries, Helen Fielding, tells NPR's Rachel Martin that Bridget now appears — at least on the outside — to have grown up a bit. And yes, as you've probably heard by now, her dashing Mr. Darcy is no longer. "I was quite surprised by the scale of the reaction, certainly in Britain, to Mark Darcy's death," Fielding says. "I was watching the news one night, BBC, and there's the Syrian crisis, and then, next story was headline news: Mark Darcy's dead!" Interview Highlights On writing about a situation many people find themselves in They are single again, and they are a bit older, and the dating landscape has completely changed, and they have to get out there again. And when Bridget was single before, there was no email, even — all those messages she sent to Daniel in the office about 'you appear to have forgotten your skirt,' and things, were just an archaic office messaging system. So Bridget's now back out there dating, dealing with texting, with Twitter, with online dating, and with children — and with the fact that, you know, life is busy and complicated, and you're juggling work and all these other things, and that seemed to me to be a very rich area to write about. On Bridget's age The first novel, I didn't say how old she was, I left it vague. And I was going to do that this time, and then I thought, I'm just going to dare to do it. I'm going to say that she's in her 50s. Because I think that just as when I wrote the first Bridget, the 30-something spinster, as she was then called, got such a bad press, that hadn't caught up with what was really going on. You know, Bridget felt in some part of her brain that she was Miss Havisham, and she was going to end up dying alone and being eaten by a dog, just because she hadn't got a boyfriend when she was in her 30s. And I think there's the same sort of thing going on with idea of the woman in her 50s, that she should somehow be staring morbidly at a lake, or knitting, and have a tight grey perm and a shopping trolley. Whereas in fact, what I see around me is it's the same — women are still looking good, still dating if they're single, still feel the same inside ... there shouldn't be this outdated notion of 'a woman of a certain age,' which in itself is a patronizing thing to say, and never applied to men. On whether there will be more Bridget All I do know is, I won't write another book unless I've got something I really want to say. I mean, I do think one thing that could be quite funny — but it wouldn't really work — to write about someone becoming a celebrity would be funny, because there's so many things, even when you're on a book tour — I remember when the first Bridget Jones book became successful, coming back to my flat in London, and there was a photographer on a motorbike outside. And I was wildly indignant, and why can't they leave me alone! It's intolerable! But then it was a pizza. Domino's delivery man. And I was really disappointed ... that's quite a rich seam, too. But I don't think it's right for Bridget. Maybe.

Did Clinton, Obama Pass Pa. Primary's Key Tests?

Tuesday night saw the end to a dramatic six-week competition for the Democratic presidential candidates to secure Pennsylvania votes. Renee Montagne talks with NPR National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson about what Hillary Clinton's win in the Pennsylvania primary might mean for Barack Obama's campaign.

Dan Charles Reports On Two Early Networks,

the railway and the telegraph, and the similarities they share with the latest network, the Internet.

Marines Rush to Get Tattooed Before Ban

A new Marine regulation bans "sleeve tattoos" — tattoos that cover part or all of a Marine's arms or legs. The ban goes into effect Sunday. Layton, a tattoo artist at Body Temple Studio in Oceanside, Calif., near Camp Pendleton, says business is brisk as the ban approaches. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: We hear that Marines from Camp Pendleton in California are hitting the local tattoo parlors in force today. That's because the Marine Corps commandant announced a policy change last week. Starting Sunday, April 1st, new, very big tattoos below the elbow or the knee are banned. The commandant says it's bad for the image of the corps. Well, Jerry Layton(ph) is a tattoo artist at Body Temple Studio in Oceanside, California near Camp Pendleton, and Jerry Layton, how's business today? Mr. JERRY LAYTON (Tattoo Artist): Business is slow right now, but it should be picking up when the Marines get off. SIEGEL: People coming in to get a last-minute sleeve tattoo, as you call it? Mr. LAYTON: Oh yes, they're all coming in for that. They're all coming in for their forearm tattoos, their leg tattoos, all their tattoos they have to get before this policy goes through on the 1st. SIEGEL: Describe the kind of tattoo that as you understand it is going to be banned, and how common it is for Marines. Mr. LAYTON: Well, it really just - I mean, everybody varies in what they get. I mean, a lot of them do get fallen brother tattoos for some of the Marines that didn't make it back from Iraq. SIEGEL: So it's a very popular kind of tattoo. Mr. LAYTON: Yeah, I would say a lot of Marines get their moto tats on their forearms because that lets them represent, you know, their pride in the military. SIEGEL: And again, it's all still available to them, but just not below the knee... Mr. LAYTON: Just not on their forearms. SIEGEL: The bicep or the chest, it's still fair game, yes? Mr. LAYTON: A lot of them already have tattoos there in those spots, and they like to put the fallen brother tattoos on their forearms. SIEGEL: Well, how long will the window be open for Marines, as you understand it, to get a tattoo as big as they want before the ban... Mr. LAYTON: I believe the ban goes through on the 1st, but a lot of them are being told already, since they read the piece of paper, that it's already a done deal, they cannot get tattooed. But a lot of them are still getting tattooed until the 1st. SIEGEL: So this afternoon and Saturday, Friday and Saturday... Mr. LAYTON: Yeah, we're going to be booked all weekend long. SIEGEL: And I gather you're hearing from Marines who are dismayed by this ban, if they're coming in to get a last-minute tattoo. Mr. LAYTON: Yeah, they're a little upset. SIEGEL: Well, what do you make of the argument from the Marine Corps commandant that... Mr. LAYTON: Well, I think it's ridiculous. I think that they fight in a war for our freedom, yet they don't have freedom to get even a tattoo, which is ridiculous because there's more things going on in the world right now than a tattoo. SIEGEL: But for example, Marines have to wear uniforms. Mr. LAYTON: Correct. SIEGEL: And that's - for you and me it might be an expression of freedom to dress as we like from day to day, but a Marine accepts that kind of discipline. So there are differences, right? Mr. LAYTON: Yeah, but I don't think a tattoo really takes away from their job. They're still going to do their job the way they're supposed to do their job. It's almost like their freedom of speech. They're kind of taking away the tattoos, the freedom to get tattooed and do what you want to do. I mean, I know they're government property, but I just think there's a lot of stuff going on in the world that is more important than a tattoo on a forearm. SIEGEL: Well, Mr. Layton, thank you very much for talking with us about it. Mr. LAYTON: Thank you. SIEGEL: Jerry Layton, who is a tattoo artist at Body Temple Studio in Oceanside, California near Camp Pendleton. The Marine Corps says starting Sunday no more very big tattoos that stretch below the elbow or below the knee.

Senator's Warning May Have Doomed IndyMac

Customers who waited hours in line to withdraw money from the failed IndyMac Bank are now finding they may have to wait even longer to gain access to their cash. Some other banks are requiring lengthy holds on IndyMac cashier's checks. Federal regulators say they're looking into the situation. IndyMac was taken over by regulators last Friday after a run on the troubled bank. Depositors withdrew more than $1 billion from IndyMac in the two weeks before its doors were closed. Leon Rousso of Ventura, Calif., grew worried about the bank's condition after a steep drop in IndyMac's stock price. "A young fellow in my office told me there was a 40 cent drop in the stock market on IndyMac," Rousso said. "When I went back to review everything, because I hadn't been watching that closely, it didn't look good." A 'Lucky' Withdrawal Rousso oversees the finances for a local nonprofit group that had about $250,000 in its IndyMac account. Rousso strongly encouraged his fellow directors to withdraw the funds last week. "They were kind of wishy-washy, back and forth," he said. But Rousso insisted, and the organization took its money out. "Fortuitously, that was Thursday, they day before they seized the bank," Rousso said. "So it worked out really well. They think I'm a big hero and a genius. But I'm not really a genius. Just got lucky." A Loss Of Confidence Other nervous depositors were also pulling money out of IndyMac, and that loss of confidence created a vicious cycle. Early last week, IndyMac warned the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was suffering from "elevated levels of withdrawals." That warning triggered the stock drop that wound up spooking Rousso. Twelve days earlier, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, had written to bank regulators warning that "a significant move by IndyMac's depositors to redeem their deposits could leave the firm in a disastrous financial situation." Once those letters became public, Schumer's worst fears were realized. "The irony in this whole situation is that Sen. Schumer was trying to warn about a run on the bank, when that very warning helped cause a run on the bank," said bank analyst Jaret Seiberg of the Stanford Group in Washington. A Run On Deposits In the two weeks after Schumer's warning, anxious IndyMac depositors withdrew $1.3 billion. Regulators suggested the senator was partly to blame for the bank's collapse. "In effect, the deposit run sparked by the senator's letter pushed IndyMac over the edge," said Office of Thrift Supervision Director John Reich after the bank was seized. "Would the institution have failed without the deposit run? We'll never know the answer to that question. It's true that IndyMac was already a troubled institution in precarious condition. The deposit run precluded the possibility of IndyMac recovering from this condition." Schumer, who chairs the powerful Joint Economic Committee, was quick to defend his role, saying IndyMac wouldn't have been in jeopardy had regulators gotten tough on the bank years earlier. "They're doing what the Bush administration always does: Blame the fire on the person who calls 911," Schumer said. 'Hot Money' Critics suggest that Schumer effectively poured gasoline on the fire. But it's also clear that IndyMac was tinder-dry and ready to burn. The bank had aggressively courted depositors with above-average interest rates in order to fund its mortgage business after Wall Street money dried up. Depositors who turn to a bank just for high interest rates are quick to run at the first sign of trouble. "What you're referring to is what in the banking world is called 'hot money,'" said bank analyst Jamie Peters of Morningstar. "If you compare an IndyMac depositor to somebody, say at Wells Fargo, who has an average of eight different products with the company, IndyMac's were much more prone to leave." Federal regulators say they're paying close attention to banks that rely too heavily on any one source of funds. And they're encouraging banks to respond quickly to any rumors of big withdrawals. MICHELE NORRIS, host: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Michele Norris. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: And I'm Robert Siegel. More anxiety for some customers of IndyMac. First, they waited in line for hours to withdraw money from the failed bank. Now some will have to wait even longer to get their cash. That's because some other banks are requiring lengthy holds on IndyMac cashier's checks. Federal regulators say they're looking into the situation. NORRIS: IndyMac was taken over by the FDIC last Friday. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the frantic days leading up to that takeover. SCOTT HORSLEY: Leon Rousso had a feeling a week ago that all was not well at IndyMac. Rousso is a financial planner in Ventura, California, where he oversees the treasury of a local nonprofit group. Mr. LEON ROUSSO (Financial Planner): They had amassed about $250,000 into this one bank,

McDonald's Breakfast, Wrapped in a Riddle

The new McDonalds breakfast sandwich, called the McGriddle, is a sausage patty wrapped in an egg wrapped in a pancake wrapped in a riddle. Can McDonald's serve up the sweet foods its customers crave, while avoiding lawsuits and health advocates? NPR's Mike Pesca investigates.

New Orleans Public Schools

Schools in New Orleans were struggling even before they received an influx of Central American migrant children this past fall. How some schools are rising to the challenge, and others are not.

Columbine Survivor With Words for Virginia Students

Close to eight years ago, a friend of my father's said these words to me: "This is has never happened to anyone before. So however you handle it is probably right." A few days earlier — April 20, 1999 — while I was finishing a cigarette in front of Columbine High School — a friend of mine, Eric Harris, said some words to me that would change my life forever. "Brooks, I like you now. Get out of here. Go home." Later, I would go on to lose four friends. Two of them would be the murderers at Columbine. And I'd be ostracized for that fact. It would destroy me. At the time, I couldn't make sense of anything that had happened. I had cut myself off from my family, I had cried in private for hours, and I stayed awake for days on end, simply sitting and watching the news. And then I was told these words. And these words I pass on to the survivors at Virginia Tech. "This is has never happened to anyone before. So however you handle it is probably right." The words immediately rang true. I began openly talking to the friends I had left, to my parents, to my brother. What I discovered was that I was not the only one in such horrible pain. That may sound stupid — obviously everyone else was hurting too. It was stupid — but those are the feelings each of us had. As I cried with my friends, they, too, cried. They admitted they felt alone. They let the pain out, and they began to handle everything just a little bit better. Since it has been the better part of a decade since Columbine happened, the students of Columbine are in the rare position of being able to say how to handle it; enough time has passed we can see the long-term effects of our choices. For those of us who openly shared our thoughts, who cried, and who dealt with the pain immediately after it happened, we're not doing too bad. It still hurts, I still find occasion to cry. But those who never dealt with it find themselves unable to handle the simplest things. A fire alarm goes off, a balloon pops, or a police car drives by, and they find themselves doubled over in anguish, unable to move. Some still refuse to speak about what happened – their parents won't talk about it, their friends have moved away, and the children of Columbine suffer alone, quietly. So as you move onward from this tragedy at Virginia Tech — don't turn a blind eye to your own suffering or the suffering of those around you. We tend to pass by — and you will. You'll see someone you go to school with sitting outside near a tree, alone. They'll be crying, and you'll empathize, but not stop to talk to them. Or perhaps you'll visit the grave site of a fallen friend, trying to hold back the tears – afraid those around you will judge you for crying. I know you'll do this – I know because I was that person by the tree, and I was the brave young man trying not to cry. And that's OK. We all deal with these things in different ways — and that, in essence, is the point of what my father's friend was saying. It doesn't matter how we deal with it — as long as we do. Brooks Brown, now 26, was a senior at Columbine High School eight years ago this week, when the killings took place. He is the author of No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine. MICHELE NORRIS, host: Brooks Brown was a senior at Columbine High School when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves. Brown has advice for students at Virginia Tech. BROOKS BROWN (Former Student, Columbine High School): Close to eight years ago, a friend of my father's said these words to me: This is has never happened to anyone before, so however you handle it is probably right. A few days earlier, April 20th, 1999, while I was finishing a cigarette in front of Columbine High School, a friend of mine, Eric Harris, said some words to me that would change my life forever: Brooks, I like you now. Get out of here. Go home. Later, I would go on to lose four friends, two of them would be the murderers at Columbine, and I'd be ostracized for that fact. It would destroy me. At the time, I couldn't make sense of anything that had happened. I had cut myself off from my family, cried in private for hours and stayed awake for days on end simply sitting, watching the news. And then I was told these words, and these words I pass on to the survivors at Virginia Tech: This is has never happened to anyone before, so however you handle it is probably right. The words immediately rang true. I began openly talking to the friends I had left, to my parents, to my brother. What I discovered was that I was not the only one in such horrible pain. That may sound stupid. Obviously, everyone else was hurting, too. It was stupid, but those are the feelings each of us had. As I cried with my friends, they too cried. They admitted they felt alone. They let the pain out and they began to handle everything just a little bit better. Since it has been the better part of a decade since Columbine happened, the students of Colum

Linkfest: LeBron James' Mama Takes His Side

LeBron James took a bear-hug foul from Paul Pierce in the Cavaliers-Celtics game Monday night, right under the basket and in full view of James' mama. Gloria James let Pierce know he should use his words instead, and then showed him how. LeBron James used his words, too, telling his mother to stay out of it. It's the Ramble. LeBron James scolds mom during Cavs-Celtics game/ Old gas pumps can't handle ever-rising prices/ Apple Says IPhone Is Sold Out at Its Internet Store/ Wrinkles could be key to buying cigarettes in Japan

Week In The News: Obamacare’s Future, New Year Terror, Russian Hacking

Obamacare showdown. Russian hacking hearing. Terror in Istanbul. Mariah Carey’s  New Year’s meltdown. Our weekly news round table goes behind the headlines. U.S. intelligence chiefs front and center this week on Russian hacking of the U.S. election season. Unwavering on Capitol Hill. Donald Trump, casting doubt. The new Republican-dominated Congress turned straight to Obamacare with a promise to repeal. How they’ll replace it, still unclear. Same with who will pay for that wall with Mexico. It may be you. We’ve got a terrible beating livestreamed out of Chicago. Dylan Roof, faces sentencing in Charleston.  This hour On Point, our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. &#8212; Tom Ashbrook Guests Nancy Cordes, Congressional correspondent for CBS News. (@nancycordes) Tom Bullock, political and investigative reporter for WFAE, the public radio affiliate in Charlotte, NC. (@tomwfae) Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR) From Tom’s Reading List CBS News: Top U.S. intel officials say election hacking part of &#8220;multifaceted&#8221; Russian effort &#8212; &#8220;Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers and Marcel Lettre, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, are testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Russian cyberattacks during the 2016 election as well as the greater cyber threat Russia poses to the U.S.&#8221; WFAE: Cooper Wants To Expand Medicaid, But Can He? &#8212; &#8220;The future of the Affordable Care Act dominated the news Wednesday. While Democrats and Republicans huddled on Capitol Hill to discuss the future of the law, here in North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced his plan to expand Medicaid in the state.  But the future of that move is as murky as the fate of Obamacare itself.&#8221; The Wall Street Journal: Turkey Extends State of Emergency in Wake of Attack Claimed by Islamic State &#8212; &#8220;Turkey’s parliament voted to extend the government’s state-of-emergency powers following the deadly New Year’s attack claimed by Islamic State, as the country struggles to contain rising terrorist threats and law enforcement contends with depleted ranks in the wake of last year’s failed coup.&#8221;

Once, Tom Braden Was The Political Story Of The Week

Tom Braden died last week. According to all the obituaries, the 92-year-old Braden was once the co-host of CNN's Crossfire. He was a CIA official in the 1950s. He owned a newspaper in California. And his 1975 memoir about being the father of eight children was turned into the ABC comedy-drama Eight is Enough. But he also once ran for office: lieutenant governor of California, to be precise. In 1966. And for a while there, his race was seen as a surrogate battle between the forces led by President Lyndon Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey and forces led by New York Sen. Robert Kennedy. Read More >> 1966 was a huge political year in California. Gov. Pat Brown was seeking a third term. He was four years beyond his thrashing of a coming-back Richard Nixon, which made him one of the more popular Democrats in the nation. But he was also the governor of a state that had experienced both race riots (Watts) and academic unrest (Berkeley). And he was about to be taken on by an actor named Ronald Reagan, who became the darling of conservatives everywhere with his nationwide broadcast supporting GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964. But, for purposes of this tale, let's stick with the Democrats here. Brown's lieutenant governor was a guy by the name of Glenn Anderson. Lloyd Hand, who was LBJ's chief of protocol, resigned and decided to take on Anderson in the June primary. Kennedy supporters, who obviously didn't care much for the president, said Hand's candidacy was a vehicle for Johnson and Humphrey to take control of the California Democratic Party. Tom Braden, the president of the state Board of Education, who was close to the Kennedys, was of that view. So he too decided to run for LG. And, of course, Kennedy opponents said that Braden's candidacy was a vehicle for RFK to take control of the California Democratic Party. Brown, meanwhile, stuck with Anderson. The primary got nasty, and personal. But when all was said and done, Anderson won convincingly, getting 50 percent of the vote. Braden finished second with 30 percent, and Hand got 20 percent. So, judging from the results, it was hard to make the case that LBJ, HHH or RFK had won control over anything. And that paled in comparison with the disaster that was facing California Democrats. Reagan would oust Brown by more than 1 million votes. He would also sweep in Robert Finch, Nixon's 1960 campaign manager, for lieutenant governor, as Anderson was going down (Anderson would later serve in Congress). State Controller Alan Cranston would get clobbered as well. Still, for one brief, shining moment, Tom Braden was part of what was most assuredly one of the most widely watched Democratic primaries anywhere that year.

'Chappelle's Show' Co-Creator Moves Into The Limelight With '3 Mics'

After working mostly as a behind-the-scenes guy on Chappelle's Show and Inside Amy Schumer, Neal Brennan is now stepping out as a performer. Brennan tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that he didn't get seriously into stand-up until Chappelle's Show, which he co-created and co-wrote, ended abruptly after the host left the country. "The way Chappelle's Show ended I just felt bereft, and I felt like I needed to be more self-determining and the most self-determining thing you can do in comedy is stand-up," he says. But stand-up comedy is just one aspect of Brennan's new Netflix special, 3 Mics. On the show, Brennan literally works with three different microphones: One is reserved for one-liners, one is for stand-up and one is for personal stories about depression and his family. He says the three-mic concept sprung from a surplus of wide-ranging material. "I would do podcasts ... and talk about more serious stuff ... that you kind of can't talk about in a conventional stand-up hour," he says. "And then I had all these one-liners left over from Twitter. So I wanted to repurpose them. I didn't want them to go to waste. " Interview Highlights On becoming aware of his depression When I was a kid, I used to cry every day, when I was 7 through 11, to the point where my brothers and sisters would, there was an ongoing joke where they would make me cry to keep my streak alive of crying every day. ... It never occurred to me, like, you know, this is clinical depression, and I don't know even know if it was. I maybe just was sensitive little kid. But I think probably once I was an adult ... you realize, 'Oh, this isn't just an attitude ... there may be something clinically happening here.' I think I started taking medication when I was 24. On growing up in a family with an alcoholic father and 9 siblings [My father] was not an empathetic guy. He didn't want to have kids ... that's another thing that you weren't even allowed to really admit or acknowledge or live a life based on — like you couldn't say I don't want kids. ... I think most of my mother and father's life was just like, 'What's everybody else doing? I guess that's what we have to do.' I think my mother was happy to do it. I think my mom loved having 10 kids, but I think my dad hated it. Really, I really think he just didn't like it, and he was kind of stuck, which is, you know, that's how he behaved. He wasn't, like, a 10-drink guy, he was a 3-drink guy every day ... and then he felt deputized to kind of rage, or be vitriolic, and I think it gave him the confidence to let out his true self, which was kind of nasty and competitive and petty. It was never fall-down stumbling slurring drunk, it was just more like bullying drunk. On meeting Dave Chappelle at a New York comedy club We were the only young guys, we were both 17 or 18, so I think we had a shared sensibility. ... I had gone to film school, we just had similar taste in movies, and what we liked or what we didn't, or things we thought were hacky, or things we thought were done to death, and we would just talk and we'd walk around for hours. On why Chappelle left Chappelle's Show and went to South Africa I think it's hard when something goes out to that broad an audience. You can't control what people make of it. ... I think a lot of black artists reckon with this. ... Do you just keep doing your thing and accept that there is going to be a certain amount of the audience that doesn't understand what you're doing at all? Or do you kind of fold it up and go, This is too important for you to misinterpret, so I can't risk it, which in some ways is, I think, the path that Dave took, which was I can't deal with this misinterpretation, it means too much to me and it's too painful. I was on set waiting for him when I found out he was in Africa, I didn't know he was going until he was gone. ... It was painful on a lot of levels. ... This thing that I made with him was now ... over. ... Yeah, it was painful on a personal level. On what he learned from directing Inside Amy Schumer The thing I always say about the Schumer show is the way that Chappelle's Show was about the horror of being a black man, Schumer's show was about the horror of being a woman, just the day-to-day inconvenience. What's it like to have a world-class intellect in a world where you're treated like a third-class citizen, and that applies to Amy and Dave. Dave is smarter than everyone he talks to, and is routinely spoken down to by the merit of being black — maybe less so now that he's famous — but as it was before he was famous, there was always this ongoing condescension which I think women have to deal with on an hourly basis as well. TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. My guest, comic Neal Brennan, is mostly known for being a behind-the-scenes guy. With Dave Chappelle, he co-created and co-wrote the sketch comedy series "Chappelle's Show," and he co-wrote a sketch for "Saturday Night Live" when Chappelle hosted just aft

iPhone App Monitors Israeli Settlement Building

In Israel, anti-settlement group Peace Now has launched an iPhone app with data that the group has amassed on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Settlement building is one of the early stumbling blocks that could derail peace talks. Peace Now is offering detailed maps showing why Israeli settlements will also derail a two-state solution.

Rice Travels to Violence-Plagued Kenya

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Kenya on Monday. Washington wants President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to strike a power-sharing agreement to end violence that has plagued the nation since the December presidential election.

Unemployment Rate Fell, 125,000 Jobs Cut In June

The Labor Department said Friday that U.S. employers cut 125,000 jobs in June, bringing the jobless rate to 9.5 percent -- its lowest level in almost a year. The unemployment rate for May was 9.7 percent.

School Infrastructure

NPR's Anthony Brooks reports that many of the nation's schools are crumbling and in drastic need of repair. According to the General Accounting Office a third of the nation's schools, educating 14 million children need fixing. The Clinton Administration has proposed a plan to help rebuild that infrastructure, but opponents believe the funding and the fix-up should be left to local school officials.

Life As A Libertarian

Minimum government. Maximum freedom. The Libertarian ideal is a marriage of those principles, which are resonating with more Americans. Interest and registration in The Libertarian Party has steadily been on the rise with a spike in January 2016 that cemented its status as the largest third party in U.S. politics. But as the popularity of the party rises, who is its message reaching? There are lingering questions about the party&#8217;s lack of diversity among its members and its leaders have their work cut out for them convincing voters to break from America&#8217;s two-party majority. A Libertarian has never been elected to a seat in Congress, but candidates have had some success at the state and local levels. Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, answers questions about his party&#8217;s place in politics in 2018 and what it means to be a Libertarian today. GUESTS Nicholas Sarwark, Chair, Libertarian National Committee For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2018 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.

Afghanistan - War Update

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports construction has begun on a facility where al Qaeda prisoners will be detained at the U.S. base in Guantanamo, Cuba. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld again ruled out negotiation over the fate of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters who are now reportedly surrounded in Afghanistan. He also suggested that the United States will find ways "to deal" with other governments that are not cooperating in the U.S. war against terrorism.

Democrats, GOP Throw Money At Alaska's U.S. Senate Campaigns

The GOP has dumped millions of dollars into Alaska's tiny media market to try to unseat Democrat Mark Begich. And Democrats have responded in kind, making this the state's most expensive campaign.

Okla. Superdelegate Wants to Be Left Alone

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes has a reputation for letting you know what's on his mind. But one thing he won't share is his choice for president, and because he's a superdelegate to the Democratic convention, people keep asking. Scott Gurian reports from member station KGOU in Norman, Okla. ANDREA SEABROOK, host: Well, the choices are clear for Democrats in Pennsylvania and Indiana. The so-called superdelegate primary is a lot murkier. Superdelegates could be the decisive force in the Obama/Clinton race. In the latest in NPR's series of superdelegate profiles, we'll spotlight Ivan Holmes. He's the Democratic Party chair in Oklahoma. Scott Gurian reports from member station KGOU in Norman, Oklahoma. SCOTT GURIAN: Just down the road from the Oklahoma capital, Ivan Holmes sits in his office in the state Democratic Party headquarters. He's dressed informally in gray corduroy pants and a button-down sports shirt, and he seems more like a grandfather than head of a political party. His desk is a scene of organized chaos. Neat stacks of paper on nearly every inch of free space and papers taped on all the walls. Off to one side, there's a stuffed donkey from the animated Disney film "Shrek." Mr. IVAN HOLMES (Superdelegate): In this job you need all the stress relievers you can get and I guess that donkey is one of them. GURIAN: Holmes has lots of stress to relieve. Since taking the job nine months ago he's worked 12 hours a day, six days a week, refusing his salary so as to help the party get out of debt. For Holmes, national politics often takes a back seat. Mr. HOLMES: My priorities are to somehow get the Democrats back in control of the Oklahoma House and Senate. That's the things that affects our lives. It affects our education, it affects our healthcare, it affects things that are more important to me than who's president. GURIAN: So as a superdelegate, Holmes says, he's trying to decide which Democratic contender would be best for his local candidates. Initially he thought John Edwards was the best person for the job. But now that Edwards has dropped out of the race, Holmes is weighing Barack Obama against Hillary Clinton. Mr. HOLMES: Obama will bring young people into the party that we haven't had before; Hillary will bring in independent and women votes. On the other hand, polls have shown that neither one of them can carry Oklahoma. GURIAN: Ivan Holmes says he'll do some polling to determine which candidate would come closest to Republican John McCain, but he's leaning towards Senator Clinton, who won Oklahoma on Super Tuesday. Either way, Holmes says he'll probably hold off until the very last minute before officially making up his mind. Mr. HOLMES: The longer you wait - as long as neither one of them gets a majority - the more influence you're going to have with what those people can do for the party. GURIAN: Holmes shares that view with a lot of superdelegates, especially in Oklahoma, where seven of the other nine superdelegates are also uncommitted. For NPR News, I'm Scott Gurian in Norman, Oklahoma.

North Korea Says It's Ready To Launch Satellites Aboard Rockets

North Korea said Monday it is ready to launch multiple satellites aboard long-range rockets to mark the ruling communist party's anniversary next month, a move expected to rekindle animosities with its rivals South Korea and the United States. The North's state media quoted the head of the national aerospace agency as saying the country has been making "shining achievements" in space technology ahead of the 70th birthday of the Workers' Party. It said scientists were pushing forward on a final development phase for an earth observation satellite for weather forecasts. "Space development for peaceful purposes is a sovereign state's legitimate right ... and the people of (North Korea) are fully determined to exercise this right no matter what others may say," the Korean Central News Agency said, quoting the agency director who was not identified by name The world will "clearly see a series of satellites soaring into the sky at times and locations determined" by the Workers' Party, it said. The launches, if made, are certain to trigger an international standoff, with Seoul, Washington and other neighboring countries condemning past launches by North Korea as disguised tests of its long-range missile technology. South Korea's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the launch would represent a "serious" violation of U.N. resolutions, but added it had not detected any signs indicating North Korea was preparing such a launch. North Korea has spent decades trying to perfect a multistage, long-range rocket. After several failures, it put its first satellite into space with a long-range rocket launched in late 2012. The U.N. said it was a banned test of ballistic missile technology and imposed sanctions. Experts say that ballistic missiles and rockets in satellite launches share similar bodies, engines and other technology. An angry North Korea then conducted its third nuclear test in February 2013, inviting further international condemnation and sanctions. Washington sees North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as a threat to world security and to its Asian allies, Japan and South Korea. North Korea says it has already built a nuclear warhead small enough to be loaded on a long-range missile that can threaten the United States. Analysts are skeptical of that claim but believe a fourth nuclear test would put the North a step closer toward its goal of manufacturing such a miniaturized warhead. he North's announcement Monday also raised doubt about recent signs of easing animosities between the rival Koreas, which have agreed to hold reunions next month of families separated by war. The two Koreas previously threatened each other with war in August in the wake of mine explosions blamed on Pyongyang that maimed two South Korean soldiers earlier in that month. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggression from North Korea.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat — And Keep Rowing Another 2,400 Miles

More people have summited Mount Everest than have rowed boats across the Pacific Ocean. Now, a new competition is trying to change that. The Great Pacific Race is the first ever ocean rowing event to cross the Pacific. Krista Almanzan of of member station KAZU reports that the inaugural race is set to kick off — as some 2,400 miles stretch before the competitors. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: When it comes to extreme sports, more people have climbed to the top of Mount Everest than have rowed a boat across the Pacific from the US mainland to Hawaii. A new competition hopes to turn the tide. The inaugural Great Pacific Race got underway this morning from California's Central Coast. There are four - there are 34 competitors, some rowing in teams others going solo. Krista Almanzan of member station KAZU met some of the rowers before the race started. KRISTA ALMANZAN, BYLINE: Jim Bauer's muscles are all that power his bright yellow ocean rowboat. He sits on a gliding seat, pushing his legs back and pulling the oars toward him. He's headed out into the Monterey Bay. JIM BAUER: It's going to be windy out there. I can feel it. ALMANZAN: This is a test run for a 2400 mile human-powered trip. The Great Pacific Race goes from Monterey, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. BAUER: Just having this view from the ocean, it's a feeling of isolation, of course, but it's a good feeling. It's freedom. ALMANZAN: Bauer is a 65-year-old pool maintenance man from San Diego. He's dreamed of this journey since he was 11. That is when he read about the first pair to row an ocean back in 1896. BAUER: The fact that they had the courage to do something like that... ALMANZAN: Bauer is the oldest competitor in this race some will row in teams of four or two, and a few, like Bauer, will row solo. So making sure everything on this boat works is all up to him. BAUER: Let's see if we can make the water-maker function. ALMANZAN: The boat is equipped with a machine to desalinate seawater. It also has a satellite phone, GPS and anticollision equipment. CHRIS MARTIN: Most of these boats are actually better equipped than several trans-ocean yachts. ALMANZAN: Race director, Chris Martin. MARTIN: You can see these black sheets all over the cabin roofs. Those are solar panels, which power everything on board. ALMANZAN: Martin says crews will leave Monterey with everything they need to survive the 30 to 90 day journey. That includes freeze-dried food, an emergency water supply and backup equipment, like an extra set of oars. Once out on the ocean, they'll be in communication with the shore but any physical support disqualifies rowers. Martin understands the challenges and rewards ahead. He's rowed across the Atlantic and North Pacific. MARTIN: So much has been done in the world. There's been more people in space than have rowed an ocean. It's one of the last great firsts left on the planet. ELSA HAMMOND: Hi, I'm Elsa Hammond. I'm rowing solo in this race. I'm 29. I'm from Bristol in England. ALMANZAN: For Hammond, and many of the competitors, figuring out how to pay for this adventure has taken as much time as the mental and physical preparations. HAMMOND: My budget was £100,000 - British pounds - which, I'm coming in under that. REPORTER: The largest cost is the boat. Then there's supplies, insurance and the entrance fee. To help cover it all, Hammond is selling mile sponsorships, each honoring an inspirational woman. HAMMOND: We've got a whole section on the website with names of the women and all the reasons why people have dedicated miles to them. ALMANZAN: As Jim Bauer rows his boat back to the dock, he knows there's some long days ahead. But he has some audio books and music to pass the time. That, and the joy of never giving up on his childhood dream. BAUER: I want to cry now, sometimes. Sometimes when I really think about doing it I'm very emotional because it is something I thought about my whole life. ALMANZAN: Bauer expects to complete his row in 70 days or less. If he does, he'll become the oldest person on record to row an ocean solo. For NPR News, I'm Krista Almanzan in Monterey. CORNISH: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.

The Long, Lonely Slog for Campaign Cash

Anne Dunsmore, former chief fundraiser for Rudolph Giuliani's presidential campaign, was a restaurant manager in Washington before she lost a bet and became a political fundraiser. Fundraising, she says, is a very lonely job that people in campaigns fear the most. For those who do fundraising, it is a labor of love — and the only job in a campaign that can be quantified by the hour. Dunsmore says the most feared aspect of fundraising is the rejection — so the trick is to find a way to avoid it. For all the time and effort that goes into raising money, it is getting turned down that takes the most time. When people say no, she says, they often feel the need to explain themselves. When donors say yes, they do so quickly. Dunsome says political fundraising is generally misunderstood, because the press often gets its stories about this aspect of the political process wrong. However, Dunsome says this is partly because fundraisers rarely talk to the press. Dunsmore talks to Alex Cohen about the art and drudgery of fundraising for political candidates. ALEX COHEN, host: And now to the people who fill those campaign coffers with cash. As we just heard, Anne Dunsmore has been Rudy Giuliani's chief fundraiser. She left his campaign last week. Dunsmore stumbled into professional fundraising 30 years ago. Ms. ANNE DUNSMORE (Fundraiser): I got into this business because I used to manage a restaurant in Capitol Hill. And I was the only female on the management staff and I got stuck with the night shift. And all the staffers would come into the bar and I lost a bet. And the loser had to volunteer 20 hours a week for a presidential campaign. I managed to get them to say a presidential campaign of our choice because it was a bunch of Kennedy staffers at the time. So I lost and I wasn't interested in domestic affairs or politics at all, so I went to every single campaign and I went to George Bush 41's campaign in 1979. I never left. COHEN: You're no longer with Rudy Giuliani's campaign. How do you make that choice of when is it the right time to leave and no longer fundraise for a particular campaign? Ms. DUNSMORE: It's a gut, and I think that you have to develop a gut. You have to believe. If you don't believe in anything else, you have to believe in yourself. And you have to believe in what your own instincts give to you, because I have to say, fundraising is a very lonely job. It's something that most people in every campaign fear the most. They don't understand it. They don't want to do it. It's the only thing that can be judged quantifiably every day, literally by the hour. I pretty much understand intuitively when I can be of maximum support to a campaign and when my expertise is going to be marginalized or minimalized, when they don't even know. So I try and make it as painless as possible and just say, oh, it's time for me to go now. COHEN: I think that a lot of people fear fundraising, regardless of what or who they're raising money for; people hate asking other people for money. Ms. DUNSMORE: Yeah. COHEN: Is it worse or more intimidating when you're asking on behalf of a presidential candidate or is it easier? Ms. DUNSMORE: Everything has its ups and downs, whether you're raising money for diabetic children or you're raising money for a presidential campaign. I think the most feared element of fundraising is the rejection, somebody saying no or the money not coming in or somebody saying I'll raise a hundred thousand and sending in 25 or - you know, then they feel like failures. So not only do you have to keep the people who are being philanthropic, whether it's for medicine or for politics, it's still philanthropy. In politics, they don't even get to write it off. I mean, it is a complete labor of love, you're targeted, you immediately put a target on your back when you take sides in a presidential race, or any kind of race. And I think the fear in politics and the targeting of staff is going to take on a new level in this year that I think is unfortunate and fairly frightening, so that's a whole amount of discussion. COHEN: Well... Ms. DUNSMORE: I mean, the best way to take the legs out from a campaign is to target their fundraising, because if you shut the money off, the car stops running, and it's a difficult thing to restart. COHEN: How would you compare the pace of fundraising this time around to presidential campaigns in the past? Ms. DUNSMORE: Same. I think people in your position, I think the press in general is uneducated on fundraising, and I think the analysis of fundraising is... COHEN: What are we getting wrong? Ms. DUNSMORE: Here's the thing: it's not your fault. I think one element of politics that never is made available is the process of fundraising. But because people like myself don't often speak to the press, how are you to know? What you're looking at right now is a, you know, four, five person race on the Republican side, and that's a huge - a huge number of people to

News Brief: President Trump's Immigration Approach

Trump's ramped up rhetoric occurs as agencies scramble to implement his executive order. The focus on immigration may be diverting resources from addressing Trump's core concerns about drug smuggling.

FACT CHECK: White House Legal Argument Against Impeachment Inquiry

President Trump is refusing to cooperate with House Democrats' impeachment inquiry and will provide neither documents nor members of his administration to testify. The White House laid out a multifaceted legal argument in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in which it charged that the inquiry is invalid and "violates the Constitution, the rule of law, and every past precedent." Pelosi responded by warning that "continued efforts to hide the truth of the president's abuse of power from the American people will be regarded as further evidence of obstruction." The impeachment standoff between two co-equal branches of government raises several key constitutional questions, none of which — spoiler alert — seem particularly favorable to the president's position. Who sets the rules for impeachment? White House counsel Pat Cipollone said in the letter that Pelosi's inquiry has broken with precedent and that Democrats' impeachment inquiry isn't legitimate because it hasn't had a vote by the full House. But Pelosi, whose party controls the majority in the chamber, controls the rules for this stage in the process. The Constitution states clearly that the House of Representatives "shall have the sole Power of Impeachment" and that "the Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments." What "impeachment" means in this context is, effectively, indictment — the House has the power to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to spur a trial that would then take place in the Senate. That's pretty much all the Constitution says on the matter, according to University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck. He told NPR's All Things Considered on Tuesday that "the Constitution actually says nothing about the process the House is supposed to follow when it comes to impeachment inquiries, other than that it eventually has to approve articles of impeachment before sending the matter to the Senate." That gives House leaders a lot of discretion, which Pelosi says she's using. Must the House vote to conduct an impeachment inquiry? Cipollone wrote: "the House of Representatives has never attempted to launch an impeachment inquiry against the President without a majority of the House taking political accountability for that decision by voting to authorize such a dramatic constitutional step." The House has taken such a formal step in the past, including most recently with the impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton. Pelosi has not called for such a vote but announced last month that the House is conducting "an official impeachment inquiry." However, a former senior House Republican aide told NPR that "there is a difference between what the House should do and what the House has to do." The former aide, an expert on House rules who asked not to be identified because he is criticizing his own party, argued that it's best practice to have a vote of the full House. But there is nothing in the Constitution or in the rules of the House that compel a full House vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry. Pelosi is breaking with precedent but not rules or the law. What difference does a vote make? Cipollone and Republicans argue not only that precedent dictates there be a vote but that one is required for basic fairness. Trump and his supporters say Republicans in the House deserve the right to convene hearings or issue subpoenas and mount a courtroom-like defense of the president. Something like that took place in Clinton's impeachment, but the circumstances then were different. Among other things, the investigation into the basic facts of the case had been performed by independent counsel Ken Starr and were then presented to Congress. Today, Pelosi's lieutenants are themselves conducting the factual investigation that would precede any impeachment vote, an investigation that hit a roadblock this week with the White House's refusal to cooperate any further. Above and below it all are politics — for Trump, Pelosi and everyone else. "It's bizarre to suggest that somehow the president is going to have a say in setting this up," says Brown University professor Corey Brettschneider, author of the book The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents. A formal vote is "a made-up idea," he told NPR's Morning Edition on Wednesday. "We're clearly in an impeachment inquiry now." Why might Pelosi not want a vote? The speaker hasn't ruled out convening a vote, but she has also said she's comfortable with where the process stands now. Trump and Republicans, however, gamble that after months of hesitation about impeachment, Pelosi may not want to put some of her more moderate members in the position of needing to go on the record about impeachment with a recorded vote. Pelosi counters that she believes some Republicans also don't want to cast a vote because they're personally uncomfortable with Trump's actions in the Ukraine affair but don't want to be put on the spot. And there's no guarantee that if

Not Instrumental in His Development

The commentator recalls his childhood battles with musical instruments. Regardless of whether it was wind, brass, piano or percussion, practice did not make perfect.

What Syria's President Seeks From A Not-So-Democratic Election

The Turkish border city of Gaziantep becomes more Syrian by the day. New waves of refugees have arrived since January. In the market, Syrian craftsmen hammer out copper pots and plates, as they did back home in Aleppo. "We left to save our children," says Ali Abu Hassan. "The bombs come every day." Back in Syria, President Bashar Assad is universally expected to win in Tuesday's election, a sign to Hassan and his family that they should expect an indefinite stay in Turkey alongside the swelling ranks of refugees. Turkish officials have now floated a proposal for an eight-year residency permit for Syrians, replacing the one-year card. Last year, Turkey was convinced Assad would go soon. But no one in Turkey is saying that now. All of Syria's neighbors are adjusting policy to the new timeline. The Syrian ballot is taking place during a civil war that's in its fourth year and still raging. Assad won his two previous seven-year presidential terms facing no competition. This time, there are two other names on the ballot, but they are little-known and have no chance. In addition, the voting is only taking place in areas that the Assad regime controls. The election has galvanized international attention, says Josh Landis, a longtime Syria analyst who teaches at the University of Oklahoma. But it is more a message than a vote, to friends and foes alike, he says. "It has nothing to do with democracy," Landis says. "This is about power, and in showing your enemies that you can make everybody under your control line up and kiss your hand." "It's a fight to the death between Syria's religious minorities and the Sunni majority," Landis adds. Assad is a member of the Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and they make up a little more than 10 percent of the Syrian population. The Alawites "feel they could be pushed out. It doesn't matter if Assad is presiding over a broken country," Landis says. Assad Still Has Allies The vote comes as Assad weathers the storm with the help of strong allies Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group. His allies also support the election. Russia is sending election monitors. In recent weeks, the city of Homs, which represented the heart of the uprising, was retaken by Assad's army. The election in Homs is a propaganda coup for a regime pledging security and stability. But can the regime deliver? Analyst Brian Katulis says that's not likely. After a recent research trip to the region, he says Syria, by all measures, is a failed state. "It's a very broken country, and it is probably the most disastrous situation the whole world is facing, in terms of the human costs. So it's not a great prize," says Katulis, of the Center for American Progress. At an opposition radio station in Gaziantep, Syrian activists are working on songs and reports to broadcast into Syria on election day. There are more than a dozen opposition media outlets supported by the Turks and funded by Western donors, including the United States. The message is, "Don't vote out of fear." But war is more the focus here than the vote. Assad's allies still support a military victory as the regime gains more territory than it loses. That doesn't mean an Assad military victory, however, says Noah Bonsey, an analyst with the International Crisis Group. Overall, the battlefield remains a stalemate, he says. "The regime is not prepared, and perhaps it's not even capable of making the concessions necessary that would enable it to cash in politically on its military progress," he says. Large parts of the country are in ruins, the economic losses are catastrophic, and pro-Assad rallies do not change the facts on the ground, he says. "After all the media attention has died down, the elections will be over but the war will go on," he adds. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Tomorrow, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to win reelection. Outside of Syria that election has been widely condemned. The country is torn apart by civil war and they're not voting in rebel held areas. But Assad will likely claim a mandate to rule as he sees fit. NPR's Deborah Amos went to the city of Gaziantep, to get a regional view of the vote. It's in Turkey near the Syrian border. DEBORAH AMOS, BYLINE: This Turkish border city becomes more Syrian by the day. New waves of refugees have arrived since January. In the market, Syrian craftsmen hammer out pots and plates, as they did back home in Aleppo. ALI ABU HASSAN: (Foreign language spoken). AMOS: We left to save our children, says Ali Abu Hassan. The bombs came every day, he cries. For Hassan, Assad's expected win is a sign his stay in Turkey is now indefinite. Turkish officials have floated a proposal for an eight year residency permit for Syrians, replacing the old one year card. Last year, Turkey was convinced Assad would go soon. No one here is saying that now. All of Syria's neighbors are adjusting to the long-term stay of refugees. The election has galvanized international attention, says Josh L

Tornado Kills at Least 15 in Indiana, Kentucky

Indiana officials say at least 15 people died after a tornado struck southwestern Indiana and northern Kentucky early Sunday morning. The tornado also knocked out power to thousands.

House Rejects Debt Limit Increase Without Cuts

House Republicans engineered Tuesday the defeat of their own proposed $2.4 trillion increase in the debt limit. The vote Tuesday was 97-318, far below the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Tuesday's vote was the second show vote in as many weeks: Last week, Democrats in the Senate forced Republicans to vote on a House GOP proposal that would make controversial changes to Medicare. When House GOP leaders scheduled Tuesday's vote simply to raise the debt ceiling by another $2.4 trillion, they knew that the entire House Republican caucus would be trooping to the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Obama. Before Tuesday's vote, Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling, chairman of the House Republican Conference, said the vote will show that Congress won't raise the debt ceiling without cutting more spending. "It's an important vote to have to show the president that is not where Congress is, it's not where the American people are," he said. Nonsense, said Oregon House Democrat Peter DeFazio. "It's purely a political artifice so they can say, 'Look, everybody's against it,' so now this strengthens their hand. In my position, I'm saying until these guys get serious about the debt and the deficit — which means you have to talk both about cutting, and you have to talk about revenues — then this is all just a charade." "It will not be an adult moment on the floor of the House of Representatives," said Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, speaking of Tuesday's vote. He recalled that House Speaker John Boehner had earlier promised that voting on the debt ceiling would be the first really big adult moment for the new GOP House majority. "To put something on the floor for the purposes of seeing it fail is a demonstration of the fact that this is simply a political charade," Hoyer said. He urged Democrats to vote either "no" or "present." But Republicans pointed out that 114 House Democrats signed a letter last month demanding that any bill raising the debt ceiling have no strings attached. "So I don't quite understand how they can now be protesting us holding a vote on what they asked us to hold a vote on," Hensarling said. Rutgers University congressional expert Ross Baker says many bills that are introduced "really have nothing more to do than to embarrass the opposition." He said Tuesday's vote also lets Republicans say they opposed raising the debt limit. "The eternal quest for political cover factors very, very prominently in this decision by the Republicans," he said. "And it's a more graceful way of saying, 'I voted against it before I voted for it.' " Baker predicts Republicans will strike a bipartisan deal to raise the debt ceiling by the Treasury's deadline of Aug. 2. ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel. MICHELE NORRIS, Host: As NPR's David Welna reports, the failed vote is precisely what Republicans wanted. DAVID WELNA: Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling is on the House leadership team. He says today's vote will show that Congress won't raise the debt ceiling without cutting more spending. JEB HENSARLING: It's an important vote to have to show the president that is not where Congress is. It's not where the American people are. WELNA: Nonsense, says Oregon House Democrat Peter DeFazio. PETER D: It's purely a political artifice, so they can say, look, everybody is against it. So, now, you know, this strengthens their hand. In my position, I'm saying, you know, until these guys get serious about the debt and the deficit which means you have to talk both about cutting and you have to talk about revenues then this is all just a charade. STENY HOYER: It will not be an adult moment on the floor of the House of Representatives. WELNA: That's Steny Hoyer, the number two House Democrat, speaking of today's vote. He recalled that House Speaker John Boehner had earlier promised that voting on the debt ceiling would be the first really big adult moment for the new GOP House majority. HOYER: To put something on the floor for the purposes of seeing it fail is a demonstration of the fact that this is simply a political charade. WELNA: Again, GOP leader Jeb Hensarling. HENSARLING: So I don't quite understand how they can now be protesting us holding a vote on what they asked us to hold a vote on. ROSS BAKER: The large number of the bills that are introduced really have nothing more to do than to embarrass the opposition. WELNA: That's Rutgers University congressional expert Ross Baker. He says today's vote also let's Republicans say they opposed raising the debt limit. BAKER: The eternal quest for political cover factors very prominently in this decision by the Republicans. And, you know, it's a more graceful way of saying I voted against it before I voted for it. WELNA: David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

At Work on NASA's Pluto Mission

Leslie and Eliot Young are a brother and sister team working on NASA's "New Horizons" mission. A spacecraft the size of a piano left Earth Thursday, headed to Pluto. The Youngs discuss the mission with John Ydstie.

October Democratic Debate: Live Fact Check, Analysis

Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate in Westerville, Ohio, has some key differences from the last three. This time, there is an ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is catching up to former Vice President Joe Biden in the polls and businessman Tom Steyer is making his debut to the debate stage. There will be 12 candidates total in the CNN/New York Times debate, which will air on CNN and on many NPR member stations beginning at 8 p.m. ET. It's the most that have been on stage at once. The candidates who met the October requirements are: Biden; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former HUD Secretary Julián Castro; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke; Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders; Steyer; Warren; and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Read more about where the candidates stand on key issues, including health care, climate and gun policy. And here are key political questions we had ahead of the debate, including how will Warren handle the likely increased scrutiny with her rise? Follow NPR through the night for live analysis and fact checks of the candidates' remarks.

Scott Simon: "Windy City" (Random House) (Rebroadcast)

Simon's new novel serves up a murder and the foibles, scandals, and ambitions of local leaders in Chicago's brash, multi-ethnic politics.

Novelist, PAUL AUSTER

2: Novelist, PAUL AUSTER. AUSTER has been called "America's most spectacularly inventive writers." AUSTER recently "broadened his creative reach" with his work on two films, "Smoke" and "Blue in the Face", in a double collaboration with director Wayne Wang , who also directed "The Joy Luck Club." AUSTER has a BA and an MA in English and Comparative Literature from Columbus University. His novels include Moon Palace, The Music of Chance, Leviathan, and Mr. Vertigo. His film "Blue in the Face" is now out in theaters. (REBROADCAST from 6

Despite Mask Wars, Americans Support Aggressive Measures To Stop COVID-19, Poll Finds

With the national death toll from COVID-19 passing the grim 150,000 mark, an NPR/Ipsos poll finds broad support for a single, national strategy to address the pandemic and more aggressive measures to contain it. Two-thirds of respondents said they believe the U.S. is handling the pandemic worse than other countries, and most want the federal government to take extensive action to slow the spread of the coronavirus, favoring a top-down approach to reopening schools and businesses. "We've come to a pretty dire place when it comes to both the death toll and the spread of coronavirus across the country," said Mallory Newall, a pollster with Ipsos. "Americans, as they grapple with the reality of just how grave the situation is, they're looking for sweeping, really broad, powerful action here." While debates over masks and whether to reopen have dominated headlines, more than three-quarters of respondents support enacting state laws to require mask wearing in public at all times. And nearly 60% said they would support a nationwide order making it mandatory to shelter at home for two weeks. The findings come as federal public health officials warn of a new phase in the pandemic, with widespread infections across the country, and as the president openly feuds with those advisers. The poll was conducted July 30-31 and surveyed 1,115 adults from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. "We're doing absolutely worse" compared with other countries, said Laura Braslow, a Republican in Quakertown, Pa., who took part in the survey. "We have a leader, and I use the term loosely, who is not providing leadership to this country at all," added Braslow, who didn't vote for Trump in 2016 and doesn't plan to back him in November. "I mean if I have to suck it up and wear a mask, he should be sucking it up and wearing a mask. He should be showing the American public that this is the right thing to do." Even some conservatives who plan to vote for Trump say the federal government should do more. "I think a national approach would be better," said Kevin Reno, a Republican voter in Irving, Texas. "I think it would be effective, and it may be at the point here before too long that we have to do that." Other measures that enjoy broad backing include government funding to expand testing for the coronavirus and make it free of charge, making any future vaccine available to all Americans, and a push to produce more personal protective equipment. Mask mandates gain broad backing Trump has resisted many of those proposals and tweeted Monday that America has done "MUCH better than most other Countries" in easing the impact of the coronavirus. But most people surveyed disagree. "I think we're doing worse," said Sophie McClellan, a Democrat from Jacksonville, Fla. "I don't think we have adequate testing because it can take up to two weeks to get results," McClellan told NPR. She also said it was time for all states to impose public health mandates requiring masks in public places. Trump has declined to wear a mask in public, but Monday he sent a message to supporters saying people should try to wear masks when they are not able to socially distance from others. The NPR/Ipsos survey found that for most Americans — Democrats and Republicans — mask wearing is not controversial. Two-thirds of those surveyed favor a single, national strategy for combating the virus's spread, and about 60% support a single, national strategy for when businesses and schools can reopen. On the question of schools, 66% of Americans say they prefer remote, distance learning for children in their area in the fall, a view shared overwhelmingly by Democrats. Republicans are more divided, with nearly 60% agreeing with Trump that schools should reopen and kids should return to classrooms. When given a choice on returning to work, 69% said that, whenever possible, people should be allowed to work from home until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available. Thirty-one percent chose the option of people returning to offices and workplaces now, with safety precautions in place for employees. Americans lean toward more relief, more aggressive measures As Washington is deadlocked on aspects of a federal relief package, most people polled — roughly two-thirds — say the federal government should take on more debt to pass a bill that provides a payment for all Americans. A similar number want federal unemployment benefits extended. "They're saying right now pass another stimulus bill, pass more unemployment benefits, do your part to get the economy going," said Ipsos' Newall, who noted a majority of Republicans also back another round of federal spending. The poll also found: 59% say workers should receive a stipend that would allow them to stay at home for two weeks as part of a national quarantine effort. 55% support temporary travel bans between states as part of the effort to slow the virus's spread. "It's clear from this poll Americans want to do everything in

Sizing Up the Running-Mate Race

Republican Sen. John McCain's choice of a running mate is shaping up to be a significant issue for his presidential campaign. On the Democrats' side, is a ticket including both Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama likely?

WeWork Reportedly Plans To Lay Off 4,000 Employees

After canceling its highly anticipated IPO in September, WeWork is reportedly planning to eliminate 4,000 jobs — a third of its workforce. Here & Now&#8217;s Tonya Mosley speaks with Jill Schlesinger (@jillonmoney), a business analyst for CBS News and the host of Jill On Money. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

The Laughter of Children Is the Best Medicine

Commentator Joseph C. Phillips says a dose of love and laughter from his children is all the medicine he needs when he's under the weather. Phillips is an actor and columnist living in Los Angeles.

Morning Shots: Maria Bello Steps Up For NBC's 'Prime Suspect' Remake

Your Charlie Sheen update: Sheen is saying publicly, and other sources are apparently telling reporters, that Two And A Half Men is scheduled to go back into production February 28. But interestingly, the network hasn't made an official announcement. Just trying not to talk about it? Reserving the right to change the plan if Sheen doesn't stop calling Dan Patrick's radio show? Hard to say. Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark couldn't stop making news if it wanted to, and now the show's producers are seeing if they can make a deal with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, a writer who has done both theater and Spider-Man stories, so maybe he can improve the critical notices. Against many people's anguished pleas, NBC is remaking the British hit Prime Suspect. While hopes are not high (which, in fairness, was also true of The Office), the news yesterday that NBC had cast Maria Bello, a strong actress with a history in both television and film, was a relief. It could be so much worse. Meanwhile on Fox, Mike O'Malley, who's gotten great reviews for playing Burt Hummel on Glee, may be getting his own comedy series on Fox. Good news for O'Malley, bad news for Kurt? Endless sequels and the possible rise of Dawson, after the jump. Movies planned for 2011 include 27 — that's right, 27 — sequels (and threequels and eightquels). That's setting a record. More on this great news is available. James Van Der Beek, who recently worked on the very funny (and NSFW) site James Van Der Memes for Funny Or Die, has decided that having a sense of humor about his own image is where it's at, because he's going to play a version of himself on the new ABC comedy pilot Don't Trust The Bitch In Apt. 23, which has a way to go to make up for its obnoxious title, so let's hope Beeksy comes through. The A.V. Club has a new video Inventory available about "one-scene wonders," actors who take over a movie in a very short amount of screen time. Worth a view. (Also NSFW for original language in clips from, say, Glengarry Glen Ross.) Michael Vick has decided against a previously scheduled interview with Oprah. That is all. And finally: the online streaming battle continues as Redbox, which has had great success renting movies cheaply out of kiosks, is setting up a streaming movie service to compete with Netflix.

Hong Kong Protesters Leave The Streets, Not Their Cause

Hong Kong's final pro-democracy protest camp was removed by the police this week. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Frank Langfitt about the future of the movement and relations with mainland China.

Halliburton Faces French, U.S. Probes

Accusations surface in France that Vice President Dick Cheney's old company paid bribes to secure business overseas. The allegations center on a Halliburton subsidiary, and date back to Cheney's years at Halliburton. In Washington, defense officials call for an audit of Halliburton's gas-pricing practices in Iraq, where it is the main U.S. contractor. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Tony Blair: 'Two States' Only Solution To Ongoing 'Mini-Crises' In Mideast

Tension over Israel's plans to build more homes in east Jerusalem and the challenges that presents to restarting the Mideast peace process will be high on the agenda today when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Barack Obama at the White House. As NPR's Jackie Northam said on Morning Edition, the Obama administration has sharply criticized Israel's construction plans, which were announced earlier this month during a visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden (timing that the U.S. viewed as insulting). But "to wide applause" last night during an address to the pro-Israeli group AIPAC , Netanyahu defended the decision. "Jerusalem is not a settlement, it's our capital," Netanyahu said. Here is Jackie's report: This morning, All Things Considered host Melissa Block talked with a key player in the peace process -- former British prime minister Tony Blair. He is the official representative of the "diplomatic Quartet". That group -- diplomats from the U.S., U.N., European Union and Russia -- has been trying to bring Israel and the Palestinians together at talks. Blair is the point man. On the diplomatic flap over Israeli plans for settlements, or additional construction, Blair said that "there are going to be and there will be difficult situations that arise like this from time to time." The only way forward to real peace in the region, he repeated, is to negotiate a "two states" solution that fixes borders for Israel and a Palestinian state: Blair also compared the incredibly difficult work of bringing Israelis and Palestinians together to the lessons learned by his nation over many years of violence in Northern Ireland. "There are always ups and downs," he said, "and mini-crises. ... You keep going -- that's the lesson": Much more from the conversation with Blair is due on today's edition of ATC. Click here to find an NPR station that broadcasts or webcasts the show. After it airs, the broadcast-version of the interview will be posted here. Update at noon ET, March 30: The word "disputed" has been deleted from the post -- previously we said "disputed east Jerusalem." That word is unnecessary.

Fuel Leak Halts Launch Of Space Shuttle

NASA has called off Friday's launch attempt for space shuttle Discovery because of a fuel leak. Hydrogen gas began leaking Friday morning, midway through the fueling process. NASA says it's the same type of problem that delayed two shuttle missions last year. It's considered a serious problem because of the flammability of hydrogen gas. NASA says the next launch attempt will be no earlier than Sunday. It's possible, though, the flight may be off until December. If Discovery isn't flying by Sunday, its trip to the International Space Station will have to wait until the beginning of next month because of unacceptable solar angles. It's the final mission for Discovery as NASA closes down the shuttle program.

Harpsichordist Huguette

Harpsichordist Huguette Dreyfus (oo-GEHT DRY-foos) performs selections from the Concerto No 1 in D, BWV 972 of Johann Sebastian Bach (YOH-hahn seh-BASS-chehn BAHKH). (Denon CD 81757 6497 2)

Book News: Tom Hanks Turns To The Typewriter For His Debut Collection

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly. Gentlemen (and ladies), cue your clackers. Tom Hanks plans to share with the world his not-so-secret obsession: that elegant, ungainly machine, the typewriter. Hanks — yes, that guy — plans to publish a collection of short stories. While neither the title nor the release date is known, one detail stands clear: It will be about typewriters. Specifically, it will be inspired by his own — a smattering of stories linked to photos of Hanks' personal array of machines. The collection would mark Hanks' second foray into the world of fiction, having only dipped his toe recently with a story in The New Yorker. His obsession with typewriters, however, is nothing new. In introducing his Hanx Writer, an iPad app that clacks out the sound of the typewriter as you tap on the screen, Hanks explained to NPR's Audie Cornish the origins of his typewriter trove. "I ended up just having them around because they're beautiful works of art, and I ended up collecting them from every ridiculous source possible," Hanks said. "It really kicked off probably when I had a little excess cash. But better to spend it on $50 typewriters than some of the other things you can blow show-business money on." The book will see release from Alfred A. Knopf. While you wait, feel free to start warming up your puns — Hanks breaks type! But will he be typecast? — or, you know, don't. Dunham Cancels Tour Dates: Lena Dunham has tweeted her intention to miss two tour dates, one in Antwerp, Belgium, and the other in Berlin. The cancelations come amid controversy over a passage in her book, Not That Kind of Girl, that has prompted accusations that she sexually molested her sister when they were young children. In a column last week for the National Review, Kevin D. Williamson refers to one scene in particular, writing, "There is no non-horrific interpretation of this episode." Dunham has taken to Twitter to respond to the allegations. And Dunham's sister, Grace, has also tweeted a response. Grace Dunham continued, saying, "2day, like every other day, is a good day to think about how we police the sexualities of young women, queer, and trans people." Abramson's Startup Advances: Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times, has announced she's working on a journalism startup geared toward long-form stories. Though the venture was revealed two weeks ago, Abramson recently unveiled new details during an interview at the annual Conference and Mentoring Project. Poynter reports that Abramson is partnering with entrepreneur Steve Brill, with aims to publish "one perfect whale of a story" digitally each month. Each story will be longer than a typical magazine article and shorter than a book. Perhaps even bigger than the published stories, though, is the paycheck: Abramson expects to pay writers advances averaging $100,000. Holmes For All: Sherlock Holmes will remain in the public domain. As Michael Schaub of the Los Angeles Times reports, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case brought by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle, preserving a lower court ruling that the author's creation is no longer under copyright. Tough news for everyone hoping to procrastinate some more on their fan-fiction. Unearthing Brecht: Great news, however, for everyone devoted to German Marxist, avant-garde playwrights: the late Bertolt Brecht has had a big week in print. This literary titan of the early 20th century has been revived in Poetry magazine, where his poem "When I'd reported to the couple, thus" has just been published and paired with a note from his translator, Tom Kuhn. Kuhn writes: "Brecht was always more or less in love; in his total oeuvre love, or let us say Eros, is expressed, discussed, enacted in an astonishing variety of modes, forms, tones, and circumstances." Yet, if you're hoping the man was as nice as his poetry, Anthony Daniels is prepared to disappoint. In reviewing a new biography of Brecht, Daniels observes: "Throughout his life, Brecht absorbed generosity like a sponge, but he dispensed it like a stone." Dogged By A Comma: And then there's this correction note sent to The New York Times, spotted by Tom Bonnick of the publisher Nosy Crow: Novelist Ann Patchett would like to clarify that she is not married to her beloved dog. At least, she wouldn't be if only a comma had come between them.

Bob Mondello Review: 'Valentin'

<EM>Valentin</EM> is a film about a resourceful Argentine boy who tries to rebuild his family after his parents separate. NPR's Bob Mondello found it charming.

Watching TV Online Often Exposes Slow Bandwidth

There are more ways than ever to watch TV programs on the Internet, from Netflix and Amazon to Hulu. But many viewers discover that watching TV on the Web can be frustrating. Their favorite show might suddenly stop, stutter and be replaced by a note that reads "buffering." The problem is lack of bandwidth: The data that is the video just can't squeeze through the wires and onto the screen. But there is a place where some people never worry about bandwidth. It's called Fiber Space, and it was created by Google as part of its Internet access project in Missouri. "This is our demo space where people get a chance to experience Google Fiber," says Carlos Casas, who leads Google's team in Kansas City, Mo. The company is in the process of wiring the entire city with low-cost 1-gigabit broadband. That's about 100 times faster than what most Americans can get now. "It's not yet installed in homes, and so we wanted to have a space where people could come and just see what the technology looks like," Casas says. The Kansas City space connects all kinds of TVs, tablets and computers to Google's fast fiber network. To duplicate an experience you might have at home, reporter Suzanne Hogan of Kansas City member station KCUR and I tried an experiment. I used NPR's connection in Washington, D.C., to watch an HD nature video while downloading an 8-gigabyte video game that I wanted to play later. Hogan, joined by Casas and another Google team member, Tom Fitzgerald, did the same thing. The video begins playing in Washington, but the game doesn't t start to download. From Kansas City, Hogan reports, "The video is playing in the background. ... We haven't had any delay with that ... and we're currently how far along on the game?" Fitzgerald answers, "33 percent downloaded." In D.C., my 10-minute nature movie freezes. Meanwhile, back in Kansas City, Hogan tells me, "We've only got about two minutes left of this movie." "I can start and play a whole other movie if you want," Fitzgerald offers. Over the course of 10 minutes, Kansas City downloaded the 8-gigabyte game and watched two HD videos. In that same time, my video froze, and I downloaded 3.3 percent of the game. Fail. Things are so much better in Kansas City because Google is streaming video and information directly through its high-capacity fiber network. Casas says the company hopes the Kansas City experiment will inspire broadband providers to deploy similar networks around the country. "We saw it when we went from dial-up to broadband. People didn't think of the things we'd be able to do, and all of a sudden we have video conferencing, we have social media," he says. "So now we're very excited about the possibilities that fiber will bring." Faster Internet speeds will not only make it possible to watch HD video while downloading a game. Blair Levin, a telecommunications specialist at the Aspen Institute, says he also imagines video chatting with friends while they're all watching the same game on TV. "Wouldn't it be great if you could watch the college football game with all your buddies from college," he says, "and have something resembling the experience you had when you were in college, in terms of presence of each other." Unfortunately, Levin says, there isn't much incentive right now for broadband providers like Comcast or Verizon to upgrade their networks. Cable can already provide faster broadband service than the telephone companies, and it would simply cost the telcos too much to catch up. "In the middle of the last decade, the telcos were saying, 'We're going to provide better networks than cable,' " Levin says. "Now what they're simply saying is, 'We like the networks, we're not going to invest to be better networks — but we're going to try other ways in which we improve the value proposition.' " Those values include things like bundling phone, Internet and TV to lure consumers away from cable. For their part, TV programmers are not all that interested in making it easier for fans to watch via the Internet. "The programmers are making tens of billions of dollars by selling that programming in big bundles to cable distributors," says Susan Crawford, a former tech adviser to the Obama administration. "And they have no incentive to break up those bundles and make those individual channels available online. They'd make much, much less money." For its part, Verizon did spend more than $20 billion building out its Fios fiber network to more than 17 million customers. But then it stopped. The company's Bob Elek says nobody seems to be using all that bandwidth. "The market demand isn't really there," he says, "both from a consumer perspective and from the applications and the things that people are providing to be used on the network. It just isn't there yet." A project like the one Google is setting up in Kansas City may open some eyes to what life could be like if we had faster networks. That might lead to more demand, and maybe an end to your buffering ... I mean,

Around The Jazz Internet: Week In Review, Mar. 6, 2010

More suggested reading we didn't get around to mentioning: --Willard Jenkins on Randy Weston's Uhuru Afrika, an incredible record. (Don't sleep on Highlife either, though.) --The story of long-lost out-jazz reedman Giuseppi Logan is rather incredible. Peter Hum lays the basic details, including his turning up as a male model. --The founder of the genre-crossing, way-East Village club Nublu is putting on a festival in his native Istanbul. Lineup looks pretty interesting, too. --Darcy James Argue on the false dichotomy of improvisation vs. composition. Interesting discussion in the comments about process vs. product. --This is about WKCR, my alma mater, so of course I'm linking to it. --This week on The Checkout: Andy Milne and Benoit Delbecq in a two-piano concert. And some items we did mention: Read More >> --Howard Mandel on "Anti-Jazz," 50 years later--Francis Davis is writing about jazz again--Sonny Rollins, MacDowell Medalist--A new kind of jazz film: one that doesn't stink Finally, bits and pieces from elsewhere at NPR Music: --John Ellis & Double-Wide at WBGO, now alive as an NPR Music Favorite Session--A new biography about Nina Simone--Remembering Stacy Rowles, on Piano Jazz this week--Remembering James Williams, on JazzSet this week--A re-run of Lars' and my socialite's guide to Ornette Coleman--Bonerama is the name of this band--This Jazzercise-referencing piece, part of our Sweatin' To NPR: Workout Music series, was a lot of fun to write. The cool part is that it even works if you take it seriously, too.

Health Care Financing Initiative Filed

Late word this afternoon that the initiative has been filed for funding the health care reform plan now awaiting state Senate approval, with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez as its official authors. The initiative asks voters to approve a financing plan to pay for the $14 billion a year reform proposal, and includes [...]

Flash Mob Brings Some Sunshine Into Spanish Unemployment Office

Amid a harsh winter of austerity in Madrid, some Spanish musicians have been plotting to brighten the day of job seekers. Last week, orchestra members staged an impromptu flash mob at an unemployment office in Spain's capital. One by one, they stood up in a busy waiting room — with an oboe, a clarinet, a bassoon, a couple of violins and a flute — and busted out the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun." A singer stepped forward, stunned employees put aside their paperwork, and many joined in song. Smiles and even a few tears streaked the faces of those gathered there to request government benefits. "Little darling, it's been a long, cold, lonely winter," sang the group, which was organized by the staff of Carne Cruda 2.0, a radio program on Spain's Cadena Ser radio station. "It feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun." "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes!" the crowd sang, swaying and recording it all on smartphone cameras. Uploaded to YouTube, a video of the incident has been viewed more than 1 million times since last Tuesday. Spanish unemployment tops 26 percent, and most economists forecast that rate will get worse before it gets better. Taxes are up, salaries have been cut, and recent labor reforms make it easier for companies to fire workers. Record numbers of Spaniards are applying for jobless benefits. But for one random Tuesday in January, they sang together and then erupted into applause, hugging and kissing strangers — and then filed right back into the unemployment line.

Dangerous Deliveries: Ebola Leaves Moms And Babies Without Care

For more than two decades, Lucy Barh has been helping women deliver babies. Even during Liberia's violent civil war, when other midwives left, Barh stuck around. But none of this prepared her for a patient she saw a few months ago. "I was on duty that day when the patient came in," says Barh, at the headquarters of the Liberian Midwives' Association in Monrovia. "We did the examination. She was not in labor." The woman didn't even seem close. So Barh sent her home and told her to return to the maternity ward when her contractions started. Barh was expecting her in a couple of days, maybe a week. "But to our utmost surprise, the very next day," she says, "that woman was rushed on our ward, bleeding profusely." The woman was in full labor. The midwives raced to deliver the baby. "Right after the fetus came out, that woman started bleeding from all over," Barh says. "We did everything we could, just to save her life. But even with a blood transfusion, she ended up dying." The baby died, too. And it was only then that Barh and her team learned the truth about the woman's medical history: Two of her relatives had died of Ebola. If a person can get treatment, he or she has nearly a 40 percent chance of surviving Ebola. But for a pregnant woman and her fetus, Ebola is almost a death sentence. One small study found a fatality rate around 95 percent. The woman invariably passes the virus to the fetus. And the fetus dies before labor, or it's born and dies shortly after. The devastation doesn't stop there. Both the baby and the woman's amniotic fluid are flooded with Ebola virus — and are highly infectious. "After a few days, the midwife who did that delivery came down with Ebola," Barh says. "She spent 21 days in a treatment center. It was only by the grace of God that she recovered." Many other midwives haven't been so lucky. Right outside Barh's office is a whiteboard. There are about three-dozen photos taped on it. At the top, it says, "Nurses and midwives who have died during the Ebola crisis." Not all of them caught the infection from pregnant women, but in Liberia, you hear the same story over and over again: Someone got Ebola while trying to help a pregnant woman in trouble. When a woman is bleeding, minutes can mean the difference between life or death for the baby and mom, Barh says. "Sometimes it doesn't even give you ample time to put on your gloves. ... That alone is so dangerous for the midwives." With so much blood and so much bodily fluid involved in deliveries, even doctors with access to protective gear are getting infected. That's how the American doctor Rick Sacra got Ebola in August. Sacra, who is now recovering in Worcester, Mass., was helping pregnant women at a hospital outside Monrovia called Eternal Love Winning Africa, or ELWA. "Sacra was being very cautious," says ELWA's assistant director, Dr. John Fankhauser. "But it's also just very risky. What we consider our two riskiest places are the OB ward and the operating room." The problem, he says, is that women who are miscarrying often have bleeding and cramping, like someone with Ebola. So it's very difficult to tell the difference. The risk to health care workers is so high that many clinics in Liberia refuse to treat pregnant women. Hospitals have closed their maternity wards. The ripple of effects of that breakdown in the health care system could be more catastrophic than Ebola itself. ELWA is one of the few health facilities in Monrovia where a woman can deliver her baby. The midwives there now wear full Ebola suits — gown, gloves, face mask, goggles — during every delivery. And they get sprayed down with chlorine after a shift, just like in the Ebola clinic. "So far, by the grace of God, we haven't had another infection," Fankhauser says. "But all we can do is take great precautions. We can't stop caring for patients." Even as careful as Fankhouser was, he is now back in the U.S., under quarantine, after possible exposure to Ebola. So far, he's had no symptoms. And many midwives across Liberia have stopped caring for patients, says Ester Kolleh, the lead midwife at ELWA. They've quit or stopped coming to work. "Everybody is afraid of catching Ebola," she says, "because most nurses who caught Ebola died." Around that moment, a nurse walks by in the hallway of ELWA's OB ward. In her arms is a baby who isn't moving. Kolleh explains what happened. "Last night we received three ladies," she says. "They had been in labor one week, two weeks. Nobody to help them." The three women had gone from hospital to hospital in Monrovia. They were turned away at each one. By the time they made it to ELWA, it was too late for their babies. "All of them had stillbirth," she says. "They couldn't get help from anyone. The babies died before they came. Now we have three dead babies in the delivery room." The United Nations Population Fund says the problem is widespread across Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Maternal death rates are climbing. And tens of th

Irene's Toll: At Least 35 Deaths In 10 States

A somber update from The Associated Press: "Hurricane Irene has led to the deaths of at least 35 people in 10 states." The wire service says: -- Two deaths have been reported in Connecticut. An 89-year-old woman died in a fire started by downed power lines, and a 46-year-old man drowned when his canoe capsized on a flooded street. -- Two deaths have been reported in Florida. Though Irene did not strike the state, it caused large waves and rough surf that contributed to the fatalities. -- One death has reported in Maryland. A tree hit a chimney, which then fell on a glass sun room where an 85-year-old woman was sitting. -- One death has been reported in Massachusetts. A 52-year-old man was electrocuted by a downed power line. -- Six deaths have been reported in New Jersey. All the victims appear to have been caught up in flood waters. -- Six deaths have been reported in New York. Five of the victims drowned. The sixth, a man in his 50s, was electrocuted as he tried to help a child on a flooded street. -- Six deaths have been reported in North Carolina. Two people died in traffic incidents. Three were killed by falling tree limbs. The sixth likely drowned. -- Five deaths have been reported in Pennsylvania. Three people were killed by falling trees. One died in a traffic accident. The fifth person likely drowned. -- Two deaths have been reported in Vermont. Both people apparently drowned. -- Four deaths have been reported in Virginia. All four were killed by falling trees.

Dancing On The Border: New Songs From Brazil, Peru, Mexico and More

One thing I love about Alt.Latino is the creative license we have to play records representing every corner of the Latin world, from as many different genres and eras as we please. No one has said, "You must only play tropical songs!" "Nothing but rock 'n' roll!" Which is great, because those are unreasonable boxes in which to place a music show, especially when it comes to something as eclectic as Latin music and culture. This week's show is an excellent example of how great it is to have so much leg room. We dust off amazing Brazilian rock 'n' roll records, discover avant-garde Mexican melancholy music, spin great Colombian remixes and pay tribute to one of my favorite rappers, Italy's Jovanotti. In other words, we've got a lot of great tunes for you this week, so take a seat, loosen your belt and prepare for a delicious seven-course musical feast. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Una de las cosas que más me encanta de NPR no es solo producir Alt.Latino una vez por semana sino que además la libertad creativa que tenemos para tocar música de todas nuestros países- y para cubrir todos los géneros que se nos antojen. Por suerte, nuestros supervisores jamás nos han dicho, "¡Dedíquense a la música tropical!" o "¡Ni se les ocurra tocar algo que no sea rock!" menos mal! Claro, sería absurdo intentar poner parámetros estrictos a un show musical, especialmente si estamos hablando de algo tan variado como la música y cultura Latina. Esta semana tenemos un show que ilustra mi argumento. Desenterramos algunos discos antiguos de rock brasileño, descubrimos una nueva banda mexicana, tenemos unos excelentes remixes de Colombia, y un tributo a uno de mis raperos favoritos, el italiano Jovanotti. Tenemos un montón de buena música para deleitar tus oídos, así que siéntate, y desabróchate el cinturón: ¡te hemos preparado una espectacular cena musical de 7 platos!

'Fresh Air' Marks The 75th Anniversary Of The Liberation Of Auschwitz

In 2005, journalist Laurence Rees described the inner workings of the Nazi death camp in his book,<em> Auschwitz: A New History, </em>and<em> </em>Elie Wiesel spoke in 1988 about his experience at Auschwitz.

In 'Mayhem,' Office Workers Try To Get Ahead In Business Without Really Dying

There's always been a special, red-stained place in our culture for the splatter film, which has the unique power to reveal society's, um, insides. But the current state of the world is threatening to put the genre out of work. John Waters's Serial Mom and Bobcat Goldthwait's God Bless America were both about everyday people going on murder sprees over petty grievances, but one came out in 1994 and the other in 2011, and in-between the concept of the out-of-nowhere mass shooter morphed from a horrifying anomaly to a fact of American life. So it's possible to see how a massive slaughter of obnoxious coworkers could be played for comedy or catharsis ("that's for taking my parking spot every day, Gerald!"). But the more violent we become as a society, openly and unrepentantly, the less of a need exists for the movies to show us how much blood is in our own bodies and souls. We can see it ourselves, flooding our streets and schools and churches. All that's pretty unfair to put on the back of the brisk, low-budget gorefest Mayhem, a Corporate America deathmatch that's like The Raid meets Office Space. Under director Joe Lynch, the film would like to be remembered as a midnight oddity, or as a prank to pull on Accounting during their monthly movie night. Yet one of the reasons we likely remember Office Space so fondly is because its heroes took their most homicidal aggressions out on the printer. In Mayhem, a virus turns the employees of an ordinary, overworked law firm into rage-induced killing machines, and we can pick out the infected because one eye turns red and splotchy. But the virus and the pink-eye is practically unnecessary, because we already believe that everyone in this company is capable of murder. The film is over-the-top right out of the gate: the CEO is a coke-snorting maniac, the C-suite exec jogs at her treadmill desk as she berates her assistant, the HR rep is a sniveling Grim Reaper type who dresses in black and walks with a cane. All that's left is the fuse, the pathogen that forces them all to quarantine in the building for eight hours, and suddenly those sharp office supplies look pretty tantalizing. At the center of the carnage is put-upon hero Derek. He's played by Steven Yeun, who was sent to Walking Dead Heaven last year, allowing his charming smile and vague sense of menace to fill other projects. (Yeun was so magnetic in his small, bilingual role in this summer's Okja, it was hard not to wish for a spin-off movie centered around him.) Derek is a mid-level attorney with the wounded soul of a pencil-pusher, meaning he stands up for the underdog and paints in his spare time, although the most cutting satire in the film might be the fact that all of his paintings are of his coworkers. When Derek, already an irritable mess obsessed over a missing coffee cup, discovers he's been set up as the fall guy on a case that's doomed to fail, he tries to beg mercy from "The Nine": the company's suited, stern-faced board of directors, who have locked themselves away in a far-away floor that requires special keycards to enter. But before he can reach them, the pandemic hits (side effects may include "involuntary, aberrant, shocking impulses," a.k.a., bloodlust with a side of sex) and the cubicle farm turns into a warzone. Derek teams up with Melanie (Samara Weaving), a screwed-over former client who's on her own death march, and together the pair go medieval on the org chart, collecting the keycards that will fast-track them to the top. Shot in bright colors so we know it's a joke, the action sequences are goofy but often clumsily staged. For how much is going on, with nail guns and scissor-stabbings and one very unconvincing dislocated tongue, the chaos can feel as sterile as a Wednesday morning meeting. This is very much B-movie capitalism: The golf club-toting boss (Steven Brand) mourns the unintended death of a beloved employee by howling, "Do you have any idea how many man-hours I'm gonna lose?" And then there's the attempt to give us one of those fan-favorite kick-ass blondes, so awkward and thudding that it just might be a parody of a male screenwriter's idea of a kick-ass blonde. ("Hey guys, what if we let her say the p-word?") To be fair, although Mayhem's product is wall-to-wall violence, it's of the Wile E. Coyote variety — they're not taking it seriously, and neither should we. Splatter-film violence is distinct from regular movie violence in that it has no basis in reality, which in turn frees it from moral responsibility. But reality's catching up quick, and it's getting harder to laugh.

Today On TOTN: Dems Get A 60th; Sanford Gets More Too

Every time you think the political news might start to ease up, there's a week like this. Perfect for the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation. The Minnesota Supreme Court rules against Norm Coleman, who concedes his Senate contest to Al Franken. Mark Sanford gives TMI to AP. And speaking of tell-alls, a former aide to John Edwards inks a book deal. Plus: gays and the Obama administration. Promises were made, and some gay leaders say the president has yet to deliver. Join host Neal Conan and me every Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET for the Junkie segment on TOTN, where you can often, but not always, find interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes. And you can win a Political Junkie T-shirt! Last week's segment -- which was interrupted by the Sanford shocker -- can be heard here. If your local NPR station doesn't carry TOTN, you can hear the program on the Web or on HD Radio. And if you are a subscriber to XM/Sirius radio, you can find the show there as well (siriusly).

A Fire You Can't Put Out

Liane speaks with Andrew Manis about his book "A Fire You Can't Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham's Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth." (University of Alabama Press) Fred Shuttlesworth was instrumental in leading the many demonstrations which challenged segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, throughout the 1950s and 60s. He clashed with Birmingham's staunchly segregationist Police Commissioner, Eugene "Bull" Connor on several occasions and suffered constant harassment and personal injury in his efforts to end segregation. Rev. Shuttlesworth now lives in Cincinnati where he is a pastor.

Hot Tuna, Live in Studio 4A

The guitar-bass duo known as Hot Tuna had its beginnings in the "Summer of Love" 35 years ago, with a phone call from one old friend to another. As Jack Casady recalls it now, he got a call from his friend Jorma Kaukonen, "and he said he'd just joined a rock 'n' roll band — a folk-rock band, I believe it was called at the time. And I said, 'You're kidding - what's the name?' and he said, 'Jefferson Airplane' — and I laughed. "And then," Casady continues, "I got the offer that changed my life" — join a rock band and get paid $50 a week "whether we worked or not. I said, 'You're on.'" The Jefferson Airplane went on to fame and fortune and — largely on the strength of their second album, Surrealistic Pillow — induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Kaukonen and Casady made several albums as the duo Hot Tuna, and have been touring on and off for 30 years. They recently joined Morning Edition host Bob Edwards in NPR's Studio 4A to talk and play a few songs from their repertoire of traditional folk and blues music.

All Songs +1: Marking The Demise Of 'The Spotify Of The '80s'

Columbia House (actually, the company that has owned Columbia House since 2012) filed for bankruptcy this week, which will mean a great deal to those who were music lovers in the 1980s and '90s, and probably close to nothing to listeners under the age of 30. Columbia House was a mail-order music warehouse, which used cheap (or free) LPs, then 8-tracks, then cassettes and CDs to rope customers into its full-price subscription service. For this week's All Songs +1 podcast, Robin (who, like millions of other Americans, has Columbia House to thank for his Hootie & The Blowfish collection) is joined by NPR Music's Stephen Thompson and Piotr Orlov, who was a Columbia House employee in its '90s heyday. In this freewheeling discussion, the team talks about the nuts and bolts of the Columbia House model (it's been called "the Spotify of the '80s"), how young music fans tried to work the system, and how Stephen somehow missed the massive reach of Columbia House altogether. Were you ever a Columbia House member? What music did you discover? What do you wish you'd never heard? Share your memories in the comments below.

World Economic Outlook

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that the International Monetary Fund's most recent World Economic Outlook reflects that economies are recovering faster than predicted in many nations. The IMF says Japan is rebounding from a recession; Russia's economy is expected to stay flat; the U.S. economy will cool somewhat; and the recession in Latin America will turn around by the end of the year.

Director Bryan Singer Faces New Scrutiny Over Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

<em>Bohemian Rhapsody</em> director Bryan Singer faces renewed scrutiny over sexual misconduct and assault allegations after <em>The Atlantic</em> published years of detailed accusations on Wednesday.

Franz Lehar (Lay-Hahr)

Franz Lehar (LAY-hahr) followed in his father's footsteps and conducted military orchestras until 1902, when he jumped the path to become the most beloved operetta composer of the 20th century. Lazlo Marosi (LAHZH-loh MAH-roh-see) conducts the Budapest Symphonic Band in two marches by the younger Lehar, "The Two Fellow Soldiers March" from the 1903 operetta "Der Rastelbinder" (dair RAHS-tel-BIN-dair--"The Tinker") and "Hole, hole, hole," the march of the 25th regiment. (Hungaraton HCD 16849)

Study: Public's Acceptance of Gays Increasing

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Karlyn Bowman of the American Enterprise Institute about public attitudes toward homosexuality. The think tank recently released a study of 30 years of data about how the U.S. public views gays.

Teddy Thompson Performs On The BPP

At age 18, Teddy Thompson moved from his home in England to Los Angeles and started a band. It seemed just about the right course for the son of folk legends Richard and Linda Thompson. He's toured with Rosanne Cash, and his last album, Separate Ways, was a critical success. His new album, which will be released next Tuesday July 17, is somewhat of a departure from his folk-pop roots -- it's an album of country covers, all the music he grew up listening to. Alison and Luke talk with him about why he decided to cover these songs, and he performs a couple from the album, including an original composition called, "Down Low." We also hear his cover of George Jones' "She Thinks I Still Care," and he plays us out with "You Finally Said Something Good (When You Said Goodbye)" If you happen to be in NYC next Tuesday, he has a record release party at 7p at Mo Pitkin's. He'll also be performing on The David Letterman Show on Wednesday. Check out his MySpace page to find out when he might be coming to a stage near you. And if you can't catch him live, this is the next best thing -- his performance of "She Thinks I Still Care" from this morning's show:

New Music Friday: Aug. 17

New Music Friday returns from a two-week break with some of 2018's most anticipated releases, including Death Cab For Cutie's <em>Thank You For Today, </em>Mitski's <em>Be The Cowboy, </em>Ariana Grande's <em>Sweetener </em>and more.

For Hockey Player, Prison Saves Two Lives

There are dramatic lives — and then there's the life of Mike Danton. Sports fans remember Danton as a former National Hockey League tough guy, whose budding career came to a stunning end in 2004 when he pleaded guilty to trying to hire someone to carry out a murder. This week, Danton was back in the news and the subject again was life and death. But this time, Danton, who's out of prison and back on the ice, was on the right side of the story. From Clean Hit To 'Something Pretty Scary' By hockey standards, the hit was clean. But the end result wasn't. Marcus Bengtsson, a 21-year-old forward for the Swedish professional hockey team IFK-Ore, took the hit from an opponent during a game last week against Soderhamn-Ljusne. The hit sent Bengtsson into the ice head first. Danton, who signed with IFK-Ore in late July — his first pro contract since he left the NHL in 2004 — skated over to his fallen teammate. "I heard him start groaning," Danton says. "I looked down and I was like 'You OK?' and he just went into convulsions and started shaking." Danton flung away his gloves, stick and helmet and knelt down beside Bengtsson. Bengtsson's condition got worse. "His eyes started rolling back and his face went from normal color to beet red and then to pale white," says Danton. "Then all of a sudden he started convulsing even more and bubbles of blood were coming out of his mouth. It went from being what I thought was a clean hit, to something that was pretty scary." Aiding A Teammate Danton estimates Bengtsson's convulsions continued for six to eight minutes. It seemed like an eternity. At one point, Bengtsson relaxed his clenched jaw enough for Danton to wedge his fingers inside Bengtsson's mouth. Danton later was told he shouldn't have done that — and he has the bite marks to confirm it. But, as he said later, "you could very easily tell that he couldn't breathe, the way he was pushing air out through his clenched teeth ... and the color of his face. Something had to be done, and I made a decision and I put my fingers in there." Good thing. Danton indeed discovered that Bengtsson's tongue was back, blocking his throat. He grabbed Bengtsson's tongue and "pulled it up a little bit." Then Danton and other players who'd rushed over to help rolled Bengtsson onto his side. Bengtsson's color returned. The convulsions subsided. He opened his eyes. Danton says he asked him if he was OK, and Bengtsson said "yep." Danton asked him, "Do you know where you are?" Again, Bengtsson answered in the affirmative. As a last test, Danton cracked a joke. "He is a big fan of Manchester United," Danton says. "I said, 'Well, Manchester United sucks.' And he started laughing!" After that, Danton says, he started crying. "I almost lost one of my friends," Danton thought to himself. A Prison Lesson: Learning To Help Danton says the hockey-loving locals from Furudal, Sweden — home to IFK-Ore — are grateful for what he did. Obviously, so too is Bengtsson, who is alive and recovering from what's described as a mild concussion. Danton says the five and a half years he spent in prison helped him learn how to help people. While incarcerated — first in the U.S. and then in his native Canada — Danton became certified in first aid. He learned from prison nurses, who explained how to treat the drug-addicted inmates Danton often would see having seizures. And, Danton says, he learned how to be cool under fire. "I've dealt with so much turmoil," he says, "that in situations of adversity and stress I just deal with it very well." By the time Danton had made it to the NHL — as a hard-nosed, brawling player — he'd already dealt with a lifetime of turmoil. He says his biological father physically and sexually abused him as a child. (The father denies it.) In search of caring adults, Danton fell in with a youth coach in Canada who, by some accounts, developed a Svengali-like control over Danton. According to the FBI, the coach was the target of Danton's murder-for-hire scheme. In an ESPN documentary about Danton called Stranger Than Fiction, Danton says he hatched the plot in 2004 because he was convinced someone wanted to kill him. "You mix in pain medications, stimulants, uppers, downers, sleeping pills, stuff like that with someone that has a ridiculous amount of paranoia and other psychological things going on in their head, and it's a recipe for disaster," Danton says. "I guess the demons just caught up with me." Lives Saved The case took another strange twist in recent years when Danton revealed his intended victim wasn't his coach but rather his estranged father. Danton declines to give any more detail, and the plot never was carried out. Danton served his time. He says it was five and a half years of his life gone. But at the same time, he says, those years were some of his most important because they laid the foundation for who he is today. Danton took college correspondence courses in prison. After his release in 2009, he enrolled at St. Mary's Unive

This Hour We're Going Back

This hour we're going back to the gala finale concert one month ago at the OK Mozart International Festival in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Here's how it all began...the Overture to "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is performed by Festival Artistic Director Ransom Wilson conducting the Solisti New York Orchestra. (KWGS, Tulsa)

Week in Review: Pope's Funeral, Iraqi Politics

Scott Simon reviews the week's news with Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr. Topics include the funeral of Pope John Paul II and political developments in Iraq.

The Marketplace Report: Stealing Copper Wiring

The price of precious metals has climbed so high that thieves in the United States are climbing telephone poles and stealing copper wire for resale on the scrap market. Madeleine Brand talks to John Dimsdale of <EM>Marketplace</EM> about the rise in "scrap metal bandits."

Here's A Switch: Tarred For Taking Environmentalist Money

When Freedom's Watch ran an ad accusing Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX) of "politics as usual," the group's line of attack was anything but usual. Unlike a barrage of ads from independent advocacy groups attacking Republicans for accepting contributions from "Big Oil," Freedom's Watch accuses Lampson of taking donations from an environmentalist group -- or rather, "a liberal special interest group that favors high gas prices." The group at issue was the Sierra Club. The ad ran over the last two weeks.

Pay To Play The Health Care Way

If you've ever wondered how much pay it takes to play in Washington's health care debate, check out the Center for Responsive Politics post today on how much the pharmaceutical, insurance and health professional lobbying groups have paid. Some eye-opening excerpts: The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents the drug industry, has spent $27.2 million since last year on lobbying. The senior citizen advocacy group AARP? They've spent $31 million on lobbyists. And the American Medical Association has spent $24.9 million, followed closely by the American Hospital Association at $23.8 million. That's a lot of loafers. So what are they getting in return? Check out NPR's series called Dollar Politics, which follows the money and influence trail, and our coverage here on what the dealmaking means to you. Thanks to NPR's Power, Money and Influence Correspondent (his real title!) Peter Overby for the tip.

World Cafe Next: Murder By Death

This week's World Cafe: Next artist is a band that's been around for a decade and a half. In fact, Big Dark Love is Murder By Death's seventh album. After many years in Bloomington, Ind., its members recently relocated to Louisville, Ky., where they recorded their new album. Murder By Death plays everything from intense indie-rock ballads to rootsy rock songs. Hear and download two tracks from Big Dark Love at the audio link.

Remembering Jazz Singer And Activist Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln, the legendary jazz singer who believed in singing as a political act, died Saturday in Manhattan. She was 80. An actress, artist and composer, Lincoln created music ranging from avant-garde civil-rights-era recordings to the equally powerful but more introspective work of her later years. Her 1960 collaboration with jazz drummer Max Roach, We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite, put her voice smack in the middle of the soundtrack of the civil-rights movement. In "Triptych: Prayer/Protest/Peace," Lincoln literally screams her anger. But that's not how she started out. Village Voice jazz critic Nat Hentoff supervised the recording of the Freedom Now Suite and watched Lincoln transform from a sultry nightclub singer into a more sophisticated artist. Hentoff says Lincoln was a sometimes self-deprecating woman with a ready, sardonic wit, and says her death is a huge loss to a jazz community that doesn't have musicians like her anymore. "You hear who they are as they play. They're telling stories," he says. "As Lester Young used to say, everybody tells a story. So we've lost one of the few still here who was always telling a story." Lincoln was born Anna Marie Wooldridge in Chicago on Aug. 6, 1930. The 10th of 12 children, she claimed the living-room piano as her own private space. After singing in the church choir and amateur contests, she moved to Los Angeles at 19 for a different kind of venue: nightclubs. At the urging of her manager, Lincoln worked her sex appeal as a club singer. But later, after meeting drummer Max Roach and becoming immersed in the struggles of black people around the world, she earned a reputation for being a warrior. She sometimes took on less serious roles, too. "It always did the actresses in, because I was the one who was supposed to have this reputation as a freedom fighter ... and I got two movies," Lincoln told NPR's Roy Hurst in a 2003 interview. One of those movies was 1968's For Love of Ivy, alongside actor Sidney Poitier, in which she plays an unconventional maid with a mind of her own. Lincoln told NPR that the film's producers thought she would play a more subdued role -- she didn't. Lincoln continued her maverick music career, writing songs and compositions with sharp imagery. Chicago jazz singer Maggie Brown collaborated with Lincoln on her 1999 album, Wholly Earth. Brown says Lincoln advised her to focus on the music and not to get bogged down in worries about agents and money. "She [told me], 'Don't worry about that. Just sing,' " Brown says. "You know, just bring the art." Brown, who performs a tribute to Lincoln called Maggie Sings Abbey, had known Lincoln since she was a child. She says Lincoln brought intensity to both her performances and her personal life, and says she was very secure in who she was. "She was committed to her art," Brown says. "She seemed very clear of what her purpose was, what she was to do." Lincoln once said that when people leave this Earth, they spread their wings of miracles in a blaze of light and disappear. Luckily, Lincoln's spirit lives on in her recordings. LIANE HANSEN, host: Abbey Lincoln, the legendary jazz vocalist who believed that singing is a political act, died yesterday at the age of 80, in Manhattan. An actress, artist and composer, Lincoln's music ranged from avant-garde, civil rights-era recordings to the equally powerful but more introspective recordings of her later years. NPR's Allison Keyes has this remembrance. (Soundbite of music) Ms. ABBEY LINCOLN (Late Jazz Vocalist): (Singing) Freedom, say freedom. Throw those shackles and chains away... ALLISON KEYES: Abbey Lincoln's 1960 collaboration with jazz drummer Max Roach, "We Insist: The Freedom Now Suite," put her deep, strong voice smack in the middle of the soundtrack of the movement for civil rights and social change. In one song from that album, "Prayer/Protest/Peace," Lincoln literally screams her anger. (Soundbite of song, "Prayer/Protest/Peace") Ms. LINCOLN: (Screaming) KEYES: But that's not how Lincoln started out. Village Voice jazz critic Nat Hentoff supervised the recording of that album, and says he watched her metamorphosis from a sultry club singer into a more sophisticated artist. Mr. NAT HENTOFF (Jazz Critic, Village Voice): I saw Abbey change, as she later put it to me, as who I really am. KEYES: Hentoff says it was magnificent to continue to watch Lincoln find herself as an artist. He also says the sometimes self-deprecating woman with the ruddy, sardonic wit, is a huge loss. Mr. HENTOFF: You hear who they are as they play; they're telling stories. And so we have lost one of the few still here who was always telling a story. (Soundbite of music) Ms. LINCOLN: (Singing) Then with disillusion deep in your eyes... KEYES: Lincoln's ability to play with the rhythm, phrasing and vibe of the lyrics made her unique. (Soundbite of music) Ms. LINCOLN: (Singing) ...to know why... KEYES: She was born Anna Marie Wooldridge in Chic

One Year Out — 5 Things That Might Determine The Next President

It's now within a year of Election Day 2016. The Republican race for the nomination is still completely unsettled, the Democratic race a little less. But hardly anything has worked out according to conventional wisdom. With that caveat, here are five big things that (we think!) will help determine the outcome of next year's election. 1. Voter mood Boy, are voters angry. They're anxious, fed up and disgusted. And they've got good reason to feel that way. For more than 20 years, middle-class incomes have stagnated. There's also been a prolonged period of political gridlock in Washington. Voters look abroad and see a world on fire, with the planet's sole superpower seemingly powerless to do anything about it except get involved in endless, futile wars. All that is a recipe for political volatility. Since 2000, every election except 2012 has been a "change" election; that is, either the White House or one house of Congress has changed party control. Voters want change. They keep voting for it, but they don't seem to get what they want exactly. On the Republican side, voters are angry at politicians, the media, President Obama and their own congressional leaders, who, despite having control of both houses of Congress, seem to be unable to stop Obama's agenda. For months, about half of Republican voters have supported Donald Trump and Ben Carson — the two "outsider" candidates with no political experience. And Republican voters consistently say they prefer a nominee with no experience inside the system. And they tell pollsters they'd rather have a candidate who sticks to his principles rather than compromises to "get something done." Democrats are also angry — at Wall Street, at billionaires and at an economic system that seems rigged against ordinary people. But Democrats tell pollsters they'd rather have a candidate who is willing to compromise. So, although voter anger is bipartisan — and there's a lot of overlap in its targets — it comes in two slightly different flavors this year. 2. The middle-class squeeze — what to do about it? Elections are always about something. And next year's election will be about real incomes and economic mobility. Call it middle-class stagnation or middle-class squeeze — this is the problem that the two parties will say they can solve. Democrats want to raise the minimum wage, make college debt free — or tuition free! — invest in infrastructure and expand Obamacare. Republicans want to cut taxes and regulations, increase school choice and replace Obamacare. This substantive debate has yet to be fully joined, but bits and pieces of it are out there now. Next year's winner will have presented the more compelling answer to the question: How can I maintain a middle-class lifestyle and be sure my kids will have a chance to do better than me? 3. The economy The economy is one of the most important political fundamentals. Wage growth and the jobless rate will help determine which party ends up in the White House. Though this recovery has had many positives, it has been long and it's not being felt strongly. Wages have only recently begun to tick up. Democrats breathed a huge sigh of relief at last week's jobs report. If that trend continues, it will be easier for President Obama's party to hang on to the White House. If the recovery sputters, as it's done so many times before, Republicans will have an edge. 4. Obama's approval rating Another leading political indicator is the president's popularity. In the modern era, only one man — George H.W. Bush — has managed to succeed a two-term president of his own party. After eight years, Americans usually want a change. President Obama has said voters want that "new-car smell." The two presidents who have seen their chosen successor win the popular vote, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, had approval ratings close to 60 percent. The other presidents, who were unable to elect their chosen successor, were all under 45 percent. Right now, Obama is hovering in the mid-to-high 40s. The exact tipping point is not clear, but Democrats would certainly prefer Obama's approval rating to be over 50 percent next year. 5. Demographics Democrats have had the edge in the electoral college in five of the last six presidential elections. The Obama coalition — younger, browner, more single, more secular, more female — might stay home in midterm elections (to Democrats' dismay), but they have turned out in presidential years. At least for Obama. This is the part of the electorate that's growing. The GOP coalition — older, whiter, more rural, more married, more churchgoing — is shrinking. So, the big demographic questions of 2016 are: Can the Democrats hang on to the Obama coalition? And can Republicans make at least some inroads with minorities and young people? Democrats don't have a demographic lock on the election. There is no "blue wall," because people in the United States are not compelled to vote. And if the GOP nominates a Hispanic or, say, a Florida-Ohio t

U.K. Bans Gas And Diesel Cars Starting 2040: Electric Cars Are The Future

Promoting a future of electric cars, the U.K. will ban sales of new gas and diesel vehicles by 2040. Many European politicians and regulators see electric autos as critical for reducing air pollution.

White House's Pope Welcome Is 'Anti-Christian,' Huckabee Says

President Obama is taking some heat over who's been invited to attend Pope Francis' large arrival ceremony at the White House this Wednesday. The list includes the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, an activist nun and a transgender activist — guests the Vatican reportedly objected to, according to the Wall Street Journal. And the Obama administration also has critics on this side of the pond — the latest is presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Here's what he tweeted Monday: White House spokesman Josh Earnest responded to the criticism Monday, saying "there is no theological test that was administered prior to giving out tickets to stand on the South Lawn Wednesday morning." An estimated 15,000 invitations have been issued for the event, which will take place on the South Lawn of the White House. The Obama administration issued some invitations itself but also partnered with faith organizations including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocese of Washington and Catholic Charities. Earnest declined to respond directly to Huckabee's "anti-Christian" claim but said more generally that "The president's approach is to welcome the pope warmly to the United States and to eagerly anticipate and participate in a discussion about their shared values. "There is so much about what Pope Francis has to say that is inclusive and that reflects the kind of personal commitment that Pope Francis has to a wide range of issues, particularly when it comes to social justice. And his eloquent expression of those values has inspired millions people not just here in the United States but around the world, and that's why he's deserving of such a warm welcome, and the president is looking forward to the opportunity to sit down with Pope Francis for a second time and to talk about some of — many of those values that they have in common. ... "There's plenty of opportunity for others to inject politics into this situation. It certainly is a protected constitutional right of theirs to do that. But that's not what the president is interested in." Late last week, Earnest said the diversity of the large crowd "reflects the diversity of people in this country that are moved by the teachings and actions of this pope." Separate from the welcoming event, the president will sit down with the pope and is expected to discuss a range of issues. Earnest said the meeting will not be about politics or specific policies but "rather about the kinds of values that both men have dedicated their lives to championing." President Obama, he said, has been impressed at Pope Francis' willingness "to take on some tough issues and to lay out his values."

The xx On World Cafe

Romy Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith are The xx, an indie-pop band formed in the London borough of Wandsworth. Layering spare arrangements with synths, pulsing bass and haunting vocals, The xx's minimalist approach helped win the trio's debut, xx, the Mercury Prize for Best Album in 2010. For its second full-length record, Coexist, the band drew on electronic music its members discovered while on tour. On this installment of World Café, The xx plays a few songs from Coexist and talks with host David Dye about creating its sound and dealing with success. This episode was re-aired on July 7, 2014.

Fred Hersch Interprets 'Leaves of Grass'

Pianist Fred Hersch has composed his own jazz-infused arrangement of texts from Walt Whitman's exultant poem Leaves of Grass. We take you to Zankel Hall for the New York premiere, featuring the Fred Hersch Ensemble and singers Kate McGarry and Kurt Elling.

Minnesota Hockey Fan Acknowledges Players' Epic Hair

Hockey players are known for being tough and fast but did you know they also have epic hair? John King's 2017 ranking for the best hair in a Minnesota high school hockey league is out.

Fall Fashion Preview

It's fashion week in New York City. Since last Friday, designers, editors, photographers and fashionistas have been gathered in tents at Bryant Park to preview fall 2009 collections. For full screen, click on the four-cornered arrow icon in the viewer's bottom right. Based on the collections so far, this coming fall will bring thick scarves and big hats, metallics, sheens and creams. But the week is young. Although there has been no shortage of both classic and innovative design, there still remain four more days of fashion-filled surprise. Here's a glimpse of the past few days at Bryant Park.

Climate Change May Already Be Shifting Clouds Toward The Poles

The way clouds cover the Earth may be changing because of global warming, according to a study published Monday that used satellite data to track cloud patterns across about two decades, starting in the 1980s. Clouds in the mid-latitudes shifted toward the poles during that period, as the subtropical dry zones expanded and the highest cloud-tops got higher. These changes are predicted by most climate models of global warming, even though those models disagree on a lot of other things related to clouds, says Joel Norris, a climate scientist at the University of California, San Diego. "I guess what was surprising is that a lot of times we think of climate change as something that's going to occur in the future," says Norris. "This is happening right now. It's happened during my lifetime — it was a bit startling." About 70 percent of our planet is covered by clouds, at any given moment. These constantly moving shape-shifters aren't exactly easy for scientists to study. Clouds aren't as simple as their fluffy nature might suggest. To understand them, scientists have to track the behavior of tiny water droplets, as well as huge masses of clouds that might be hundreds of miles wide. And climate modelers also have to take into account the fact that clouds can have two different effects on temperatures. "During daytime, if there are a lot of clouds present, thick clouds, then that will keep the temperature cooler," says Norris, because clouds reflect incoming sunlight back to space. But thick clouds can also act like a blanket that keeps the Earth's warmth in, he says, "which is the reason why a cloudy night won't be as cold at the surface as a clear night." Clouds have been called the wild card of climate science. Researchers argue over how exactly global warming will affect clouds and vice versa. While weather satellites can give you tons of cloud pictures, Norris says these satellites aren't that great for trying to figure out long-term trends. "The difficulties we have is that every few years a new satellite is put up with a different instrument, the orbits change, and this all changes how much cloud the satellite measures," Norris explains. So he and his colleagues recently did a bunch of corrections that would make it possible to compare cloud measurements over a couple of decades, starting in the 1980s. In this week's issue of the journal Nature, the researchers explain how their findings match what scientists would expect to see, based on climate models. Norris says it's probably happening primarily because of two influences — human-produced global warming, and also the recovery from the cooling effect of two volcanic eruptions during that time frame. So will other climate researchers buy this new history of clouds? Kevin Trenberth at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado isn't so sure. "This is a very good attempt to try and get a handle on this, but I don't think it's the final answer," says Trenberth, who notes that the time frame studied was pretty short and included a period often described as the global warming hiatus, from 1999 to 2013. Climate researchers still have a lot of work to do when it comes to understanding clouds, says Trenberth, who believes the state of the science is still like that old Joni Mitchell song Both Sides Now, in which she sings, "I really don't know clouds at all." ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Look up at the sky and chances are you'll see a cloud. About 70 percent of our planet is covered by clouds at any given moment. These constantly moving shapeshifters aren't easy for scientists to study. But as NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports, researchers recently managed to analyze large-scale cloud patterns over the last few decades and what they saw surprised them. NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE, BYLINE: Whenever Joel Norris flies in an airplane, he tries to get a window seat. JOEL NORRIS: I love looking out at the clouds when I'm flying in a plane. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Norris has been studying clouds for over a quarter century. He's a climate scientist at the University of California, San Diego, and he says clouds aren't as simple as their fluffy nature might suggest. Take their effect on temperature. NORRIS: So during daytime if there's a lot of clouds present - thick clouds - then that will keep the temperature cooler. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Because clouds reflect incoming sunlight back to space. But thick clouds can also act like a blanket that keeps the Earth's warmth in. NORRIS: Which is the reason why a cloudy night won't be as cold at the surface as a clear night. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Clouds have been called the wild card of climate science. Researchers argue over how exactly global warming will affect clouds and vice versa, whether satellites can give you tons of cloud pictures. But Norris says these satellites aren't that great for trying to figure out long-term trends. NORRIS: The difficulties we have is that every few years, a new satellite is put up with a different instrument. T

Vaccine: The Controversial Story Of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver

Guest: Arthur Allen, a Former Associated Press Foreign Correspondent and Journalist with Slate (Archive from 3/13/07)

Overstretched Army Focuses on Its Teeth

Military reserves leaders seek funds to support something called "Dental Readiness." Many pre-deployment soldiers haven't seen a dentist in at least a year, are in pain and are likely to suffer a serious problem within 12 months.

Coming Up: Wednesday's Big Events At The London Games

The Olympics' twelfth day features an all-USA showdown in beach volleyball for the gold medal. In all, there are medals up for grabs in 16 events Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights of the action. All times refer to the Eastern time zone: Athletics 3:05p Women's Long Jump Final 3:10p Men's 200m Semifinals 3:45p Women's 400m Hurdles Final 4:00p Women's 200m Final 4:15p Men's 110m Hurdles Final Beach Volleyball 4:00p Women's Gold Medal Match Basketball 5:15p Men's Quarterfinal - USA vs. Australia Volleyball 11:00a Men's Quarterfinal - USA vs. Italy Boxing 8:30a Women's Fly (51kg) Semifinals 9:00a Women's Light (60kg) Semifinals 9:30a Women's Middleweight (75kg) Semifinals 3:30p Men's Light Fly (49kg) Quarterfinals 4:30p Men's Welter (64kg) Quarterfinals 5:30p Men's Light Heavy Quarterfinals You can also follow our full schedule of events for today.

Why Do We Love Some Animals But Eat Others?

Attitudes toward animals are a delicate and complicated matter. We can group animals into vertebrates and invertebrates, into the wild and the domestic — or into those we keep as pets, those we eat and those we regard with disgust as vermin. It's OK to love them — but only so much. And there's the question of what types of animals you can love. You're allowed to love a dog or a cat. But can you, should you, is it appropriate, to love other kinds of animals? My brother had a hermit crab when he was a boy. I don't know how he felt about it — but can a healthy, well-rounded person love a hermit crab? I'm not passing judgment. It strikes me that the shifting, unstable, historical, emotional, playful and earnest feelings we Americans have about animals has a lot to do with other kinds of value, meaning and quality in our lives. And, so, it is with a real sense of curiosity that I wonder about our varying relationships with animals. Why, for example, it is that we do not even notice road kill, for the most part — let alone stop to mourn it? And what can be said about the fact that the sale of bull semen is a big part of the cattle industry — and the methods used to create supply? You can get the salacious details in Jane C. Desmond's fascinating new book Displaying Death and Animating Life: Human-Animal Relations in Art, Science, and Everyday Life. This is a scholarly work devoted to looking at the variety and tensions surrounding human-animal relations in, as the subtitle puts it, art, science and everyday life. Her focus, in this gripping book, is our contemporary American society (to the extent that there is any such a unified thing). She investigates, for example, our pet burial practices and the ways in which these are similar to but also so very different from those surrounding human burial. Perhaps precisely because there is, or continues to be, as it happens, something marginal, ridiculous or even outrageous about the very idea of a pet cemetery, these have become, she shows, places for creative and improvisatory engagement with death and mourning. Only a very small fraction of the millions and millions of American pet owners bury their deceased pets in designated pet graveyards. She makes a good case, though, that such burial practices — she also explores the writing of pet obituaries — help us understand shifting conceptions of family and kinship. Of particular interest to this reader is Desmond's level-headed treatment of the phenomenon of "art" by animals. Desmond is careful to tease out the many different sorts of factors lurking behind what is no doubt a growing market. She recounts the sale of three paintings — by an ape — that fetched $30,000 at a London auction house in 2005. Students of animal cognition and human evolution, as well as those interested in raising funds for zoos and other animal-oriented philanthropies, all have a vested interest in the production and study of so-called animal art. But do animals really make art? Art, as we know it in the human world, happens against the background of shared culture. We use the term"outsider" art to refer to paintings, buildings, quilts, etc., by people lacking the usual training and career formation of professional artists. But the idea of art that is truly outside culture — as an animal art would have to be — is a nonstarter. It would be like imagining that animals in nature might make touchdowns. You need football — a whole practice — to get touchdowns. Unless of course, as Desmond considers, there are animals that are not, or not entirely, outside culture because, as in the case of some chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates, they have been raised with humans and so are, in a genuine sense, at home in a bi-species environment. Desmond notes the political meanings that may be attached to the question of animal art. If an ape is, or even might be, an artist, she considers, this could be taken to have a bearing on what sort of political obligations we have to them. When people purchase a painting by a chimpanzee to put on their wall, they may be motivated, as Desmond puts it, by the ideal (or perhaps the fantasy) of subverting the presumed primacy of the human. She may be right about this. But I would hope that we don't make the mistake of holding the moral standing of nonhuman lives hostage to their status as would-be artists and writers. For their sake, I mean. This is an important and moving book. Reading it is a bit like catching an unexpected glimpse of yourself in a reflection and being worried about what you see. How is it that we remain, as a culture, so largely unreflective about animals and their place in our lives? Alva Noë is a philosopher at the University of California, Berkeley where he writes and teaches about perception, consciousness and art. He is the author of several books, including his latest, Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015). You can keep up with more of what Alva is thinking on Faceb

It's All Politics, Mar. 5

A big news week for New York politics: Gov. David Paterson pulls out of the race in November for his own job. Rep. Rangel steps down as the top taxwriter. And Rep. Eric Massa announces he will retire for health reasons.

Does Sleep (Or Lack Of It) Affect Weight Loss?

A new study in the <em>Annals of Internal Medicine</em> suggests that dieters' sleep duration affects weight loss. Those who slept less lost more muscle than fat, while dieters who slept more took off more fat. Sleep researcher Michael Lacey explains how sleep relates to weight.

A.J. Jacobs: How Can We Thank Those We Take for Granted?

Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode TED Radio Wow-er How many people helped make your morning coffee? A.J. Jacobs set out to thank them—from the farmer to the barista and everyone in between—and discovered the list was much longer than he thought. About A.J. Jacobs A.J. Jacobs is the author of four New York Times bestsellers. His most recent book is Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey. He is also the editor at large at Esquire magazine, an NPR commentator, and a columnist for Mental Floss. Jacobs' writing often chronicles his self-experiments, which have involved taking a vow of total honesty, following the Bible literally for a year, and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Access the original TED Radio Hour segment here. Activity Guide - Printable PDF Activity 1: Gratitude Letter Expressing gratitude can make you and those around you happier. As Guy talks about in the episode, there's a lot of research that supports gratitude as a way to find happiness and some of that research supports this very exercise. While we all know we should thank those who do kind things for us, sometimes our thank yous can be hurried or not very meaningful. This exercise encourages you to express gratitude in a thoughtful and deliberate way by writing—and, ideally, delivering—a letter of gratitude to a person you have never properly thanked. Materials: Pen and paper, or computer if you prefer to type A phone or computer to call the person and deliver the letter How To Do It: Think about someone who has done something for you that you're extremely grateful for, but someone that you never shared that gratitude with—this could be a relative, friend, neighbor, or teacher. Try to pick someone who is still alive and could speak with you in the next week. It may be most helpful to select a person or an act someone did that you haven't thought about for awhile—and maybe take for granted. Write as though you are addressing this person directly ("Dear ______"). Don't worry about perfect grammar or spelling. Describe as specifically as you can what this person did, why you are grateful to this person, and how this person's behavior has positively affected you. Try to be as concrete and specific as possible. Describe what you are doing in your life now and how their act of kindness has contributed to it. Try to keep your letter to roughly one page. Next, you should try if at all possible to deliver your letter personally. Email or text the person to set up a time to chat for thirty minutes. Or just call them and see if now is a good time for them to talk. You can let the person know you have something special to share but don't reveal the exact purpose of the call. When you meet, let the person know that you are grateful for them and would like to read a letter expressing your gratitude. Take your time reading the letter. While you read, pay attention to their reaction as well as your own. After you have read the letter, you can discuss your feelings together. You can email or send the letter through the postal service for them to keep. (Source: adapted from Greater Good In Action) Activity 2: Sketch Noting If you've ever found yourself doodling during class, this activity and skill is for you. The whole point of written notes is to capture concepts and connections from a given source, but bullet points and sentences aren't the only way you can convey those. Sketch noting combines drawings with words to do the same thing. By the end, you may have found a whole new note-taking system you'd like to use in the future. Materials: Blank white paper A few different colors of marker, three to five is good Optional: ruler or other drawing aids How To Do It: Whenever there's a concept or idea that you can draw on the page instead of fully write out, draw it! Words are helpful too but no need for full sentences here, just keywords and phrases. To give you more of an introduction and a visual toolkit, watch these two short videos: An Introduction To Visual Note-Taking and What To Listen For While Sketchnoting To recap, listen for: meaningful objects (figurative too), key actions, emotions, key thoughts from the speaker, and interactions the speaker has with other people in the story. Also feel free to pause the segment as you go to spend a bit more time on your drawings, if that would be helpful. Once you feel like you have a sense of sketch noting, gather your materials and listen to A.J.'s segment. Here's one of our sketch notes from listening to the segment, how does yours compare?

A Migrant Worker's Childhood

Commentator Margarita Hernandez is a Mexican-born poet. She recalls her childhood as a migrant farm worker in California and Oregon.

On The Colbert Report

The silent "t" may be the bane of a second grader's world, but here at Ask Me Another we celebrate its sneaky persistence. Host Ophira Eisenberg quizzes our contestants on words that all share this phonetic nightmare. Don't botch it.

'Altered Carbon' Doesn't 'Add Much That's New' To Crowded Sci-Fi Lineup, NPR TV Critic Says

Science fiction shows are all the rage &#8212; with CBS&#8217; reboot of &#8220;Star Trek,&#8221; HBO&#8217;s &#8220;Westworld&#8221; and more, there&#8217;s no shortage of TV in the genre. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans (@Deggans) joins Here & Now&#8216;s Jeremy Hobson to discuss Netflix&#8217;s new show &#8220;Altered Carbon,&#8221; which is set in the far future in a society where people can transfer their consciousness from one body to another.

A Backseat Biography: Life And Love, As Told From An Applebee's Parking Lot

Each morning for the past decade, StoryCorps has been presenting interviews recorded in booths. But this year, StoryCorps created a smartphone app that gives anyone — even if they can't get to a booth — the ability to interview someone and save that recorded interview at the Library of Congress. These interviews can be recorded anywhere, even in the parking lot of an Applebee's. That's where Kara Masteller sat with her grandfather, James Kennicott, and talked about life and love in Waterloo, Iowa — in Masteller's 1994 Buick. "How did you know Grandma was the one?" Masteller asks her grandfather. "Well, she was a good looker," he laughs. "We fit together. We were a good pair." Masteller says her grandmother's looks belied a salty personality — an innocent countenance that left people shocked when she'd break out a string of curse words. Masteller says that earned her a reputation as a "spicy meatball." It would be understandable, then, if Kennicott was nervous to propose to her. He says he wasn't, though. "If we had something to say we said it. Like you," Kennicott tells his granddaughter. And Kennicott says the key to a happy marriage was, for him and his wife, just as simple. "Well, if something happens, just say, 'I'm sorry,' and get it over with. There's no reason to carry on. I'd just say, 'I'm sorry, I love you' — and that was the whole story." Last April, Kennicott was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Masteller asks him how he has adjusted to life with the disease. "Not much you can do. I even can't remember some names now myself," Kennicott answers, laughing. "So maybe I have got it. I don't know." Ultimately, Kennicott's advice for those facing aging is simple. "Don't fight it," he says. "Just roll with — I mean, life. Live it. It's wonderful." And, as they were getting out of the car, Masteller says her grandfather added just one more thing: "Let's give 'em hell, kiddo." For the full conversation, listen at the audio link above. Audio produced for Morning Edition by Michael Garofalo. Special thanks to Iowa Public Radio. StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.