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Islamist Parties At Odds In Egypt's Ongoing Elections

As the Egyptian elections roll on over the course of several more weeks, the incoming parliament looks likely to be dominated by Islamists. But the two leading Islamist blocs have little in common and are doing their best to undermine each other. The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists do not get along in Alexandria's working-class slum of Abu Suleiman. Outside one polling station, the tension is thick as campaign workers for each group's political party hand out fliers. Zakareya Morshedy Mohammed, a volunteer for the Salafist party called Al-Nour, or "the light," says it's a healthy competition. Al-Nour and the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party each have a candidate running for one of the seats up for grabs in this runoff vote. That's not the case for the second seat, says Samir Mamdouh, a volunteer for the Freedom and Justice Party. He blasts his Salafist counterparts for soliciting votes for someone close to ousted president Hosni Mubarak's inner circle, who is running against the brotherhood candidate for that seat. The former Mubarak ally is a wealthy real estate developer named Tarek Talaat Moustafa, whose posters and banners hang side by side with the Salafist ones. Mamdouh says the fact that the Salafists are backing someone linked to the old regime proves they can't be trusted. Al-Nour party volunteer Elwany Mahmoud Elwany dismisses his rival's grousing as sour grapes. He says that as devout Muslims, they ought to forgive each other. That's been hard, given that their devotion to Islam is about the only thing the brotherhood and Salafists seem to agree on, here or anywhere else in Egypt. Different Paths The brotherhood, with its decades of political experience, has steered clear of talking about its long-term goal for a more religious society in favor of more pressing issues such as Egypt's failing economy. The Salafists, on the other hand, are political newcomers who follow a more hard-line, Saudi-influenced interpretation of Islam. Their political campaign has centered on imposing a harsher brand of Islamic law in Egypt, something that worries secular Egyptians and the Coptic Christian community. Yet grass-roots support for these hard-liners is strong, and they ended up finishing second to the brotherhood in the first stage of parliamentary elections that began last week. "The people who are surprised the most are the Muslim Brotherhood," says Khaled Fahmy, who chairs the history department at the American University in Cairo. "They didn't expect that they will have a Salafi opposition in Parliament." Though both parties are Islamists, Fahmy says they have very different criteria and agendas. Based on what he has seen on TV and social media, the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi candidates are fighting each other, he says. It didn't start out that way, however. Alliance Abandoned In a phone interview, Sobhy Saleh, the brotherhood's top parliamentary candidate in Alexandria, says his party tried forming an alliance with the Salafists early on. It made sense, he says, given their common history of being oppressed during the Mubarak era and shared views on strengthening the role of Islam in Egyptian society. But Saleh claims the Salafists broke off talks several months ago without explanation. Saleh says that given growing tensions between the two sides, it's difficult to see them forming a coalition in the new Parliament, either. LYNN NEARY, HOST: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Lynn Neary. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: And I'm Robert Siegel. In Egypt, elections continue but results so far suggest the nation's parliament will be dominated by Islamists. The two leading Islamist blocs, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists, have garnered nearly two-thirds of the votes cast. In the northern port city of Alexandria, the two groups have little in common. And as NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports, they're doing their best to undermine each other. (SOUNDBITE OF CAR HORN) SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON, BYLINE: The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists do not get along in Alexandria's working-class slum of Abu Suleiman. Campaign workers for each of the groups' political parties glare at one another as they hand out fliers outside a polling station. Zakareya Morshedy Mohammed is a volunteer for the Salafist party called al-Nour or Light. ZAKAREYA MORSHEDY MOHAMMED: (Foreign language spoken) NELSON: He says it's a healthy competition, given that Nour and the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party each have a candidate running for one of the seats up for grabs in this run-off vote. That's not the case for the second seat, says Samir Mamdouh, a volunteer for the Freedom and Justice Party. SAMIR MANDOUH: (Foreign language spoken) NELSON: He blasts his Salafist counterparts for soliciting votes for someone close to ousted President Hosni Mubarak's inner circle, who is running against the Brotherhood candidate for that seat. The former Mubarak ally is a wealthy real estate developer named Tarek Talaat Moustafa

Evidence Against bin Laden

U.S. officials have yet to publicly describe evidence that links the terrorism of Sept. 11 to Osama bin Laden, though they have made it clear they believe he is behind the attacks. Commentator Chip Pitts says clear evidence is an important key to holding a coalition against bin Laden together.

Sky Saxon: Punk's Early Seed Dies

Sky Saxon, the lead singer of the '60s psychedelic garage band The Seeds, died today. His wife Sabrina Sherry Smith Saxon broke the news on her Facebook page. "Sky has passed over and YaHoWha is waiting for him at the gate. He will soon be home with his Father. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep him here with us. More later. I'm sorry." YaHoWha was the founder of a commune where Saxon lived, and where he wrote much of his music. It was a key part of life. Saxon was an original -- a singer whose voice sounded like no other on the radio in 1966. Take a listen to this lip-synced performance and think of some of the singers who were inspired by Sky Saxon: Share your own Sky Saxon memories. Read More >> These days, you are more likely to know The Seed's first regional California hit, "Can't Seem To Make You Mine," from 1965, since it's been used in a Axe Body Spray ad. What a world.

86-Year-Old At Heart Of Indian Political Sex Scandal

Narayan Dutt Tiwari does not have the look of a Lothario. He does not strut or swagger; he is not sleek or lean. Age has left its mark on his round, baggy face and crumpled frame. Yet accounts of his sexual escapades have stunned India: Tiwari is 86 years old. Few outside India had heard of Tiwari until recently, when a local TV channel aired a video that appears to show him in bed with three young women. The video astonished many Indians, partly because of Tiwari's age but mostly because he happens to be governor of one of India's largest states — Andhra Pradesh, in the south. Or rather, he was the governor. This week, as the scandal raged around him, he resigned. America has a long history of outing public figures who stray from the straight and narrow, be they presidents, talk show hosts, or — as Tiger Woods has discovered to his cost — golf champions. Not so in India. The country has more than 1.1 billion people. Many are still very poor, with far more to worry about than the sexual adventures of their leaders. Surveys show the public does not generally have high expectations for its politicians, who are widely seen as corrupt. Hundreds of Indian state and federal lawmakers are facing criminal charges, including some cases of murder, kidnapping and bribe-taking. Until now, sex scandals involving politicians in India were rarely publicized, no matter how widely known the antics were. That may now be changing, thanks to Tiwari's alleged frolicking and also to the intensifying competition among India's proliferating TV news channels. The Tiwari video instantly made headline news. It became an overnight hit on YouTube. The media embarked on a heated debate about the significance of the octogenarian's purported sex romps and the manner in which they were exposed. One TV channel devoted an entire half-hour to the issue. A panel of pundits raised many questions: Should India demand a far higher standard from its public figures? The post of state governor is widely seen as a form of political patronage, a job handed out as a reward for loyalty or favors. Has the scandal damaged India's national government? Tiwari is a senior figure in the ruling Congress Party, which is now squirming with embarrassment. Should India's gung-ho TV news channels be in the grubby trade of peddling political sex scandals? India has no shortage of hard-line religious extremists, and it has a strong conservative streak. But, paradoxically, it also has a proud tradition of tolerance. Will that change if the private sex lives of India's leaders are seen as fair game by the ratings-hungry media? As for Tiwari, some reports suggest he is the victim of a sting after failing to keep a promise to hand out a mining lease. The scandal has erupted at a difficult time for his erstwhile state, Andhra Pradesh, which includes the city of Hyderabad, an IT hub and showpiece of India's economic rise. Hyderabad has recently been paralyzed by strikes and protests calling for India's government to fulfill a commitment to carve out a new state in northwest Andhra Pradesh. Tiwari has conceded that he did entertain women at his government headquarters, but he said they were only "official delegations." He and Congress Party officials insist the video was fabricated, in an attempt to defame him, and that he resigned on health grounds. Despite the outcry, the scandal has won Tiwari some new fans, evidently impressed that age has yet to wither the former governor. "An 86-year-old in an orgy?" said one comment posted on the Web this week. "How marvelous!" MADELEINE BRAND, host: David Letterman, Tiger Woods - we've certainly had our share of sex scandals in America last year. But the exploits of those two celebrities pale in comparison to the allegations now leveled against a political leader from India, as NPR's Philip Reeves reports in his latest letter from New Delhi. PHILIP REEVES: He really doesn't have the look of a lothario. He doesn't strut or swagger. He's not sleek or lean. Age has left its mark on his round and baggy face. Yet accounts of this man's sexual escapades have caused a mixture of outrage and amazement in India. His name is Narayan Dutt Tiwari. He's 86 years old. Few outside India had heard of Tiwari until 10 days ago. That's when a local TV channel aired a video that apparently shows him in bed with three young women. The video astonished many Indians, partly because of Tiwari's age, but also for another reason: Tiwari happens to be governor of one of India's largest states, Andhra Pradesh, in the south - or rather, he was the governor. Last week, he resigned. America has a long history of outing public figures who stray from the straight and narrow, be they presidents or golf champions. India does not. It has more than 1 billion people, many of them still very poor, with much else to worry about. They don't generally have high expectations of their politicians. Legislators here are routinely accused of murder, kidnapping a

Cristiano Ronaldo's New Bronze Bust Is Turning Heads

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the world's most recognizable people. An international soccer superstar, blessed with good looks and a golden foot, Ronaldo indisputably stands as one of the greatest to take the pitch. He's so beloved, in fact, that he just got an international airport named after him in his native Madeira Islands in Portugal — plus a bust fashioned in his likeness. "Seeing my name being given to this airport is something very special," Ronaldo told reporters at the unveiling Wednesday. "Everyone knows that I am proud of my country and especially my home city." It was a lovely, heartfelt moment — but real quick, could we get back to that bust? It is, well ... perhaps a bit inaccurate to say it's his likeness. The bust to some may bear less of a resemblance to the legendary forward than it does to another figure of recent legend: "Scary Lucy," the life-size bronze statue of Lucille Ball that bared its teeth at park-goers for years in Celoron, N.Y. The Associated Press astutely breaks down some of the, er, discrepancies: "The bronze bust squashes the player's eyes close together, and the cheeky raised-eyebrow smile more resembles a leer. The face is also unusually chubby, in contrast to Ronaldo's chiseled looks." "It's always a great honor to work on project like that," the bust's sculptor, Madeira native Emanuel Santos, told local TV channel RTP, according to the AP. The wire service notes he says it took him 15 days to finish the work. "I still haven't had the chance to personally talk to [Ronaldo], but I'll try to reach out to him to know his feedback." Naturally, the denizens of Twitter, never ones to leave a single snark unspent, didn't hesitate to offer some less-than-generous feedback of their own. Some were quick to note that the bust isn't the first time Ronaldo has been depicted in bronze — nor is it the first time that such a bronze has received the wrong kind of attention. In 2014, he got a 10-foot statue set up outside his personal museum, the CR7 Museum, which had opened the year before in Funchal, the capital of the Madeira archipelago. Let's have another look at that statue. OK, back to the bust ... ... which, like nearly everything else on the Internet, returned in the end to that mysterious reigning king of all sports memes: Crying Jordan. NPR's Laurel Wamsley contributed to this report.

Did James Comey Lie About Interference In The Russia Investigation?

Fired FBI Director James Comey may tell the Senate Intelligence Committee next week that President Trump suggested he ease off at least part of the FBI's Russia investigation. But a month ago, he said this to the Senate Judiciary Committee: "I'm talking about a situation where we were told to stop something for a political reason, that would be a very big deal. It's not happened in my experience." Why did Comey say he has never been asked to stop an investigation for political reasons after that conversation with Trump? Some writers on the Internet, particularly Comey critics, have a couple of simple explanations — the memos are fake or he perjured himself in front of Congress. But there's more context. Here is the full exchange from the Judiciary Committee hearing, when Comey was being questioned by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. HIRONO: So if the attorney general or senior officials at the Department of Justice opposes a specific investigation, can they halt that FBI investigation? COMEY: In theory, yes. HIRONO: Has it happened? COMEY: Not in my experience. Because it would be a big deal to tell the FBI to stop doing something that — without an appropriate purpose. I mean where oftentimes they give us opinions that "we don't see a case there and so you ought to stop investing resources in it." But I'm talking about a situation where we were told to stop something for a political reason, that would be a very big deal. It's not happened in my experience. Hirono's question was very specific — referring to "the attorney general or senior officials at the Department of Justice" — and not the president. There's been no indication that officials at the Justice Department applied pressure to Comey to stop any part of the Russia investigation. What we have learned from Comey associates is that he wrote a memo shortly after a private meeting with Trump in February, in which Comey recounted Trump saying, "I hope you can let this go." This was just after national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after misleading Vice President Pence and others regarding his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Trump's comment to Comey was said to refer to the investigation of Flynn as part of the FBI's larger Russia probe. As NPR's Carrie Johnson reported, Comey recalled giving a nonresponse and wrote a "very, very detailed" memo to recount the meeting shortly after. Comey is known to keep such memos to record important professional episodes, like the night in 2004 when he stopped senior members of the Bush administration from reauthorizing the domestic surveillance program without proper approval. Congress wants to see Comey's memos regarding his meetings with Trump. In legal proceedings, such contemporaneous notes can hold a lot of credibility. But the White House has vehemently denied Trump ever said anything that would pressure Comey to back off of Flynn or the larger Russia investigation. "While the President has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the President has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn," a White House official said in a statement. "The President has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations. This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the President and Mr. Comey." It seemed to some that Comey's statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee just before he was fired may have affirmed the White House's position, because that quote was often heard without the question. When Comey re-emerges in public before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, he could well be asked whether he was lying in his earlier testimony. But given Hirono's wording and Comey's well-known attention to detail, he may simply say that he was answering the question he was asked.

Enterprising Innovations on Highways

Most commuters on Southern California's freeways crawl to work at 10 miles an hour, while others zip right along -- for a price. Carpool lanes are fast transforming into toll roads, as cash-strapped transit departments prowl for new ways to raise funds. Guests: Chris Hughes, traffic reporter for KFI 640 AM in Burbank Calif. Robert Poole, director of transportation, Reason Foundation Mantill Williams, spokesperson for AAA NEAL CONAN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Despite the spike in gas prices, America's highways welcome more cars every day, and that means America's drivers face evermore congestion. Despite the evident need for more and wider roads, most state transportation agencies complain that their budgets are only getting leaner. Now from the Trans-Texas Corridor to the Washington Beltway, private companies have offered to step in and construct the next generation of highways if they're allowed to collect tolls in return. The states are trying their hand at this, too. Among the best-known models is the Riverside Freeway in Southern California, or more specifically the Express 91 lanes in the middle of the freeway. Joining us now is Chris Hughes. He covers the Riverside Freeway as a traffic reporter for KFI AM 640 in Burbank, California. Nice of you to be with us today. Mr. CHRIS HUGHES (Traffic Reporter, KFI AM 640): Oh, nice to be with you. CONAN: It's a little after 11:00 in the morning there. What's traffic on the Riverside Freeway like? Mr. HUGHES: Right now on the Riverside Freeway, which is the 91 East, there's a pocket of traffic from Lakeview to Imperial. Then up ahead at Piercy, a metal bar in the two left lanes. Then on the 91 East to Tyler, which is further beyond that, a four-car crash with about a two-mile backup from Magnolia. And then going the opposite direction, West 91 past the 15, there's another accident that's moved off to the right shoulder. That's backed up from McKinley, so about a two-mile backup there. CONAN: So not moving swiftly. Is that a fair summation? Mr. HUGHES: Oh, that's fair, indeed. CONAN: What about the lanes in the middle, the Express 91 lanes? Mr. HUGHES: Actually, those are moving quite nicely right now. CONAN: Now tell us a little bit more about these Express 91 lanes. As I understand it, there's something called HOT lanes. What does that stand for? Mr. HUGHES: That stands for high occupancy toll lanes... CONAN: So if you... Mr. HUGHES: ...which means... CONAN: Yeah. If you've got four people in your car, you're allowed on? Mr. HUGHES: Yes. Three-plus, you're allowed through free or half-price, depending on the time of day. Everyone else pays a pretty steep fare. CONAN: And how steep is it? Mr. HUGHES: On Thursday and Friday afternoons, heading eastbound, which is the absolute worst time for the freeway, it can be up to $7. CONAN: How do they adjust the rates like that? I mean, the toll collectors ask for money depending what time of day it is? Mr. HUGHES: It is completely--actually, it's completely an automatic toll system. You must have what's called a transponder, and it's issued by a company called FasTrack, and there's no toll collectors. And what they have are changeable message signs that when the traffic gets heavy on predetermined schedules, that OCTA, which is the transit agency here determines, they will adjust the toll. So it starts anywhere from a dollar five in the morning, which would be 3 or 4:00 in the morning, all the way into the afternoon, which can be $7. And then the signs will change to tell you what the current toll is. CONAN: So you can make this decision as you go al--as I understand it, you not only cover the Riverside Freeway, you drive the Riverside Freeway. Mr. HUGHES: I do drive the Riverside Freeway every morning and every afternoon. CONAN: And what do you do? Do you pay for the express lanes and the privilege of getting to work--What?--20 minutes faster or something? Mr. HUGHES: Well, exactly. If I'm running late for work, and it may only save me--because I'm at 4:30 in the morning, but even then, the traffic is starting to build on the 91. So if I'm running late for work and it's really important that I get to work on time, then I will pay that $2, I think it is at that time, it is $2 at that time--to save those five extra minutes. And definitely in the afternoon, if I leave work, get out late at 3 or 4:00, then after that, you can sit in traffic for an hour if you don't use the toll lane. So it really depends, if I really need to get home or I'm really tired or I really don't fee

Norma McCorvey Of Roe v. Wade Embodied The Complexity Of American Abortion Debate

The woman known as Jane Roe in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision establishing a constitutional right to an abortion has died.

Gov. Scott Walker Goes Head-To-Head With Labor Over Right-To-Work

Wisconsin is set to become the nation's 25th "right to work" state. Republicans in the state Legislature are fast-tracking a bill to Gov. Scott Walker, who is a potential 2016 presidential candidate. The state Senate passed a right-to-work bill late Wednesday, and the State Assembly could pass it next week. The measure aims to weaken private sector unions by letting workers opt out of mandatory dues. Wisconsin Republicans appear to be following an anti-union playbook that's been circling the Midwest. Four years ago this month, the biggest political story was Walker's Act 10, the law ending collective bargaining for public sector unions. Thousands of protesters swarmed the Wisconsin Capitol building for days, demanding that lawmakers reject Walker's "Budget Repair Bill." But state lawmakers did no such thing, and while Walker insists the policy has helped the state, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last fall that a second battle with big labor would be a distraction. "So particularly, on that particular issue, and any other substantive changes to Act 10, I just think that opens up a whole other can of worms out there," he told the newspaper. But that can is now wide open. Walker, who's been inching into the national spotlight as a presidential hopeful, says he will sign a right-to-work bill. Opponents say his goal is to erode unions' ability to fund Democratic candidates and causes. But the governor argues that a right-to-work law makes Wisconsin more competitive with Indiana and Michigan, neighboring states that adopted right-to-work laws in 2012. "This old, old, old piece of unfinished business on the part of the American conservatism has come back," says Nelson Lichtenstein, a labor historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He says the right-to-work movement started in the 1940s in the anti-union South and trickled West. Lichtenstein says in Midwestern states that have recently targeted organized labor, private sector unions have lost significant members and clout. Republicans who control statehouses and governor's mansions have also made convincing arguments about union members getting more than their fair share. "And so these Republican governors have been able to push this through in a number of states in the, what had been, the traditional heartland of American unionism," Lichtenstein says. So far, recent laws have passed only in states with Republicans in control. In fact, even some language in the new state laws is nearly identical to a model right-to-work bill drafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, which seeks to advance a conservative agenda. Patrick Semmens, a spokesman for the National Right to Work Committee, says this is about fairness. "We think that every worker should be able to join a union and pay dues to a union, but no one should be forced, so on those merits alone, we think it's worth passing right-to-work," Semmens says. But at a right-to-work protest this week in Milwaukee, retired steelworker Greg Gorecki says he can't understand why any working person would support a law weakening unions. "Unions kind of set the whole tone for wages throughout the whole economy," he says. "We set the wages for the middle class. So if you take away power from the unions, it's only going to drop the wages for everybody." And researchers like Gordon Lafer at the University of Oregon's Labor Education and Research Center say Gorecki is right. At a public hearing on the Wisconsin bill this week, Lafer cited a study by the chief economist at the Labor Department. "What the most rigorous research shows is that all other things being equal, the impact of adopting a right-to-work law in 2015 is to lower wages by about 3 percent for both union and nonunion workers across the state," he says, "and to lower the chance of getting health insurance or pensions." But those who support right-to-work present different data. Semmens says the policies lead to higher growth in private sector employment and income. "And, you know, certainly in the Midwest, they're looking for good jobs and right-to-work has a good track record for that," he says. But many academics dispute those claims, which come from groups that have a dog in the fight. Still, warnings about downward-spiraling wages have not seemed to gain much traction as the anti-union movement marches on. Right-to-work bills are now in play in a number of other states, including two states with Democratic governors, West Virginia and Missouri.

The Ladyhawk Interview

A few months ago I discovered a band called Ladyhawk. An advance copy of their latest CD, Shots, arrived in a package bearing the stamp of a record label whose curatorial prowess I'd grown to both admire and to anticipate. The back cover of the CD depicted four, shirtless, hairy men drenched in what looked like beer. Though I haven't blown up that picture to the size of a poster to hang on my bedroom wall, I have become a huge fan of Ladyhawk. In all honesty, and without exaggeration, I've listened to Shots nearly every day. I love all sorts of music, and all genres, but my heart lies in the gritty and the gutteral; in the bend of a guitar note, in the scratchy strain of a voice, and in the the stripped down honesty, and odyssey, of words, guitars, and drums. All of which are elements that make the new Ladyhawk album so great. I spoke with guitarist/singer/songwriter Duffy Driediger over the phone from his home in Vancouver, BC. Carrie Brownstein: When do you start the tour for your record? Duffy Driediger: We're starting March 12th. We're driving all the way across the States to get to eastern Canada. We're going to do a bunch of shows out there and then make our way west with Black Mountain through Canada. Then do the States after that.CB: For those who haven't done it, what's the difference between driving across Canada and the US? Why would you come down and drive across the States? DD: I'm glad you asked me that. Canada has basically the Trans-Canada Highway, which is the one road that goes through all of Canada. It's a two-lane highway. If you go through Canada you have to go up and around the Great Lakes. There's moose and deer crossing and you have to stop for those. CB: Why is it important for you to start your tour in Canada? DD: It's mostly so we could do those dates with Black Mountain. We're good friends with those guys and we've toured with them before. We do a lot better in Canada than we do in the States, there are lots more people at our shows, we're more well known. It makes sense for us to make a bunch of cash before we head out into the barren wastes of middle America where there are two or three people at a show. CB: I want to ask you about sequencing. Is there an album whose sequencing you admire or a ormula you try to emulate? I ask this because of the short second song (S.T.H.D) on your album, which is a great sequencing decision in my opinion. With the ability for people to download or stream individual songs and with iPod shuffle, is the sequence still important to you?DD: Definitely. I thought of it in this order when I was writing the songs. I don't want to make it sounds like it's a concept or anything. I just had an idea in my mind. I was listening to Fleetwood Mac Tusk. It' a pretty sprawling album; I love it. There's all kinds of weird shit going on. I love how it starts with that slow, mellow Christine McVie song and then there's a short, weird Lindsay Buckingham song right after. Maybe subconsciously I figured that would be a good idea. [Listen to the track S.T.H.D from Shots] CB: Are there themes or congruencies between all the tracks that make Shots an album and not just a collection of individual songs? DD: I had some dark times for a while, I was pretty death obsessed. I got to a point in my late twenties where I was preoccupied with thoughts of mortality. Not to sound too grandiose. I'm kind of a closet Goth; I've always had a real fascination with that kind of shit. I love Goths and I consider it lucky to see Goth. I have a fascination with the dark side; I like to flirt with it. I wanted to explore that more.CB: You went to Kelowna B.C, where all of you grew up, to record Shots. What is Kelowna like?DD: It's like a suburb in the middle of nowhere. There're over 100,000 people there. It's a sprawled out strip mall town. There are more churches than anything else. It's a weird place but it's really beautiful. It's kind of love/hate. I'm still friends with most people from there, even in Vancouver; we have a common bond because that place is so shitty.CB: Do some of your songs come out of improvisation or do they start with a structure and deviate from there?DD: [Laughs] I wouldn't say there's much improv involved. I wish there was. We can't jam very well, at least I can't. I have zero jam confidence. CB: You've got to build jam confidence. DD: [Laughing] I guess so. CB: Your band's sound has a Northwest quality to me--can you describe how Western Canada or Vancouver is similar or different from Seattle or Portland? DD: It's pretty similar. Vancouver is rainy, dreary. It's cool but there is a pervasive shittiness. Downtown Seattle is sketchy but downtown Vancouver is really sketchy. There's f**ked up people everywhere. People that have never been to the downtown eastside are totally freaked out; it's like a Third World Country where everyone is on crack. CB: There also seems to be a difference between the art rock of eastern Canada and the sounds of the western part of

'House Poor': The Pitfalls of Home Ownership

<EM>Day to Day</EM> personal finance contributor Michelle Singletary answers listener questions about home ownership, and offers advice about how to avoid ending up "house poor." Singletary writes the syndicated column "The Color of Money" for <EM>The Washington Post</EM>.

Assessing Syria's Basic Health Care Needs In Wartime

Host Rachel Martin speaks with Abdulghani Sankari of the Syrian American Medical Society. Sankari is a Syrian-American doctor based in Detroit, and in January he visited Syria and its borders with Jordan and Turkey to assess health care there. He says the Syrian health care system has been overwhelmed not just by traumatic injuries from war, but by basic primary care needs.

Sept. 11 Panel Disappointed by Govt. Response

The U.S. government is failing in its efforts to prevent future terrorist attacks like those of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a report by the Sept. 11 Commission. The panel assigned grades to the efforts of the White House and Congress to fight terrorism -- and most of them are D's and F's. The follow-up report comes a year after the panel issued its recommendations to prevent more attacks, and members say the results have been disappointing. The sole bright spot on the report is an A-, earned by a "vigorous effort against terrorist financing." The panel gave out failing grades for the U.S. response to its urgings to "improve airline passenger prescreening" and to "declassify overall intelligence budget." The commission issued a grade of "F" for a failure to create "standards for terrorist detention" -- saying the U.S. strategy "makes it harder to build the necessary alliances" to work against global terror networks. STEVE INSKEEP, host: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: And I'm Renee Montagne. The former members of the bipartisan 9-11 Commission will hand out a final report card today for both the White House and Congress. Expect to see a fair number of D's and F's. The panel made recommendations more than a year ago on how to avoid another terrorist attack. Members say the results have been disappointing as NPR's Pam Fessler reports. PAM FESSLER reporting: As commissions go, this one was among the most successful. The five Democratic and five Republican members were unanimous in their findings on what led to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and on what the government should do to prevent another one. Congress reorganized the intelligence community and response to the commission's findings. And when the panel disbanded, its members created a non-profit group to press their agenda. Now it's about to end. The non-profit will cease to exist and the commissioners will go their separate ways. Former Chairman Tom Kean says when all is said and done, though, there's a lot that hasn't been done. One key commission finding was that prior to 9/11, the government didn't take the terrorists' threat seriously enough. Mr. THOMAS H. KEAN (Chairman, 9-11 Commission): This was somewhat down on the priority scale. What we're concerned now about is that it seems it's happening again, that bin Laden still wants to kill as many Americans as possible, and yet we're talking about other things. We're not having a national debate on how to make the country safer. FESSLER: Kean says it's still too easy for terrorists to get their hands on nuclear materials, that first responders still have incompatible communications equipment and that Congress still hands out Homeland Security funds without regard to risk. Mr. KEAN: Information sharing is still far from what it should be. The FBI has the right goals to reform itself but has made very little progress. FESSLER: And the commission's key proposal, that the nation's intelligence operations be overhauled, has moved much too slowly. One commissioner, former Navy Secretary John Lehman, complained in a recent OP-ED that the intelligence reorganization has created more, not less, bureaucracy. Former CIA official John Brennan thinks that the changes made so far could actually be hurting national security. He says some of the blame, though, rests with the commission's proposals. Mr. JOHN BRENNAN (Former CIA Official): They spent most of their time doing an excellent job re-creating the events that led to 9/11. They spent a limited amount of time on what should be done to correct those issues. So their recommendations were rather limited. FESSLER: He says that left a void with intelligence agencies still struggling. He says there's no overall game plan on how to prevent information from slipping through the cracks as it did prior to 9/11. Mr. BRENNAN: We need to make sure that we are interconnecting those different elements there and that has not yet happened. FESSLER: The Bush administration disagrees. The new director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, told CNN last week that he thinks the country's safer and that his office has done a good job integrating foreign, domestic and military intelligence. The White House says by its count, the administration has adopted all but two of the commission's 41 recommendations. Richard Falkenrath is former White House deputy homeland security adviser. Mr. RICHARD FALKENRATH: The commission really should be proud of the extent to which the administration embraced their recommendations from July of last year, but I question their ability and their new incarnation to gauge

Europe, Islam's New Front Line: Britain

Among Britain's 1.8 million Muslims, anxiety is growing over a sharp rise in what the British call Islamophobia. Post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorist legislation and proposals for even tougher measures have led to widespread disaffection, anger and isolation among Muslim youth. The result is a widening generational disconnect, as NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from London in the third story in our series on Muslims in Europe. Britain is unique in Europe: after the breakup of its empire, it became a haven for Muslims from around the world, and it nurtured a Muslim establishment, whose members include prominent doctors, lawyers, writers and journalists. A recent poll showed that 33 percent of Muslims want more integration in mainstream British society. But Britain's Muslim upper crust -- whose size is difficult to measure -- is a leadership without followers. The vast majority of British Muslims live in poor, closed communities. The men who live in these Muslim enclaves are keenly aware that they've become the prime targets of police scrutiny. According to a report issued last week by the Open Society Institute, young Muslim men are increasingly at risk of social exclusion; many feel they are "under siege." The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and events in Iraq have further fuelled the polarization and radicalization of young Muslim men. It's a source of anguish for British Muslims who still believe in what Egyptian-born author Ahdaf Soueif calls the "mezzaterra" -- the common ground between cultures.

After Arrest Of Suspected Golden State Killer, Details Of His Life Emerge

A day after authorities announced the arrest of the suspected Golden State Killer, a few details have come into focus. A can of dog repellant and a hammer from a suburban Sacramento Pay N' Save: the things that Joseph James DeAngelo shoplifted in 1979, costing him his job as a police officer in Auburn, Calif. The coins and small items that the man then called the East Area Rapist would take during his attacks. The as-yet-unidentified item discarded by DeAngelo that had a sample of his DNA on it — enough to provide the evidence leading to his arrest. The FBI posters seeking information about a white man with blond or light brown hair and an athletic build, sketched many decades ago — now with "Captured" emblazoned in red. The 72-year-old from Citrus Heights, Calif., has now been charged with eight murders in three California counties. Police suspect he committed at least four other murders and about 50 rapes. The crimes terrorized Sacramento in the late 1970s, FBI case agent Marcus Knutson said in a 2016 video. "If you lived in Sacramento during that time frame, you have a story of what happened and where you were and what was going on," Knutson said. "Everybody knows about East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer here in Sacramento. During that time frame, everybody was in fear. We had people sleeping with shotguns. We had people purchasing dogs. I think locksmiths' business went way out of control because of the fact that everyone was changing locks on their doors." So, who is Joseph DeAngelo? According to The Sacramento Bee: DeAngelo was born in New York state and graduated from high school east of Sacramento. He enlisted in the Navy and fought in Vietnam, then returned and got a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. From 1973 to 1976, he worked as a police officer in Exeter, Calif., close to the city of Visalia, which in 1974 and 1975 was terrorized by 85 burglaries and a murder, a series of crimes attributed to a perpetrator known as the Visalia Ransacker. In 1976, DeAngelo became a police officer in Auburn, Calif., until his termination for shoplifting. He married in 1973, later divorced, and was living with a daughter and granddaughter until he was arrested this week. "The time frame of the crimes supports that the suspect was a police officer when he committed some of these crimes," said Sean Ragan, special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento office, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Bee compiled a long list of the crimes associated with the Golden State Killer — or as he was previously known, the East Area Rapist or the Original Night Stalker. The majority of the rapes occurred in the years while DeAngelo was a police officer, but from the December 1979 to May 1986, 10 people in California were killed in murders later tied to the East Area Rapist. In 2011, the Times reported that new DNA technology had allowed authorities to connect the spree of rapes in Northern California with the killings in Southern California. The search for Golden State Killer picked up renewed intensity in 2016, when Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert helped create a task force to find him. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer. "If he is still alive, the killer would now be approximately 60 to 75 years old," the FBI said at the time. "He is described as a white male, close to six feet tall, with blond or light brown hair and an athletic build. He may have an interest or training in military or law enforcement techniques, and he was proficient with firearms." Writer Michelle McNamara became obsessed with the case, and she started the True Crime Diary website. Earlier this year, McNamara's posthumously published book on her search for the killer, I'll Be Gone In The Dark, became a bestseller. It's slated to be turned into an HBO docuseries. Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said they used DNA evidence from a discarded item to link DeAngelo with samples the killer had left behind years ago. Schubert said there was a break in the case six days ago; the Los Angeles Times reports that genetic information on a consumer genealogy website dramatically narrowed the pool of suspects, helping lead authorities to DeAngelo. The former police officer retired last year after 27 years working in a supermarket distribution warehouse. A man who worked with him for years told the Bee that DeAngelo was "a regular joe" — except that he never smiled. Neighbors told the Bee differing accounts of whether DeAngelo seemed normal, but many mentioned he had a very short temper. His recent criminal record shows nothing major, according to the Times. Police waited outside DeAngelo's house for days, monitoring the retiree's movements, The Associated Press reports. Authorities finally moved in and arrested him without incident at his home in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights. DeAngelo told the officers that he had a roast in the oven, and they told him they'd

Judge Weighs Roger Stone's Bid For A New Trial As Trump Attacks Her On Twitter

Updated at 8:01 p.m. ET A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday heard arguments from Roger Stone's lawyers and federal prosecutors on the longtime Republican operative's bid for a new trial based on his allegations of juror misconduct. The more than four-hour hearing before Judge Amy Berman Jackson came less than a week after Jackson sentenced Stone to more than three years in prison for obstruction, witness tampering and lying to Congress. Stone, a friend of Trump's for more than three decades, was convicted in November by a jury on all seven counts brought against him by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia investigation. Jackson did not rule Tuesday on Stone's motion for a new trial, saying before she closed the day's proceedings that she will "take the matter under advisement." But she opened the hearing in federal court in Washington, D.C., by raising concerns about the personal safety of the trial jurors, particularly in light of the president's tweets attacking the credibility of the forewoman of the jury. "I think it's without question that this is a highly publicized case," Jackson said. "And in a highly polarized political climate in which the president of the United States himself has shone a spotlight on the jury," she said. "The risk of harassment and intimidation of any jurors who may testify in a hearing later today is extremely high." Those angry about Stone's conviction, the judge noted, "may choose to take it out" on the jurors personally. Jackson then ordered that courtroom cleared of spectators and journalists for the rest of the proceedings, which included the surprise that she had called 11 members of the jury back to the court for potential questioning. Reporters and members of the public were able to listen in on what transpired in the courtroom via an audio feed. Lawyers were instructed not to refer to any jurors by their name or juror number. As the drama unfolded inside the courtroom, Trump took aim at the jury foreperson, tweeting that the individual was "so tainted" for allegedly having "hatred" of Trump and Stone. Trump also accused Jackson of being "totally biased." The motion seeking a new trial was filed under seal since it concerned the identity of a juror in the case, but Jackson said it involved questions about a questionnaire prospective jurors had to fill out during the jury selection process. The jury forewoman answered questions under oath in the Tuesday hearing about her activity on social media, including a postings about Stone's arrest in which she wrote: "brought to you by the lock her up peanut gallery." The forewoman was also asked about a fist-bump emoji the morning before the jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict. The forewoman said it was a message out of solidarity. The forewoman said that at the time she answered the jury questionnaire she could not recall posting anything about investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election; she added her answers were based on what she remembered. A woman who identified herself on social media as the forewoman in the Stone case once unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for Congress. The juror told the judge during jury selection that her former bid for office would not inhibit her ability to serve on the panel as a fair and impartial juror. During Tuesday's hearing, the defense and the government were each allowed to select one unidentified juror to be brought in and questioned by Jackson. In answers to a string of questions, they each described how the jury went about its work. Both said the jury examined each count Stone was charged with based on the evidence. Neither of them said there was any pressure to reach any particular conclusion based on personal bias. In November, a jury convicted Stone for lying about his involvement in being a point person in the Trump campaign's efforts to obtain Russian-hacked Democratic emails. During the trial, prosecutors offered emails, text messages and public statements showing that Stone had lied to House investigators about his central role in communicating with the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks about its possession of stolen emails. Stone was the sixth former Trump associate to be convicted in connection with the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Before handing down a sentence of three years and four months for Stone, Jackson gave lengthy remarks about the threat posed to an independent judiciary as attacks on judges, juries and the system itself become more widespread. Such smear tactics against the courts system, she said, should be met with "dismay and disgust." "The truth still exists. The truth still matters," she said. "Roger Stone's insistence that it doesn't, his belligerence, his pride in his own lies are a threat to our most fundamental institutions, to the very foundation of our democracy." Justice Department lawyers had originally recommended seven to nine yea

New Zealand Moves To Create Firearm Registry And Stiffen Penalties For Gun Crimes

New Zealand's government is planning to create a registry of all guns in the country and stiffen penalties on illegal gun sales and modifications. The move comes six months after a gunman killed 51 people at mosques in Christchurch. "Owning a firearm is a privilege not a right," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday. "That means we need to do all we can to ensure that only honest, law-abiding citizens are able to obtain firearms licenses and use firearms." The majority of crimes that involve guns, she added, were committed by people who didn't have a license and who used guns that were either sold illegally or stolen. Under the proposed law, anyone found guilty of selling or supplying a firearm to an unlicensed person would face as much as two years in jail and a fine of up to $20,000 (roughly $13,750) — more than double the previous penalties. The new firearms registry would monitor and track every legal firearm in New Zealand, operating similar to a driver's license system. It would collect a license holder's full name, address and date of birth, and it would compile details about their firearms. It would also record all transfers, sales and purchases of guns, along with imports and exports of firearms and other items. It's the second phase of New Zealand's response to the deadly Christchurch attack — a tragedy that immediately set the country's leaders in motion to change their gun laws. "That attack exposed weaknesses in legislation which we have the power to fix," Ardern said Friday. "We would not be a responsible government if we didn't address them." Discussing New Zealand's response to the shooting, Ardern said, "In April, we took action to remove military-style semi-automatics from our communities. Now we are taking the next step, to prevent firearms from reaching the hands of criminals." Under the system proposed Friday, private firearms sales would still be permitted. Gun owners would be required to enter their information in the registry over a five-year period — with most of those entries expected to occur when a license is renewed or a gun is purchased. Similar to "red flag" measures in some U.S. states, the New Zealand bill also creates a system of mental health warning flags that could "show a person may not be a fit and proper person to hold a firearms license," the government said. Speaking alongside Ardern, Police Minister Stuart Nash said New Zealand must update its laws because the country's 1983 Arms Act is outdated. "Around 18,204 firearms offenses have been committed in the four calendar years 2015-2018," Nash said as he summarized recent gun crimes in New Zealand. Those offenses, he said, range from homicide to robbery and include lesser crimes such as carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle. The new plan would also shorten the duration of firearms licenses, cutting them to five years from 10 years. And it includes a licensing protocol for shooting clubs and gun ranges. As part of its ban on assault-style weapons, New Zealand is also running an amnesty and gun buyback program to take those guns out of circulation. This week marks the halfway point of that process, and officials reported that so far, 12,621 people had turned in 19,837 firearms and 73,949 parts, according to the New Zealand Herald. Ardern's additional restrictions on guns come at the end of a tumultuous week for her Labour Party, as a female former volunteer came forward Monday to detail allegations of sexual assault against a Labour official — raising new questions about the party's handling of such accusations. On Wednesday, the Labour Party president resigned over the controversy.

Are 'Color Revolutions' A New Front In U.S.-Russia Tensions?

Moscow has been talking lately about "color revolutions" as a new form of warfare employed by the West. The name comes from the Orange and Rose Revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia, respectively, but it's now being applied to popular rebellions such as those in Egypt and Syria. While Russia accuses the West of this kind of subversion, it seems to be following the same playbook in eastern Ukraine.

Cybersecurity: Who's Vulnerable To Attack?

Chief security strategist at FireEye Inc. Richard Bejtlich discusses the prevalence of cyberattacks and who is most vulnerable.

Former St. Louis Police Officer Is Acquitted Of Murder In Anthony Lamar Smith Case

A judge has acquitted former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley of first-degree murder in the shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith in late 2011. The verdict over Smith's killing has been highly anticipated — and it prompted protests outside the courthouse. Here's an overview of the case from St. Louis Public Radio: "Stockley, 36, and his partner chased the 24-year-old Smith after a suspected drug deal in the Walnut Park West neighborhood, near the city's border with Jennings. The chase ended when Stockley allegedly ordered his partner to crash the patrol car into Smith's vehicle near the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Goodfellow Boulevard in north St. Louis. "Stockley, who is white, then shot Smith, who was black, five times through the driver's side window. "Stockley claimed he fired in self-defense. Police found a gun in Smith's car, but only Stockley's DNA was on it, leading to accusations the officer had planted the weapon." Before the car chase began on Dec. 20, 2011, Smith's Buick was parked in a Church's chicken restaurant. That's where he was seen going back and forth between the restaurant and his car; Stockley testified that he saw what he believed to be a drug sale. Stockley and his partner, Brian Bianchi, parked their marked patrol car behind the Buick and got out. That's when Smith "rapidly pulled forward up to the building, then frantically drove his Buick backward crashing into the marked police vehicle twice, before speeding away at a high rate of speed," St. Louis Circuit Judge Timothy Wilson wrote in his ruling. After Smith's car hit the police vehicle, it also hit a red sedan — and then, Wilson relates, "Smith drove off the parking lot, striking the hand of Stockley, who had a gun drawn, and Smith sped away. Bianchi swung at the driver's door of the Buick with his gun, breaking the window." During the trial, Stockley testified that he heard his partner yell "gun" as the suspect's car went past — and that he himself saw a weapon in the car. Bianchi did not testify at the trial, which ended in August. The officers then set off in a pursuit that lasted about three minutes. Citing dashboard camera recordings, Judge Wilson states, "Approximately 45 seconds before the pursuit came to an end, the audio contains a garbled and unintelligible statement, in the middle of which Stockley said, 'We're killing this motherf*****, don't you know.' " Stockley did not deny making the statement. The judge said that due to unintelligible portions of the recording, it's impossible to know the context that surrounded the remark. He also noted, "People say all kinds of things in the heat of the moment or while in stressful situations." As St. Louis Public Radio notes, "Stockley was the first officer in the St. Louis region to be charged for an on-the-job shooting since 2005. Stockley left the department in 2013." Wilson ruled that the gun found in the car, a revolver, was too large to be planted without being spotted in video footage of the scene. And he said prosecutors' "argument that the presence of Stockley's DNA and the absence of Smith's DNA on the gun proves the gun was not in Smith's possession but must have belonged to and been planted by Stockley is refuted by the State's own witnesses" — who had testified that the absence of DNA on an item doesn't mean a person hasn't touched it. Wilson said that based on his nearly 30 years on the bench, "an urban heroin dealer not in possession of a firearm would be an anomaly." From looking at footage from the scene, the judge wrote that "Stockley did not perceive Smith to be an imminent threat while he was initially interacting with Smith through the driver's window after the pursuit, but only after fifteen seconds had passed during which Smith was ordered to show his hands and open the door, and only when Stockley believed Smith had located the gun." Complicating matters, the judge said, airbags had deployed in Smith's car, blocking views — of witnesses and cameras — of what was going on inside it. The dashboard camera angles were also restricted, he said. "No one promised a rose garden, and this surely is not one," Wilson wrote. Noting that state law "requires the trier of fact to be 'firmly convinced' of the defendant's guilt in order to convict," Wilson added, "This Court, as the trier of fact, is simply not firmly convinced of the defendant's guilt." Wilson said, "Agonizingly, this Court has poured [sic] over the evidence again and again" — including video evidence from police vehicles, a nearby restaurant's surveillance camera, and a witness's cellphone. The judge found that the state's prosecution of the case "did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Stockley did not act in self-defense."

Fashion Police: Happy Bastille Day!

It's Bastille Day in France and President Nicolas Sarkozy threw a heck of a party on the streets of Paris, inviting dignitaries and other world leaders, and they all invited their biggest hats and hairdos. The WWDBM fashion police weigh in. Mike: She's trying to fool the guillotine with that hat. Peter: She represents another faction of the French peasantry during Revolutionary times, the "sans gouts," or "those without taste." Eva: I know. That hat is sooo pre-revolutionary. Ian: You feel bad for that guy still hoping his policeman's cap will win the Bastille Day Wackiest Hat contest. Read on to see the shortest leader and hugest hair... Ian: What's he doing? Oh, he's preparing to present Cameroon's president with the ceremonial Invisible Baguette. Peter:"C'est vrai, I am about this tall." Eva: Carla begged him not to do his 'Fonzie.' Peter: He's saying to her, "Je represenete la Guilde du Lollipop." Eva: I don’t know why he has to make such a performance of 'bending over' to kiss her hand -- seems unnecessary. Mike: Without his step ladder, he can't reach the cheeks and must settle for the hand. Ian: Weirdly, the French first lady was the only first lady he didn't french. Mike: Once a year the Royal Mullet is allowed to greet the public. Ian: Was that lady the inspiration for Toad in Super Mario Bros? Maybe she can get Sarkozy one of those mushrooms to make him taller. Eva: Shouldn't Carla be the one who gets to play Marie Antoinette today?

Chrysler Aims to Lure Car Buyers with Cheap Gas

Chrysler has come up with a promotion it hopes will revive sales of trucks and SUVs. It is offering car buyers a chance to lock in a relatively cheap price for gasoline for three years. Dustin Dwyer reports from Michigan Radio. STEVE INSKEEP, host: Prices like those do not help auto sales, especially sales of those big powerful vehicles that used to make a lot of money for Chrysler, companies like that. Executives at Chrysler are trying a new approach. If you buy one of their vehicles, Chrysler will cover part of your gasoline cost. Michigan Radio's Dustin Dwyer has more. DUSTIN DWYER: At the Chrysler dealership in Pinckney, Michigan, there are plenty of new vehicles on the lot, but sales manager Dale Black says the shoppers have been tougher to find lately. He blames gas prices. Mr. DALE BLACK (Sales Manager): It jumped from, what, $3.20 to $3.50 within days. We saw an immediate result on the showroom floor. DWYER: As in people stopped coming there. Nationwide, Chrysler sales are down 18 percent this year. But starting today, people who buy almost any Chrysler vehicle will get a debit card to swipe at the gas pump. They'll be charged $2.99 a gallon, and Chrysler will cover anything over that. In a vehicle market already loaded with sales incentives the Chrysler offer stands out. Mr. JESSE TOPRAK (Analyst, Edmunds.com): I think the appeal of this program is that it has gas in its name. DWYER: Jesse Toprak is an analyst with the automotive Web site Edmunds.com. He says right now many car buyers are sensitive about fuel prices, so any incentive program that mentions gas will get attention. But Toprak says Chrysler already offered major cash incentives this year that might've been a better deal for some buyers. Mr. TOPRAK: For smart consumers who follow incentive levels, this may not appear to be a great deal, but it will certainly catch the average Joe's attention. DWYER: Other car companies have tried offering cheap gas in the past and it didn't really catch on. But this time Toprak says he expects to see at least a little improvement at Chrysler showrooms in the short term. That would be enough to please Dale Black at the Chrysler dealership in Pinckney, Michigan. Mr. BLACK: Anything that can generate interest and get things going. The summer's already happening. The weather's nice and just gotta - whatever brings people out helps. DWYER: Chrysler's offer is good through June 2nd. For NPR News, I'm Dustin Dwyer in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

NFL Star Von Miller On His Coronavirus Diagnosis: 'I Was Shocked'

Von Miller, the defensive star for the Denver Broncos, announced he has tested positive for the coronavirus. That makes him the highest-profile NFL player — and the second active player this week — to publicly announce a positive test for COVID-19. Miller is a former Super Bowl MVP and was the second overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. His diagnosis became public a week before the NFL is set to hold its upcoming draft without fans, players or league personnel in attendance, out of concern about the coronavirus. The Pro Bowl linebacker said he had been taking the spread of the virus very seriously and remained at his home in Denver for about four weeks. He "probably left the house four times" to get food, never leaving his car, Miller said in a Friday interview with NBC's Today show. "I was shocked," Miller said. "It all started with just a simple cough and it got worse. I also have asthma," he added. "My girlfriend, she was telling me that I wasn't sounding normal and I should try my nebulizer so I did ... I had waited another day — the cough still didn't go away." Miller said he got tested two days later. The Denver Broncos, where Miller has played his entire career, released a statement on Thursday saying he is the first person within the organization to be confirmed to have the virus. "After experiencing flu-like symptoms, Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller has tested positive for COVID-19. Von has elected to share his diagnosis publicly to emphasize that anyone can be afflicted with coronavirus," the Broncos' statement said. In an Instagram story posted to his account, Miller thanked fans for their support, adding, "I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get thru this!" "'Take this seriously' It's definitely FOR REAL," he said. Earlier this week, Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen said he has tested positive for the coronavirus. He was the first-known active player to contract the disease, which has confirmed to have infected more than 680,000 in the U.S., as of Friday afternoon, according to a coronavirus tracker from Johns Hopkins University. Allen's diagnosis came to light weeks after Sean Payton, the head coach for the New Orleans Saints, confirmed he had the COVID-19 disease. "Appreciate the well wishes. I'm feeling better and fortunate to not have any respiratory symptoms," he said in a Twitter post on March 19, adding the hashtag #BEATCovid. Because of the spread of the coronavirus, all NFL facilities have been closed since last month and the league has indefinitely delayed the start of teams' offseason programs. In a memo last week, the league sent guidance for all 32 NFL teams preparing for the NFL Draft, originally scheduled to take place in Las Vegas. "Clubs have been advised to prepare to conduct the 2020 Draft entirely outside of their facilities and in a fully virtual format, with club personnel in separate locations and able to communicate with one another and Draft headquarters by phone or internet," the league said. The draft is still set for its original dates, April 23-25. The upcoming NFL season, which starts in September, is currently scheduled to kick off as planned.

'Beauty in Trouble': Love and Longing, at Odds

To fans of castles and beer, post-communist Prague seems an attractive destination. But for Marcela (Ana Geislerova), the Czech beauty whose troubles drive director Jan Hrebejk's biting, yet empathetic new film Beauty in Trouble, Prague is a place to flee. Now Tuscany, that sounds nice. Hrebejk works in the currently fashionable European genre that could be called "serious farce"; his scenarios involve overlapping characters and incredible coincidences, but are grounded in believable family relationships. Beauty in Trouble begins with documentary footage of the floods that submerged the Czech Republic in 2002. Their house destroyed by the deluge, Marcela and her family now live in an apartment adjoining a chop shop, where husband Jarda (Roman Luknar) works cutting down stolen cars for parts. One day, an accomplice brings a car that's equipped with a transponder. Jarda is quickly arrested, and Marcela and the couple's two kids move in with grandma and her stupendously dislikable boyfriend (Jiri Schmitzer). It's a tense arrangement, so Marcela is susceptible when a dashing, benevolent older man offers to be her protector. He is Evzen (Josef Abrham), a Czech emigre who lives the good life at his Tuscan vineyard. He is also, by the way, the man whose swiped Volvo sent Jarda to jail. This complicated scenario is almost straightforward compared to such previous Hrebejk films as Divided We Fall, in which an infertile couple in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia somehow produces a child, and Up and Down, which involved a black-market baby, racist soccer hooligans and an inoperable brain tumor. For all its twists, this story is simpler: It's about a woman's choice between tumultuous true love or a less passionate, but more comfortable existence. The Czech Republic equals the former; Italy offers the latter. Marcela's journey is punctuated with songs by Prague chanteuse Raduza (including a Czech setting of the Robert Graves poem that provides the film's title) and a few Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova tunes also heard in Once. (Beauty in Trouble actually made its Czech debut in 2006, before that Oscar-darling musical was released.) No song or poetic allusion, however, can guide Marcela as she wavers between her old life and a possible new one. In this heavily populated movie, she is essentially alone. That's why Beauty in Trouble, while not Hrebejk's most complex film, is his most touching.

Political Corner: Update on Gulf Coast Rebuilding

NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams is joined by political consultant the Rev. Joseph Watkins and Democratic political consultant Donna Brazile to talk about progress in reconstruction of the Gulf Coast following the devastating 2005 hurricane season.

Abortion Services Return To Town Where George Tiller Was Murdered

Five years ago, Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed at the Wichita, Kans., church where he was an usher. Tiller was widely known for performing abortions in late pregnancy and had become a target for protests. It was the morning of May 31, 2009, and fellow usher Gary Hoepner remembers they had finished their greeting duties and had walked out into the waiting area to get a doughnut. "I seen the figure coming out of my peripheral vision. I looked over like that, the gun was up to George's head," Hoepner says. "The gun goes off, and I go, 'Was that a real gun?' Then George fell; I said, 'Oh my God, oh my God,' in my head. And then he took off and I took off after him." Several hours later, Scott Roeder was arrested as he was driving toward Kansas City, Kan. At his trial, Roeder admitted killing Tiller, insisting that what he did was necessary. "I did what I thought was needed to be done to protect the children. I shot him," Roeder said. Roeder was convicted of first-degree murder and given an enhanced sentence of 50 years. Tiller's Clinic, The Protest Epicenter Tiller's clinic had been the target of protests for many years. It was bombed in 1986. In 1993, Tiller was shot in both arms. A massive effort organized by the Pro-Life Action Network and Operation Rescue descended on the city in 1991. Back then, there were three clinics that provided abortion services in the area. The protest epicenter was at Tiller's clinic. Thousands streamed in from across the country. "They did everything, they laid down," says former district attorney Nola Foulston. "They wouldn't walk. The officers had to carry them. They cried that there was brutal treatment." What activists called the Summer of Mercy lasted for six weeks and was repeated 10 years later in 2001. The presence of "sidewalk counselors" near the clinic's driveway continued almost on a daily basis. But in the years before his death, Tiller did not shy away from the gates of his clinic nor from the media coverage, including from Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, who nicknamed him "Tiller the baby killer." Through it all, Tiller remained defiant and vocal. "The good news is that in Kansas we are able to use the full implementation of the Roe v. Wade decision, which allows us to do post-viability terminations of pregnancy," Tiller said in a speech a year before his murder. A Cedar Fence Divides Two Sides After Tiller's murder, his clinic — the last place in the city providing abortion services — closed. Since 2009, Kansas has also banned post-viability abortions and tightened the laws regulating procedures. But in April of last year, South Wind Women's Center opened in the very same building where Tiller's clinic was. Executive Director Julie Burkhart worked for Tiller for seven years. Her clinic now offers abortion care for pregnancies less than 22 weeks along. "About 1 in 3 women are going to have abortions in their lifetimes — so we all know somebody. If you think about women who are having abortions, nationally about 60 percent of women who are having abortions are already mothers," Burkhart says. Across a cedar fence and past the sidewalk counselors is a clinic called Choices, which offers alternatives to abortion. "We are here next door to provide a visible, viable medical alternative to what they're considering," says Scott Stringfield, Choices' medical director. "By God's grace we've influenced and impacted many, many women. There have been many who we haven't," he says. Five years after Tiller's death, the cedar fence between the two clinics still splits the sides of the abortion debate. But now instead of chanting and protest, there is sometimes conversation.

Darfur and the Elders

The program examines the current situation in Darfur in the wake of a violent attack by rebels on African peacekeepers and a contentious visit to the region by some of the world's most prominent elder statesmen.

In Diyarbakir (Dee-Yarr-Buh-Keer)

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from Diyarbikir (dee-YARR-buh-keer) in Southeastern Turkey that there are new reports of heavy fighting between rival Kurdish militias in northern Iraq, as Turkey declares the establishment of a buffer zone along its borders with Iraq to prevent attacks from yet another Kurdish rebel group.

Roll-It-Yourself Tobacco Shop Under Fire

Smokers in a New Hampshire tobacco shop have been lining up to use a commercial roll-your-own machine. The contraption spits out hundreds of cigarettes — for less than half the price of brand names. But state officials want to pull the plug. They say the shop is now a cigarette manufacturer and can no longer sidestep what it owes the government. At Tobacco Haven in Brookline, N.H., open plastic bins of loose tobacco sit on a tabletop near a high-tech cigarette-making machine. Customers get to choose their own blends and roll their own cigarettes. "It's all pretty much natural stuff," says Steven Correia, whose father owns the store. "People love them. [They are] as equivalent to Marlboros. We can make anything, from ultralights all the way to the hardest-kicking menthol you can imagine." Users shove the tobacco into what looks like a vending machine, slide in the cassette of empty paper tubes. And then: "Close the door," Correia says. "Hit the OK-done button again. And the machine starts producing cigarettes — 200 of them. Takes about eight solid minutes." Customer Chuck Little uses the machine to roll his own cigarettes. He's in his 20s and is someone who watches his budget. "The costs keep going up and up and up," Little says. "They keep taxing cigarettes. I mean, at least a couple of times a year. It's getting outrageous. It's making people stop smoking. People are resorting to making their own." Little comes to Tobacco Haven once a week. "I mean, you can buy two cartons for the price of one," he said. That's a sweet deal. But it may not last. State Seeks Revenue From Shop The state is suing the smoke shop, arguing that it is trying to get around its financial obligations as a cigarette manufacturer. More than 10 years ago, major tobacco companies agreed to help fund medical expenses for illnesses related to smoking. Even the smaller shops are on the hook for making payments to the government. Jeffrey Burd, an attorney for Tobacco Haven, contends that the shop is not a cigarette manufacturer. "The state of New Hampshire is essentially saying that the retailer is making cigarettes and then selling the cigarettes that it's making," said Burd. "That's clearly not happening at the store." David Rienzo, New Hampshire's assistant attorney general, disagrees. Rienzo says it doesn't matter whether the consumers or the retailers are rolling their cigarettes. "The difference is in the commercial nature of this transaction," he says. "What we have here is a business, which is selling all the raw materials, and then making the facilities of the manufacturer available for a price to the consumer." More Lawsuits To Follow? Rienzo says that if New Hampshire doesn't take action, the state could jeopardize the $50 million it receives from the tobacco agreement every year. Machines like the one in New Hampshire are turning up in other parts of the country. If New Hampshire wins its case, other states may file suit. But smoke shops aren't worried about coming up with the money for the health fund. That's small change. If they're deemed cigarette manufacturers, they'll have to pay all the same taxes the bigger tobacco companies do. And the savings they've been advertising to customers? They're bound to go up in smoke. MICHELE NORRIS, host: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. In New Hampshire, smokers have been lining up at a tobacco shop. They want to use a machine that lets them roll their own cigarettes. The contraption spits out hundreds of cigarettes for less than half the price of brand names. But the state is suing. It says the machine makes the shop a cigarette manufacturer, and that means it owes New Hampshire money. Our story comes from Sheryl Rich-Kern of New Hampshire Public Radio. Unidentified Man: Thank you, sir. Excellent. SHERYL RICH-KERN: At Tobacco Haven in Brookline, New Hampshire, open plastic bins of loose tobacco sit on a tabletop near a high-tech cigarette-making machine. (Soundbite of machine) RICH-KERN: Steven Correia of Tobacco Haven says that customers get to choose their own blends. Mr. STEVEN CORREIA (Tobacco Haven): So, it's all pretty much natural stuff. People love them as equivalent to Marlboros. We can make anything - from ultra lights, all the way to the hardest kicking menthol you can imagine. RICH-KERN: Shove the tobacco into what looks like a vending machine, slide in the cassette of empty paper tubes, and then… Mr. CORREIA: Close the door, hit the okay-done button again, and the machine starts producing cigarettes, 200 of them. Takes about eight solid minutes. RICH-KERN: Customer Chuck Little is a wiry, young man in his 20s. Like most people his age, he watches his budget. Mr. CHUCK LITTLE: The cost just keeps going up and up and up. They keep taxing cigarettes, I mean, at least even a couple times a year. And, you know, it's just getting outrageous. It's making people stop smoking and, you know, people are resorting to making their own. RICH-KERN: L

Seven Die in Chicago Warehouse Shooting

A gunman opens fire at an auto parts business in Chicago. Seven people die, including the gunman. Police say the shooter was a disgruntled former employee who had lost his job several months back. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley.

Health Care Scarce for Many in New Orleans

Volunteer groups recently held the Greater New Orleans Medical Recovery Week. Physicians, nurses and technicians saw 500 to 600 patients a day during the event. Many who received care waited in line overnight because they had no other choice for medical and dental care. Trailers and tents were spread out in a New Orleans East park to create a temporary medical facility. Before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Lucia Parker worked in a hospital and had medical insurance. But now that Parker's employer St. Charles General is closed, she has no job, no insurance and no care. That's why she took advantage of the Medical Recovery Week. Dr. Teck Kim Khoo of Minnesota's Mayo Clinic came to New Orleans this week with more than 30 of his colleagues to volunteer for the service event. He said that it was a fulfilling experience to treat the people he saw in New Orleans. During the weeklong event in New Orleans, more than 800 volunteers saw about 4,000 patients. MICHELE NORRIS, host: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris. MELISSA BLOCK, host: And I'm Melissa Block. President Bush travels to the Gulf Coast tomorrow, with stops in Mississippi and New Orleans. That city's had a bit of Mardi Gras fun, and now returns its attention to the struggle to recover after Katrina. NPR's Noah Adams has an update on two questions facing people. First, what if you get sick and don't have a doctor? And second, what if you are Hispanic, undocumented and pregnant? NOAH ADAMS: Let's start with the doctor situation. This month, volunteer groups organized a Greater New Orleans Medical Recovery Week - trailers and tents in a park. And the word went out: if you're hurting and need help, get to New Orleans east, and you better come early. Unidentified Child: Mommy, mommy, (unintelligible). ADAMS: Waiting inside a tent on a chair with her kids is Lucia Parker(ph). What time did you get here this morning? Ms. LUCIA PARKER: Four-twenty AM. ADAMS: And were there people before you? Ms. PARKER: I was number 304. ADAMS: What's the earliest you heard about somebody coming? Ms. PARKER: 11:00 last night. ADAMS: Lucia Parker - before the storm, she worked in a hospital, had medical insurance. But St. Charles General closed. Now there's job, no insurance, no care. Ms. PARKER: All of my primary care doctors are gone. They're not here anymore. So basically, you have to ask around, like where's a good doctor? Where's a doctor that you can afford? ADAMS: Also waiting is Gordon Nunez(ph). He does have work as an electrician, but not this morning because his ear is swollen and painful. He tried a hospital emergency room. That seemed impossible, so he came here. Mr. GORDON NUNEZ: I have abscess in my ear. I keep on getting them. I hope I get to see somebody. Unidentified Man: It's lunch time. Everybody, come on and get yourself a hot bowl of soup and a sandwich. Let's have lunch, folks. ADAMS: The medical volunteers get together in one of the smaller tents. Dr. Teck Kim Khoo came to New Orleans this week with more than 30 of his colleagues. Dr. TECK KIM KHOO (Volunteer, Greater New Orleans Medical Recovery Week): It's been a really very fulfilling experience because, you know, I practice at a Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. And so the patients we see are nothing like the ones you see here. In fact, I saw a gentlemen who had a kidney transplant from diabetes, and he couldn't afford his anti-rejection medication, and so he stopped everything, and he lost the new kidney. ADAMS: Medical Recovery Week in New Orleans: 871 volunteers. Number of patients treated: about 4,000. And now the second question about New Orleans health care. Right after the storm, Hispanic workers came for the cleanup and rebuilding. They often brought families, and soon the Hispanic birth rate soared. Dr. Kevin Work is among those who saw the need. He set up a clinic in the uptown section of New Orleans. Unidentified Woman #1: (Spanish spoken) Dr. KEVIN WORK (Obstetrician): She can take this when she feels nauseated, okay? Unidentified Woman #2: (Spanish spoken) Unidentified Woman #1: (Spanish spoken) ADAMS: I talked with Dr. Work during a quiet moment at his New Orleans home. His clinic, he said, was busy right from the start. Now he's doing two afternoons and one morning a week. Dr. WORK: One lady came in for her first prenatal visit. We drew everything. Two days later, she delivered. (Soundbite of laughter) ADAMS: Dr. Work says he has heard people say the Hispanic families, mostly undocumented, just want to have babies here so they can stay. That doesn't match his experience. Dr. WORK: A lot of them are very distraught because they don't want to be pregnant. They want to work. They want to - and I see them. They'll come in with plaster under their fingernails, you know, knees dirty at 35, 36 weeks, you know, laying floor. I'm like, so what do you do? Oh, you know, I hang sheet rock. ADAMS: Kevin Werk charges what he calls break-even pr

Despite Increased Vaccinations, COVID-19 Cases Remain High

As vaccine makers start testing re-tooled versions to target variants, how long will immunity hold up? And as vaccines open to all adults, some are still waiting. Why?

Celebrating The Class Of 2016: Peace Odiase

This week, Here & Now has been speaking with 2016 college graduates about the biggest challenges they faced in school, and where they plan to go next. Today, Here & Now&#8217;s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Peace Odiase, one of two valedictorians at Fisk University, a historically black college in Nashville, Tennessee. Hear Monday’s conversation with University of Chicago graduating senior Konje Machini Hear Tuesday&#8217;s conversation with Penn State graduating senior Emily Waschenko Guest Peace Odiase, one of two valedictorians at Fisk University.

Ho99o9 Gives Fierce Critique Of Racism In The Media With 'City Rejects'

The punk hip-hop duo Ho99o9 (pronounced "Horror") regularly takes on enough political themes to fuel both a conscious rap group and the hardcore punk band opening for them. Their long list of grievances includes police brutality, militarism, racism, capitalism, and the media — and all are given visual form in the caustic video for their new song "City Rejects." In one series of vignettes, a man with a television for a head whips a shirtless black man with long dreads. The victim of this callback to slavery happens to be one of the group's members, TheOGM. With his gloved hands, the television man places a noose around TheOGM's neck. One jump cut later he lets go. The noose becomes a chain necklace. The meaning is clear; modern media is an instrument of objectification and subjugation. "Black people and black culture have a long history of being used and appropriated to sell product, and it continues now," writes the band and the video's director, Behn Fannin. "Pepsi has taken heat for this general concept recently, but we see it all over the place — take note when a white person in a commercial acts like a 'thug' or raps for comedic effect, and meanwhile we have black folk only offered the thug or drug dealer roles in most TV shows. It's like, 'Thank you for all of the aspects of your culture we like, but you can keep the aspects we don't.'" The theme of black lives commodified is explored further in other scenes. An animated sequence shows an 8-bit police officer shooting a black man, making his body a mere obstacle in a game. We see band members Eaddy and TheOGM, pixelated as well, shouting the song's chorus, "All we want is justice, anarchy and peace / rebel to the core, disciple in the streets," while scantily clad women dance in the background. "The video game imagery is meant to depict over-simplification for easy digestion of these scenarios by media," Ho99o9 and Fannin write. "The flashy colors and eye-catching graphics reminiscent of modern media. Using the childlike parts of our brains to get our attention with simple colorful images, the female body and click-bait headlines." Taken together, these images suggest that as black artists, the members of Ho99o9 are at risk of being made into media constructs, that our society treats black people as if they have no thoughts worth hearing other than those programmed by a corporation. As if our destruction is mere entertainment. The band's punk spirit rebels against this notion, knocking against the walls of what is considered safe for black people to do in their lives and in their art. Some viewers will find the images disturbing. But the members of Ho99o9 believe that being able to turn away from these images is a sign of privilege not everyone enjoys. So they make it their mission to transform harsh realities into art (as with the images of Nazi flags in the video). Ho99o9 and Fannin write: "The idea here is to appropriate the aspects of hate-culture and turn it back on itself. Much like how the 'n'-word was adopted by black culture as a way to remove its weight." From this video, it's clear that the confrontational way the band delivers their message is essential to the meaning of the message itself. "City Rejects" will appear on the band's upcoming album United States of Horror, out May 5th.

Detroit Throwing Super Bowl 'Party' for Homeless

As the city of Detroit prepares for Sunday's Super Bowl, one task the city is undertaking is trying to provide shelter for its large homeless population. Quinn Klinefelter of Detroit Public Radio reports on how the city is throwing a "Super Bowl party" to get the homeless off the streets in time for the big game.

Ready For A New Year

Let's face it. It's been a hard year. 2008 will go down in my journal as a flop. Too much pain. Leroy suffered and courageously stood up to cancer, until the beast was just too much for him. To be honest, I can't wait for this year to be over. The ball in Times Square can't fall fast enough. And now I find out, it won't. I mean, it will, but it will take longer than usual this New Year's Eve. Because this is the year of the Leap Second. On December 31st, a "leap second" will be added to the world's clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Greenwich Mean Time. For those of you wondering, that will be at 6:59:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This is the 24th time since 1972 that the world's clocks have added a leap second. My luck it would happen this year.

After Record Deportations, Obama May Turn To More 'Humane' Options

The White House announced the president is willing to review his stance on deportations, a policy that's drawn objection from Hispanics and other groups the president depends on politically.

How to Get Your Friends to Say, 'I Heard You on NPR'

Being heard on NPR is considered by many as a sign of having made it. But it's more than just a status symbol. Authors and musicians who are interviewed on NPR notice that their new book or CD starts selling briskly -- and usually within 24 hours. But how does one get on NPR? It's a question that puzzles many. Getting Reviewed on NPR If someone is in the news or is a politician in the spotlight, chances of being interviewed are reasonably good. But people from the so-called "cultural industries" tell me the rules of how to get on NPR are unclear. I often get e-mails from authors, musicians or their agents asking how to breach the apparently impregnable walls: "Whom should I approach? Is there one editor who decides? Why doesn't anyone at NPR let me know a) if they received the book and b) why they have chosen not to interview me or my client?" As ombudsman, I have no influence (and should have no influence) over the specifics of coverage. Those decisions properly belong to the editors and producers. They are the journalists/gatekeepers who sift through the thousands and thousands of books and CDs that arrive annually and who have to make the tough choices. Those choices are made against the backdrop of heavy and insistent demands of the daily hard-news agenda. Each writer or artist must be judged on his or her news value, and each book or CD on whether it has significant audience appeal. That may sound hopeless. It is complicated. But it isn't impossible. There are many ways to get NPR's attention. 'Hey! Over Here!' There is a helpful description on the NPR Web site that explains how to pitch a news story to NPR. This includes everything from individual stories to commentaries, audio postcards and freelance offerings. There is a link as well for new program development, for those who want to propose an on-going series or program. That may work for news. But how should one pitch books and music to NPR? There seems to be no intake system on the NPR Web site similar to that available for news stories. Here's how the system works (most of the time): Know the Programs First, no one person is responsible for picking which authors or musicians will appear on various NPR programs. Each program is responsible for the books and CDs its producers think will best appeal to their listeners. Each program's producers also choose the authors or musicians that will likely make for a good interview with the show's host(s). Because there is so much published every year (more than 60,000 books were published in the United States in 2004), it is impossible to know about every book or CD that comes on the market. Larger, more established publishing houses have long-standing relationships with individual NPR programs. They know, for example, to send a new book on science and technology to NPR's Science Desk or to NPR's Science Friday, as opposed to Morning Edition. The producers at Morning Edition may decide to interview a science-oriented author. But for science writers, the chances of being featured are better and more consistent on Science Friday and occasionally on Talk of the Nation. The same goes for music. Recording companies know that All Things Considered may be more open to doing an interview on classical music because that program has done them in the past. Other programs have affinities for other musical genres (a very high interest in singer-songwriters seems to predominate on the weekends, for example). New CDs are sent to all NPR programs, on the off chance that a producer or an editor will think, "This might just work…" But just as often, CDs that are sent to NPR in general end up abandoned. They will lie around, unheard and unappreciated, and eventually go away. NPR cultural programs such as Performance Today operate much differently. "PT" is all about classical music and as a result, it has a more systematic approach to CDs. But non-classical music CDs sent to Performance Today will most likely also be abandoned. So if one is a musician with NPR-aspirations, it's best to know the programs and target them individually, rather than flooding NPR with copies and hoping to be discovered a la Lana Turner. NPR is not Schwab's Drugstore. 'All Songs Considered' One tip for new (and some not-so-new) musicians would be to check out the submission Web page of NPR's All Songs Considered. This is NPR's online music program that specializes in new music. It does accept CDs from independent musicians who have not yet signed with a recording company and who have produced their CD themselves. All Songs Considered has been an important online pioneer in finding and showcasing new talent. Bob Boilen is the originating producer of this venture, and he and associate producer Robin Hilton at npr.org deserve kudos for this activity. The 'Dibs' System There is a system of sorts inside NPR for settling arguments among programs that want first "dibs" on an author or a musician. It's known (not surprisingly) as the "dibs" system. A prog

More Than 60 People Are Dead After A Hospital Fire In A Southern Iraqi City

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A fire that broke out in the coronavirus ward of a hospital in southern Iraq has killed at least 64 people and injured dozens more, according to health officials on Tuesday. Flames swept through outbuildings of the al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the southern city of Nasiryah on Monday that had been set up to isolate those sick with COVID-19. Patients became trapped inside, with rescue teams struggling to reach them in time. Photographs from the scene showed onlookers silhouetted by the flames that encompassed the buildings and lit up the night sky. Later, images showed rescue workers picking through the charred remains of bodies and hospital beds on the ward. Officials told The Associated Press that the fire may have been caused by an electric short circuit, but did not provide more detail. Another health official in Dhi Qar Province, where Nasiriyah is located, said the fire erupted when an oxygen cylinder exploded. This is the second time a fire has ripped through the coronavirus ward of a hospital in Iraq. In April at least 82 people died at Ibn al-Khatib hospital in Baghdad after in a fire caused by a faulty oxygen tank. Iraq's prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, has ordered a full investigation into the causes of this latest fire in Nasiriyah. He also ordered the suspension and arrest of the health directors of Dhi Qar Province and al-Hussein hospital, as well as the city's director of civil defense. Already ruined by decades of war, sanctions, mismanagement and corruption, the pandemic has further crippled Iraq's health care system, with acute shortages of staff and medical equipment. COVID-19 has killed nearly 17,600 people and infected more than 1.4 million in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University. "Corrupt officials must be held accountable for the fire and killing innocent patients. Where is my father's body," one young man told Reuters as he searched among charred bodies wrapped in blankets in the hospital's yard. In a show of anger and frustration, relatives of the dead and injured clashed with police outside the al-Hussein hospital, setting two vehicles on fire.

An Accidental Hit 'Begins To Shine' — And Only Because Of 'Teen Titans Go!'

Scan the Billboard rock charts for the week of August 26 and you'll find the usual suspects: Imagine Dragons, Foo Fighters, Portugal. The Man. But snuggled in at No. 23 is a new entry to the field: a song called "The Night Begins to Shine" by a band called B.E.R. How'd this unknown song, written more than a decade ago, break into the charts? The answer: the cartoon Teen Titans Go! While 'toon-based singles often get onto the charts only because of corporate overlord plotting, the success of "The Night Begins to Shine" was actually unplanned. A snippet of the song first appeared on the cartoon in 2014. Peter Michail, a director and producer on Teen Titans Go!, was directing an episode called "Slumber Party" when he came up 10 seconds short. It's important to note that Teen Titans Go! does not have its own composer. There's no person on the Warner Brothers lot conducting an orchestra along to the cartoon. Instead, directors have to score their own stuff using whatever they can find in their in-house music library. "That whole episode, I was scoring it with an '80s vibe," says Michail. "So I literally went into the '80s rock genre and [was] rummaging through these albums and found ["The Night Begins to Shine"]. I was like, 'Aw dude, this song's awesome!'" And that's how you get Cyborg — one of the Teen Titans — singing along to B.E.R. in the beginning of the episode. He sings a few lines — and then promptly turns out the lights and goes to bed. That was it. It was, the producers admit, a throwaway joke to fill time. But fans heard it differently. "Off that episode, people started saying, 'What's this song? Is this a song I've heard before?'" says Teen Titans Go! executive producer Michael Jelenic. So the show's producers decided: You know what? This song rules. B.E.R. rules. In the next season, it became Cyborg's favorite song — even if fellow Titans didn't agree with his taste. The song's popularity grew online. On YouTube, fans started playing the song over other cartoons. Next came remixes, and that sure-sign symbol of an online hit: hour-long loops. This month — and here's where that corporate overlord plotting starts to kick in — Cartoon Network decided to go all-in and air a four-part series about the song. They released an EP. They commissioned covers from musicians like CeeLo Green and Fall Out Boy. And that's how B.E.R ended up on the rock charts, beating out radio rock bands The Lumineers and Muse. Carl Burnett, the "B" in B.E.R., helped write and produce the song. He's the one who got the assignment in 2005 to write an '80s-style song for a music library. And he's as surprised as anyone by its success. "Who would think it from a song that has its roots as a music library track?" he says. I asked him what it was like to have an accidental hit — which, admittedly, is probably not the best way to phrase a question to a songwriter. Luckily, Burnett wasn't offended. "Hmm, accidental," he says. "I would say that it's miraculous." ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: The August 26 Billboard chart for hot rock songs has the usual suspects - the bands Imagine Dragons, Linkin Park and Weezer. But snuggled in at No. 23 is a new entry to the field, a band named B.E.R., a cartoon band. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE NIGHT BEGINS TO SHINE") B.E.R.: (Singing) The night begins to shine. The night begins to shine. The night begins to shine. When we're dancing the night begins to shine. SIEGEL: As you may imagine, the name of that song is "The Night Begins To Shine." It's from the animated TV series "Teen Titans Go!" NPR's Andrew Limbong has more. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE NIGHT BEGINS TO SHINE") B.E.R.: (Singing) Shine. ANDREW LIMBONG, BYLINE: While most toon-based singles getting a chart position is the end result of some corporate overlord plotting, this song was never meant to be a hit. "The Night Begins To Shine" was written over a decade ago, but it didn't break out until 2014. PETER MICHAIL: I was directing an episode called "Slumber Party" and it was coming up 10 seconds short. LIMBONG: That's Peter Michail, a director and producer on the show "Teen Titans Go!," a show that, importantly for this story, does not have its own composer. There's no person on the Warner Brothers lot conducting an orchestra along to the cartoon. Instead, directors have to score their own stuff using whatever they can find in their in-house music library. MICHAIL: That whole episode, I was scoring it with an '80s vibe. So I literally - I went into the '80s rock genre and started rummaging through these albums and found it. You know, and I was like, oh, dude, this song's awesome. LIMBONG: And that's how you get Cyborg, one of the Teen Titans, singing along to B.E.R. in the first few seconds of the episode. That is, until... (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TEEN TITANS GO!") KHARY PAYTON: (As Cyborg) That's enough. (Yawning) Bed time. LIMBONG: And that's it. It was, the producers admit, a throwaway joke to fill time. But fans heard it differently. Here's "Teen Tita

Backlash After Black Men Arrested At Starbucks

There has been a strong backlash after two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks for trespassing.

Cruz Won't Criticize Trump But Offers His Own Plan To Bar Refugees

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz doesn't want to "get down in the mud and engage in personal insults and attacks" — one reason he has declined to criticize Donald Trump more directly in the wake of Trump's plan to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. In an interview Tuesday morning with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep at NPR's Washington headquarters, the GOP presidential candidate explained his own plan to slow immigration from some Muslim countries. "The first obligation [of the president] is to keep this country safe, and so I've introduced legislation that would suspend for three years refugees from countries where ISIS or al-Qaida control a substantial amount of territory," Cruz said. "And the reason is simple. The FBI has told Congress that the Obama administration cannot vet these refugees. President Obama and Hillary Clinton's plan to bring tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to America, when the FBI says they cannot ascertain if these refugees are ISIS terrorists or not, that makes no sense." Cruz's plan, which he unveiled at the Capitol on Tuesday alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, would temporarily halt refugees coming to the U.S. from Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Iraq — all nations with heavy terrorist influences. Cruz admitted his plan may not solve every problem — one of the attackers in last week's San Bernardino massacre was born in Pakistan — and that broader reforms were needed, but he argued it was a beginning to increase vetting of those coming into the country. "The problem, Steve — this president doesn't even acknowledge the problem exists, much less put in place serious policies to deal with it," Cruz told Inskeep. Cruz's plan would include an exemption for people from those countries who are threatened by genocide, but he argued that distinction still didn't impose a religious test. He pointed out, though, that U.S. law has long included exemptions for religious persecution — and that Christians in the Middle East are victims of that right now. "What is happening to the Christians by ISIS is qualitatively different," Cruz said. "They are facing genocide in that ISIS is attempting to exterminate the Middle Eastern Christians in a way that is qualitatively different from other people." Cruz panned President Obama's Sunday evening Oval Office address, slamming him for still refusing to use the term "radical Islamic terrorism." "[Obama] behaved, I think, like a condescending school marm lecturing the American people against Islamophobia," Cruz said. "In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, we don't need the president who believes he's our intellectual and moral better lecturing the American people." As to whether Obama was maybe trying to make sure he wasn't singling out Muslims who may be loyal Americans in using careful language, Cruz called that "baloney." "Last I checked, the Crusades and Inquisitions ended hundreds of years ago. I don't think it's too much to be asking for the president to stay in the current millennium," he said. As to whether Trump — still leading in most GOP polls, though Cruz has leapfrogged him in some Iowa surveys — went too far Monday in calling for such drastic measures to halt Muslims from entering the U.S., Cruz said he disagrees with the real estate magnate's plan. "I disagree with Donald on that," Cruz said. "He is welcome to discuss his policy ideas. That is not my view of how we should approach it. My view is we should focus very directly on the threat, which is radical Islamic terrorism and Islamism." "There are millions of peaceful Muslims in the world," he continued. "There are millions of peaceful Muslims in America. This is not about the Islamic faith. It is about Islamism, which is a very different thing." But Cruz hasn't been as forceful in criticizing the Republican front-runner for his controversial plan — former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Trump had come "unhinged," and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called his comments "race-baiting" and "xenophobic." The first-term Texas senator said he's been happy to criticize what he terms the "Washington cartel" and career politicians, but that in his books and in debates, he has resisted singling out anyone by name. "I've taken this same approach with regard to every other candidate. It's not just Donald Trump," Cruz said. You don't hear me right now blasting, launching personal insults at Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or anyone else." "My approach to politics, and that has been true from Day One in the Senate, that if others choose to insult me and attack me, and — and you know, I'm told once or twice there have been some folks in politics who have said some unpleasant things about me," Cruz laughed. "I do not respond in kind. I do not reciprocate and I don't intend to. I'm not going to get down in the mud and engage in personal insults and attacks." And as to whether he's holding his fire because he wants to woo Trump supporters, Cruz said, of course he does — because that's just good politics. "I would lik

EU Ministers Vote To Relocate 120,000 Refugees Across Member States

European Union interior and justice ministers met in Brussels Tuesday to discuss a proposed plan to relocate 120,000 refugees across member states. The meeting, on the eve of an EU summit, is likely to prove contentious, since several eastern European governments have already rejected the idea.

Activist and former Black Panther JOHNNY SPAIN

Activist and former Black Panther JOHNNY SPAIN. He was born to a white mother and black father in the South, and when he was six years old was adopted by a black family in California. His mother sent him away for his own safety, but he never understood why, and grew up feeling abandoned. At the age of 17 he was sent to prison after killing a man during an aborted mugging. In prison he met George Jackson who changed his life, by exposing him to the teachings of the Black Panther movement. SPAIN became a leader in the Black Panther Movement in prison. Jackson was killed during an attempted prison break, and SPAIN was convicted of conspiracy. Later that charge was overturned and SPAIN was freed in 1988. He's now a community organizer in San Francisco. There's a new book about him: "Black Power White Blood: The Life and Times of Johnny Spain" (Pantheon

'Morning Edition' Returns: Hamilton, Burr Duel Again

Aaron Burr, the sitting vice president, killed Alexander Hamilton in 1804. This weekend, descendants of the two early American leaders plan to re-enact their historic duel.

Public Media Serves Up Election Widgets For Bloggers

Whatever we now loosely know as Web 2.0 has opened up new opportunities and challenges for campaigns and media entities alike. Media outlets are attempting to navigate a new media landscape with lean budgets and an eye toward identifying new revenue streams. NPR and a group of our public media partners have responded in part (with help from a CPB grant) by creating a variety of election-related widgets that can be added to your blog or Web site. Here is a rundown on some of the gems floating around in the public media universe. Read More >> Capitol News Connection's Ask Your Lawmaker lets users vote on what questions CNC reporters should ask members of Congress. Reporters ask the most popular questions and post the responses, which can provide for some rich fodder for your blog. AYL offers a variety of widget options and also allows the posting of individual answers. KQED's You Decide is an issues-based widget that aims to bring critical thinking to the central policy questions of this election. For example, does the United States spend too much money on defense? Or should the United States adopt a single-payer, universal health care plan? As you respond to the questions you are challenged by an argument that makes the case for the opposing response. NPR's Get My Vote is an online space where people explain their core political beliefs. It starts with one question: What will it take for a candidate to get your vote? Post your own ideas and/or share postings from other people. PRX's BallotVox searches for the best of user-generated election content and packages it into these handy widgets for your site. PRX also has a handsome collection of campaign audio from speeches and member station reports. APM's Budget Hero is a game that encourages players to sift through taxation and spending options available to lawmakers. To win: Stay true to your values while creating a sustainable government. Embed on your Web page. APM also created the Idea Generator, which encourages users to exchange ideas about preserving the American Dream.Stay tuned: NPR's Election Map has some exciting updates on the way including embeddable code for bloggers. What is your favorite public media widget this election? What would make it better?

Pakistan Flooding Crisis Gets Even Worse

Good morning. The economy, as we just reported, is on lots of minds again as the new week gets going. Federal Reserve policymakers gather tomorrow and are expected to talk about whether they may need to be more aggressive about trying to get things moving again. As for other stories making headlines, they include: -- DAWN.com -- U.N. Says Flood Crisis In Pakistan Is Bigger Than Tsunami, Haiti Earthquake: "The number of people suffering from the massive floods in Pakistan could exceed the combined total in three recent megadisasters - the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake - the United Nations said Monday. The death toll in each of those three disasters was much higher than the 1,500 people killed so far in the floods that first hit Pakistan two weeks ago. But the Pakistani government estimates that over 13 million people have been affected -- two million more than the other disasters combined." Related data from the U.N.: Maps, other documents about the crisis in Pakistan. Read More -- Los Angeles Times -- "Slain American Workers Were Devoted To Service": "They were a disparate group of American altruists who had long cared for the poor and ailing, thrown together on a mission to provide medical help in the most daunting and needy of places. Last week, the six Americans were among 10 volunteers shot to death in a remote swath of Afghanistan while returning from an aid mission, a tragic end to their years of risk-laden service in the war-ravaged and impoverished nation." Related story by The Guardian -- "Karen Woo's Fiance Identifies Her Body After Afghanistan Murder": "The fiance of Karen Woo, the British doctor killed in the ambush of aid workers in northern Afghanistan, had the harrowing task today of identifying her body just two weeks before they were due to wed. The remains of Woo and the bodies of nine other aid workers, including six Americans and a German, were flown back by helicopter to Kabul where many of them will be buried in the city's only Christian graveyard." Related story on Morning Edition -- "Taliban Return To Northern Afghanistan": "Violence in southern Afghanistan, heartland of the Taliban, is expected. But some of the new U.S. troops surging into the country this year are being sent north, to areas previously thought to be free of Taliban influence." -- The New York Times -- "Students Spared Amid An Increase In Deportations": "The Obama administration, while deporting a record number of immigrants convicted of crimes, is sparing one group of illegal immigrants from expulsion: students who came to the United States without papers when they were children." -- BBC News -- Mia Farrow Testifies That Naomi Campbell Said Liberia's Taylor Gave Her 'Huge Diamond': "Actress Mia Farrow has testified that model Naomi Campbell said she got a 'huge diamond' from men sent by ex-Liberian president Charles Taylor. Ms Farrow's testimony directly contradicts Ms Campbell's account that she received two or three stones and did not know who sent them." -- The Associated Press -- "Oscar-Winning Actress Patricia Neal Dies At Age 84": "Patricia Neal, the willowy, husky-voiced actress who won an Academy Award for 1963's Hud and then survived several strokes to continue acting, died on Sunday. She was 84. Neal had lung cancer and died at her home in Edgartown, Mass., on Martha's Vineyard, said longtime friend Bud Albers of Knoxville."

Huckabee Disavows Misleading Campaign Tactics

Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee on Wednesday disavowed the use of a negative campaign tactic known as "push polling" being used on his behalf by an independent group ahead of the South Carolina primary. Huckabee said he disagreed with the automated phone calls purporting to be part of a survey that instead disparage rival candidates. The "push polling" calls were being made by Colorado-based Common Sense Issues in support of the Huckabee campaign. "We don't know who these people are," the former Arkansas governor told NPR's Morning Edition. "I personally wish all of this were outlawed. I think that every candidate ought to speak for himself." When pressed, Huckabee said it was impossible to stop the practice because it is against the law for a campaign to have contact with the groups responsible. "Candidates can't force these ... special interest groups to stop," he said. "I wish we could, because frankly, they're not doing me a favor by carrying out things and tactics that I don't personally agree with." Common Sense Issues promised last month to make 1 million phone calls in South Carolina in support of Huckabee. The group's executive director, Patrick Davis, said Tuesday that the calls started about 5 p.m. from a call center in Virginia and should be completed sometime Thursday. South Carolina law prohibits automated calls for political purposes with a penalty of 30 days in jail and a $200 fine for each violation. Common Sense Issues has defended the calls as free speech and said they are protected under federal law. Huckabee, who managed only a third-place finish in Michigan's primary on Tuesday, said he was outspent "fifty to one" by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the state. Huckabee predicted he would come out ahead of the field in South Carolina on Jan. 19, but insisted he did not "have to win" the state. "(But) if we do, it puts us in a very strong position going into Super Tuesday," he said, referring to the primary elections in 22 states on Feb. 5. In Florida's Jan. 29 primary, polls show the race narrowing to a dead-heat among former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Huckabee and Romney. With additional reporting from The Associated Press RENEE MONTAGNE, host: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne The Republican race for president took another turn last night. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the Michigan primary. John McCain came in second. And third was the man we're going to talk to next - Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. He joins us on the line from Columbia, South Carolina. Good morning. Mr. MIKE HUCKABEE (Former Republican Governor, Arkansas; Presidential Candidate): Good morning. It's a pleasure to be with you. MONTAGNE: Pleasure to have you. Governor, you placed third in Michigan with 16 percent of the vote. The thing that fueled your win in Iowa were the social conservatives there. Why did you lose many of those social conservatives to Governor Romney in Michigan? Mr. HUCKABEE: Well, people know Governor Romney. I mean, his dad was the governor. He grew up there. He outspent me fifty to one there. I think, frankly, to receive the vote that I did - ahead of Rudy of Giuliani, Fred Thompson and others - is pretty significant. MONTAGNE: Well, clearly, your base is the evangelical vote. But so far, you haven't been winning the others who made up the Reagan Republican coalition. That would be fiscal conservatives and national security conservatives. Mr. HUCKABEE: Well, I think that there is sort of a misunderstanding. And people think that the only voters I have are Evangelicals. Evangelicals are also fiscal conservatives and they're interested in national security. And I am winning a lot of the rank and file people. In fact, I'm getting the very people that made up the Reagan coalition - union members and people who are middle class and small business owners. That's exactly many of the people who are supporting me. I think when we get through South Carolina and win here Saturday, people are going to see that there's a much broader support than maybe they had been thinking. MONTAGNE: We're going to go on to South Carolina. Let's take the issues that will crop up there. The economy is what a lot of people are talking about. What's your view on what the government can do to avoid what appears to be a recession heading our way? Mr. HUCKABEE: Well, the most important thing is to take the Hippocratic Oath and first do no harm. Don't raise taxes. Don't create more regulation and make it even tougher for businesses who are barely getting around their margins; make it tougher for them to survive. If anything, we need a tax stimulus package to lower taxes, cut some of the regulatory red tape, give businesses a chance to get some breathing room so that they can invest, put capital back into the marketplace. That's critical. And don't take money of the consumers' pocket with high tax rates or

This Thanksgiving, Struggling To Skip The Instagram Obsession

A family member's passing this month sent me on a wistful expedition through endless unnamed photo collections from my old hard drive. I searched for group shots and family holiday pictures in hopes of tracking down one or two nostalgic images of someone very photo-averse. Instead, I found this — and many, many, many photos like it. Admittedly, the spreads my family puts on for celebrations can get pretty picturesque. We're Russian, so there's always something purple, something smoked, something completely undecipherable and caviar. (And is that a whole stuffed fish peeking out in that New Year's photo? Yes, it is.) But here's the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw this image: What a crazy photo, I should put it on Instagram. And the second: Why was I taking so many pictures of food if I had nowhere to post them? The year was 2008, and a digital camera was my prized possession. Now, I have a smartphone and a camera folder full of photos of tasty things I cooked or ate or saw. And this idea, that photos are taken to be posted online, is getting harder and harder to shake. Of course, it's something we've all heard before — social media is addictive, we're spending too much time online, we're tethered to our phones. (Chances are, you're reading this on Facebook from your smartphone.) Two in three Americans own at least two digital devices and the same portion is on social media. By one estimate, an average user spends almost 2 hours a day on social platforms. As early as in 2012, Baylor University compared cellphone and instant messaging addictions to "consumption pathologies like compulsive buying." For some stark visualizations, one photographer imagined our society with the digital "phantom limbs" removed. Get-togethers with extended family can bring out the worst of it. Debates are settled with Google searches, scores are checked online, small talk is avoided with scrolls through other people's digital lives, crowd-watching of screaming goat song remixes on YouTube ensues. Look again at that crooked dinner photo I took seven years ago; do you notice something missing? Well, there's no turkey — it was a different kind of celebration. But also: not a single phone. Now, at many family gatherings, the "telephone yawn" is unavoidable — one person takes out a phone, and others can't help but follow. And guess what? It's not just "the millennials." Flurry, a company that tracks app use, analyzed its data last year and found that middle-aged parents were up there with teenagers and college students. All Tech explored the notion of phone overuse and its rudeness factor in a series of posts last year, collecting some insightful observations about the importance of context (maybe those goat song remixes are totally fine because they spur conversations) and suggestions for ways to restrict their presence (you could turn it into a game). I struggle to detach from my phone. It's the first thing I pick up in the morning (to look at Instagram photos of food) and the last thing I put down before bed (after looking at Instagram photos of food). In fact, I had an idea of trading my smartphone in for a flip phone — but found that option actually much, much more costly. So this Thanksgiving, I wanted to skip the phone and Instagram food photos. I would let my iPhone battery run out and leave it dead. I would bring some magazines and movies. And when the time comes to rejoin the daily grind, maybe I could download Moment to track and be more mindful of about phone use. (Android alternatives are QualityTime or AppT.) Do you use apps to track your phone use? Do you think phone use deserves the worry? Tell us in the comments below or find me over on Twitter. Though if I'm doing it right, you won't see me there for a little while.

Vermont Edition 8/16/06

The ability to purchase a house feels out of reach for many Vermonters, or they feel they have to make compromises to afford buying a home. We talk with Karrie Jacobs, author of The Perfect $100,000 House, about the quest to buy a well-built home at a reasonable price. Also in the program, news analyst [...]

Appeals Court Sets Terms For Abortion For Teen Immigrant

Updated at 10:15 p.m. ET A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has ruled that a detained teenage immigrant may not obtain an abortion until a government-approved sponsor can be secured by the end of the month. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit split 2-1 on the ruling. The case involves a 17-year-old who is referred to in court documents only as "Jane Doe." She came to this country illegally, discovered she was pregnant, and is seeking to terminate her pregnancy while she is detained in Texas in a private facility for unaccompanied minors supervised by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement. Lawyers for the government argue that it isn't obligated to help her get an abortion because the administration wants to promote child birth and fetal life. The attorneys told the court that the government isn't interfering with the minor's right to obtain an abortion which is guaranteed by the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade. But HHS officials have refused to transport her or release her into the custody of her guardian to obtain the abortion. The federal appeals court has indicated that the young woman has a right to get an abortion and the court is giving the Department of Health and Human Services until October 31 to approve a sponsor so that the government need not facilitate the procedure. "If a sponsor is secured and J.D. is released from HHS custody to the sponsor, HHS agrees that J.D. then will be lawfully able, if she chooses, to obtain an abortion on her own pursuant to the relevant state law," the judges wrote. But they added if a sponsor is not secured and the minor is not released to a sponsor by Oct. 31, then the matter will return to the courts. "There are no winners in cases like these," said Judge Patricia Millet said in a 10-page dissenting opinion. "But there sure are losers. As of today, J.D. has already been forced by the government to continue an unwanted pregnancy for almost four weeks, and now, as a result of this order, must continue to carry that pregnancy for multiple more weeks," she added. In a statement, American Civil Liberties lawyer Brigitte Amiri said, "Justice is delayed yet again for this courageous and persistent young woman. She continues to be held hostage and prevented from getting an abortion because the Trump administration disagrees with her personal decision." The ruling comes after the appeals panel temporarily blocked a lower court ruling allowing the minor to seek an abortion "without delay." The lower court ruling basically endorsed a Texas state judge's decision to allow the minor to seek an abortion. The procedure is to be paid for by the minor or her supporters. The Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released this statement: "For however much time we are given, the Office of Refugee Resettlement and HHS will protect the well-being of this minor and all children and their babies in our facilities, and we will defend human dignity for all in our care."

Election Preview: Arizona And Florida Primaries

As the nation remembers Sen. John McCain who died on Saturday, his home state of Arizona holds a primary election on Tuesday — as does Florida.

Pun Facts About Hockey

Here is a great example of an unexpected factoid--something you would normally not even think to wonder about--making a cool news item, from the NYT: According to sales figures from stick manufacturers, a majority of Canadian hockey players shoot left-handed, and a majority of American players shoot right-handed. No reason is known for this disparity, which cuts across all age groups and has persisted for decades. Add in some puns about "lefties in Canada" and their right-winger breathren down here, and you've got pure journalism gold. The only thing I wonder is how they got the info on the hand-preferences of the Olympic team members. It's not noted in the team roster or any other published source. Would you call the coach? Review hours of hockey footage? Or if you're a hockey fan, do you just know that kind of thing... as published in the Almanac of Nutty Sports Fans' Brains.

Olympic Gold Medalist Caster Semenya Can't Outrun Gender Controversy

The sports world&#8217;s highest court has ruled that Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya and other female runners like her with unusually high testosterone must take medication to reduce their levels if they want to compete in events. It&#8217;s a landmark decision with far-reaching ramifications for other women&#8217;s sports. Here & Now&#8216;s Peter O&#8217;Dowd talks with sports analyst Mike Pesca (@pescami), host of the daily podcast &#8220;The Gist.&#8221; This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Pelosi: Let's Spend Our Energy Making Obamacare Work

Message discipline, thy name is Rep. Nancy Pelosi. If you've been paying attention to congressional Democrats since the Affordable Care Act website failed to launch as planned in early October, you probably didn't hear much new from Rep. Nancy Pelosi's interview with Robert Siegel, co-host of NPR's All Things Considered. Not because Robert didn't try; he's the consummate interviewer. But as good as Robert is at trying to get politicians off their canned messages, Pelosi is equally good at staying on hers. Pelosi, a California Democrat, relied on the three main arguments Democrats have used to defend Obamacare during its rough rollout: 1) Major features of the law are already working despite the hinky website. 2) The Medicare Part D prescription drug program's start was bumpy too. 3) There's enough time to iron out the Obamacare website's wrinkles. As to Point 1, she ticked off the parts of the law now operating, including children being allowed to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26 and no more insurance company rejections for pre-existing conditions. "All of this has been working just fine and those responsible have been implementing it just fine," Pelosi said. When Robert remarked on the centrality of the website exchanges to consumers' ability to shop for and purchase health insurance, Pelosi resorted to the Medicare Part D defense. She read news headline after headline from 2006, reporting on the snafus in that program. Medicare Part D passed largely on the strength of Republican congressional support and was signed into law by Republican President George W. Bush. After Robert politely interrupted her litany, she said: "The point is this is what happens when you do something big. And at the time, the Republicans' statements were exactly that. You're not letting me go on. And you shouldn't because I have pages ... [of stories critical of the Medicare Part D rollout]." You got the sense she wasn't kidding, and she just might have tried to read them all if Robert had let her run out the clock. When Robert asked her if she would favor delaying the enrollment deadline if the federal website isn't fixed by November's end (he noted that some congressional Democrats, like Sen. Jeannne Shaheen of New Hampshire, have called for just that), Pelosi sounded impatient. "I don't even know why we're spending so much time talking about 'if it doesn't work.' Let's spend our energy and time making it work. And then, as I say, you view it and review it as time goes by. But I don't think you have it be a self-fulfilling prediction that it's not going to work ..." Other subjects covered in the brief interview were the upcoming Senate-House budget negotiations and Pelosi's shift to saying that Democrats can win the House now that GOP approval ratings have fallen through the floor, post-government shutdown. Pelosi again was on message. For Democrats to consider entitlement cuts during the talks, tax increases will need to also be on the table. She seemed to drop her partisan armor, however, and go beyond the message when Robert asked her if she thought that Democrats had to win the Tampa, Fla., congressional seat of the recently deceased Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young, a longtime Republican congressman, to have a chance to win the House. "I really just returned from his funeral," she said with a catch. "I'm not even really thinking in terms of the election yet. I don't even know if they've set a date for it yet. Bill Young was a beautiful, lovely statesman. I was honored to serve with him. He was my chairman on Appropriations." Once Florida does announce the special election to replace Young, however, she indicated it would be game on in the Democratic effort to retake the House. "And remember one thing," she said at the interview's end, firmly back on message. "When women succeed, America succeeds," said Pelosi, who was the first woman to become speaker of the House in U.S. history. "We have many women candidates in the field that we're promoting." "I'll keep that in mind," Robert said.

Coalition Countries Have Different Ideas About Libya

President Obama made sure to begin a bombing campaign in Libya with allies, but that doesn't mean they all agree. Arthur Goldhammer, of the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, talks to Stave Inskeep about friction among countries in the coalition.

Violist Finds Favor In Indie Rock And Classics

After 10 years of From the Top broadcasts, alumni from the show are popping up all over. I recently played with the New West Symphony in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and there in the viola section was Lauren Chipman, a fabulous player who'd been on From the Top as a 17-year-old high schooler. I remember her first performance on From the Top. She brought us Alan Shulman's Theme & Variations for Viola and Piano, a great piece with a difficult piano part that really had me working to keep up. Fast-forward a few years, and I'm at a concert at the House of Blues in Cleveland. There on stage, as a member of a band called The Rentals, is Chipman jamming on her viola alongside lead singer Matt Sharp. She was a total rock star. So what happened? How did this amazing classical string player end up touring with an indie-rock band? It turns out that, after Chipman finished her undergraduate studies in viola performance at USC, she was playing with symphonies in Los Angeles and had formed a string quartet with some friends. The quartet was about to go out on an international tour when she received a life-changing phone call. It was Sharp, looking for a violist. Chipman had never played outside of a classical setting, but she and Sharp hit it off. Before she knew it, she was playing viola and keyboards, and even singing in the band. "After a few records and tours, I went from playing simple string parts to being truly creatively involved," she says. Today, in addition to touring with The Rentals, Chipman plays with the Section Quartet, a self-described "rock band-disguised-as-a-string-quartet," and writes and records her own film scores. She's even started a new project with a friend, decorating violins and string-player accessories with Swarovski crystals, called "Baroque Bling." But in case you think Chipman has given up on her classical roots, nothing could be further from the truth. "I still love classical music, and I've discovered that I love teaching — both kids and adults," she says. "I teach with a strong technical foundation, but I always encourage my students to compose their own songs and write parts for rock songs. I mean, that's what I do." Chipman says she couldn't be happier with where her passion for music has taken her. "My musical life is so varied and so full in ways I could have never imagined back when I was on From the Top," she says. "I absolutely love it."

Is There Any Progress In Negotiations Over A New Pandemic Relief Bill?

President Trump says he wants a pandemic aid package done in the next two weeks. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ended another call on Monday without a deal.

U.S. Hopes ISIS Prisoner Will Lead Americans To Chemical Weapons

The Pentagon hopes an ISIS chemical weapons engineer captured in Iraq last month will lead U.S. troops to possible weapons sites and help prevent chemical attacks by the Islamic State. Defense officials hope that Sleiman Daoud al-Afari will help them find storage sites for chemical munitions including mustard agent, which can blister the skin and lungs and lead to death in high concentrations. Iraqi officials told the Associated Press that al-Afari worked for Saddam Hussein's military and has long been a member of ISIS, which seized portions of Iraq last summer. Al-Afari's capture has already led to some U.S. airstrikes against suspected ISIS chemical weapons stockpiles, one U.S. national security official confirmed to NPR. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis declined to confirm the capture of al-Afari but he talked about the chemical threat in general terms. "We've said before that they have used chemical weapons in both Iraq and Syria, sulphur mustard specifically," Davis said. Anyone who's making and using weapons of mass destruction, particularly a terrorist group like ISIL, would be well advised to know that we don't intend to let them keep doing that." Al-Afari was captured as part of a new strategy in which Army Delta Force special operators go after Islamic State leaders with the goal of bringing them in and interrogating them about the terror group's operations. American officials are questioning al-Afari but they do not plan to detain him; they expect him to be handed over to Iraqi custody. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the capture and interrogation of al-Afari showed Washington's new approach in Iraq is already paying off. "While these on-the-ground captures pose real dangers to our troops and can risk bringing the U.S. more fully into this conflict, the rewards can be great in terms of vital intelligence collected, ISIS operations disrupted, and attacks thwarted – including those which may involve chemical weapons," he said in a statement. Meanwhile, Kurdish officials in northern Iraq reported that this week some 40 civilians suffered from skin irritation and choking after mortar shells with "poisonous substances" were fired into a village south of Kirkuk, which is under Kurdish control. And separately, Syrian Kurdish officials say jihadists on Tuesday used phosphorous in a chemical attack on the city of Aleppo. Five people remain hospitalized. There have been numerous reports since last summer of chemical weapons use by ISIS and other jihadi groups. Some of the chemicals have been stolen from old military stockpiles, while others amount to a homemade brew. Also, there is an abundance in Syria and Iraq of chlorine, which is used as a water purifier but can also be weaponized by placing high concentrations into an artillery shell. Last August, NPR reported on an artillery attack on a village just south of the Iraqi city of Mosul, sickening Kurdish troops. And recently, on the CBS News show 60 Minutes, CIA Director John Brennan was asked by reporter Scott Pelley about the use of chemical weapons by ISIS: "Scott Pelley: Does ISIS have chemical weapons? "John Brennan: We have a number of instances where ISIL has used chemical munitions on the battlefield. "Scott Pelley: Artillery shells. "John Brennan: Sure. Yeah. "Scott Pelley: ISIS has access to chemical artillery shells? "John Brennan: Uh-huh (affirm). There are reports that ISIS has access to chemical precursors and munitions that they can use." With ISIS under continual pressure by U.S. airstrikes and local forces, officials said, there are concerns that ISIS could turn more to the use of chemical weapons in desperation.

Doomsday Prepping Goes Mainstream

Doomsday prepping is no longer a fringe obsession. The survivalist movement, which was long stereotyped as made up of gun-wielding, right-wing older white men, is evolving. According to John Ramey, the founder of a popular how-to prepping website called The Prepared, young, urban-dwelling women are his fastest-growing audience. The site experienced a 25-fold boost in traffic the week COVID shut down parts of the U.S. Author Melissa Scholes Young attended a survivalist training camp to research her new novel, "The Hive," which features a character who is a prepper. While prepping has its roots in American individualism and self-reliance, it's also big business. Some of the ultra-wealthy are going so far as to invest in multi-million dollar bunkers. Prepping companies like Judy have sprung up. It sells survival kits (known by preppers as "bug out bags") and was endorsed by the Kardashians on Instagram. Between 2017 and 2025, Allied Research Marketing projects that the global market for "incident and emergency management" will jump in value from $75.5 billion to $423 billion. What's behind the growing popularity of the prepper movement? And is the community built on an ethos of "survival of the fittest" accessible to all? Bradley Garrett, John Ramey, and Melissa Scholes Young join us for the conversation. Like what you hear? Find more of our programs online.

Colleges Have Increased Women Computer Science Majors: What Can Google Learn?

A Google engineer who got fired over a controversial memo that criticized the company's diversity policies said that there might be biological reasons there are fewer women engineers. But top computer science schools have proven that a few cultural changes can increase the number of women in the field. In 2006, only about 10 percent of computer science majors at Harvey Mudd College were women. That's pretty low since Harvey Mudd is a school for students who are interested in science, math and technology. Then, Maria Klawe began her tenure as president of the college. Klawe — a computer scientist herself — had always been told that girls weren't good at these things. "This whole idea that women lean to liking doing one thing and men to doing another, it turns out I think if you do the curriculum and pedagogy well that's just false," she says. In fact, as soon as she arrived Klawe joined in an effort to change the curriculum. First the school changed the name of the intro course, which had been called Intro to Java — a programming language. Faculty came up with a new name: Creative Problem Solving in Science and Engineering Using Computational Approaches. And then, Klawe says, the college also had to address the fact that a lot of women were intimidated by male students who showed off in class. Many had done some programming in high school and they would dominate discussion. So, they created a second intro course for students who had no previous experience. Klawe says that it took away the "intimidation that comes of being a class where you've had no prior experience and somebody else has been programming since they were eight." Klawe says they also countered the stereotype that computer geeks were guys who spent all their time alone in a basement. "They had very deliberately made it collaborative and involving teamwork instead of being lonely," she says. Harvey Mudd's intro computer class became among the school's most popular. And now, instead of 10 percent in any given year, the number of women computer science majors ranges between 40 percent and 50 percent. Harvey Mudd isn't the only school seeing success in this effort. Carnegie Mellon has also significantly raised the number of women who major in computer science. Jane Margolis, an education researcher at UCLA began a four-year study of Carnegie Mellon in 1994. At the time, only 7 percent of computer science majors were women. "It was not a question of capacity or ability" Margolis says. "It was a question of women feeling that they weren't welcome or that their existence was suspect." For example, Margolis says there was a computer science club in which the men put the women down if they didn't think about coding all day and night. And yet, when Margolis interviewed the men, she found they had other interests too. "Many of them would say I like to do other things besides computing. I like to hike or I like to bike. But they never felt like their presence was being scrutinized." Carnegie Mellon instituted a series of reforms. The school created a women's computer club. The school made it harder to become a computer science major — as always applicants had to be good at math and science but now they also had to show they had leadership qualities. Today, instead of 7 percent, over 40 percent of the computer science majors at Carnegie Mellon are women. For companies like Google — where only 20 percent of women are in technical positions — the question is whether there is something to be learned from these educational programs. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Now a counter-example to that Google engineer whose memo about diversity got him fired. He argued that biological differences may explain why there are so few women in his field. Some top computer science schools have had different experiences. As NPR's Laura Sydell reports, they've shown that just a few changes can increase the number of women engineers. LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: When Maria Klawe arrived at Harvey Mudd College in 2006, only 10 percent of the computer science majors were women. That's pretty low since Harvey Mudd is a school for students who are interested in science, math and technology. Klawe, a computer scientist herself, is president of Harvey Mudd. She has always been told that girls weren't good at these things. MARIA KLAWE: This whole idea that women lean to liking doing one thing and men to doing another - it turns out, I think if you do the curriculum pedagogy well, that's just false. SYDELL: In fact, as soon as she arrived, Klawe joined in an effort to change the curriculum. First, they changed the name of the intro course which had been called intro to Java. That's a programming language. KLAWE: They framed it as creative problem solving in science and engineering using computation approaches. SYDELL: And then Klawe says they had to address the fact that a lot of women were intimidated by male students who showed off in class. Many had done some programming in high school, and they would d

#2034: Con the Mechanic

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Nancy doesn't fully trust her mechanic so she's throwing around car jargon to bluff him into thinking she knows more than she does. But, her vocabulary has run dry. Will the official Click and Clack Thesaurus come to her rescue? Elsewhere, Greg's truck's wiring has become lunch for critters and the only way to save it may require giving up his beloved garage wood shop. Also, Kara's white-water rafting company may have to do the unthinkable and switch to automatic transmissions for their trucks; and on Stump the Chumps, we find out if Tom and Ray knocked their heads together well enough to diagnose Debra's truck's knocking sound. All this and more this week on The Best of Car Talk.

Rachel Podger's Bach

Music critic Tom Manoff has been listening to a new recording of Bach's music performed by English violinist Rachel Podger. She performs using a Baroque violin with strings made from gut. This allows listeners to hear Bach performed as Bach himself would have heard his music. The CD is called <em>Sonatas & Partitas Vol. 1</em>.

Bellwether County Chooses Obama

Vigo County, Indiana, has been accurately picking presidents since 1892, with just two exceptions. In fact, no other county comes closer to mirroring the national results in presidential elections. And today, Vigo County went with Democrat Barack Obama. Obama won 57% of the county's vote. Republican John McCain captured 42%. Vigo County has a history of strong Democratic voting in local elections but the conservative Democrats there have supported Republicans in statewide and presidential races. That's especially true when guns, God, gay marriage and abortion are big issues at election time. But the county has suffered from lost manufacturing jobs. The economy seems to have overshadowed values in 2008.

Excerpt: 'How To Be A Movie Star'

For once the sun overhead was the brightest object around. On a warm morning in September 2006, Elizabeth Taylor, seventy-four, left the diamonds at home and boarded a sightseeing boat, the Kainani, off the northern coast of Oahu. Wearing a baggy white t-shirt over a one-piece bathing suit, she gripped the arms of her black wheelchair tightly as the craft zipped out of Haleiwa Harbor. Slapping against the waves of the Pacific, the 32-foot Kainani was a far cry from the Kalizma, the floating palace with seven cabins and two staterooms on which Taylor had once navigated the world. But a leisurely cruise was not what the two-time Academy Award-winner had in mind. Three miles out to sea, the Kainani arrived at what its captain called "the shark grounds." Not long before, on another excursion, Elizabeth had sat forlornly while her friends dropped off the side of the boat in a plexiglass cage to swim with Galapagos sharks. Alone on deck, she'd stewed; the sidelines had never been for her. So she'd insisted on another trip--and this time no one was going to stop her from going down. In the months leading up to this day, the papers had been filled with tales of Elizabeth Taylor being "near death" or half-mad from Alzheimer's. She'd gone on Larry King Live to dispel the rumors, but she knew there were ways of making the point a bit more vividly. So, slowly and determinedly, she rose from that damn chair. Handed an eye mask, she followed instructions to spit into it so that the plastic wouldn't fog up underwater. Then she slipped the thing on and bit down on the snorkel. Pushing aides aside, she stepped into the ten-by-six-foot cage. Lured by the engine, the sharks were already circling. With a pull of a lever and a wave from the star, the cage slid below the surface of the ocean. Of course, it wasn't the first time Elizabeth Taylor had gone head-to-head with sharks. She'd tangled with lots of them: demanding studio chiefs, overbearing directors, bluenose columnists, greedy husbands. And she'd done so with a shrewdness and a keen understanding of just how a star went about getting what she wanted. "She was always in control," said her friend, photographer Gianni Bozzachi. "She did not seek fame but she knew how to use it. She was very smart. People don't know how smart." Some chroniclers, perhaps too dazzled by the violet eyes and the glittery melodrama of her life, have missed that salient point. But, in fact, long before our own celebrity age, Elizabeth Taylor set down the template for How to Be a Movie Star. So many of the tricks of the trade can be traced right back to her. When the cage finally resurfaced, Taylor smiled at the photographer who was there to record the moment. Her scarlet nails, still perfectly manicured, sparkled in the sun. Getting into that shark cage, she later told columnist Liz Smith, was "the most exciting thing" she'd done in her life — which was saying a lot. Within a short time, the photos and news of her adventure had zoomed around the world. Soon there was buzz of an eighth marriage and a possible lead in the film version of the musical Sunset Boulevard. So much for death's door, baby. Excerpted from How To Be A Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor In Hollywood by William J. Mann, copyright 2009. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Florida, Ohio Accommodate Voters

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a voting emergency in the state. To combat long lines, he ordered early-voting polls to remain open for 12 hours on weekdays and for a total of 12 hours over the weekend. In Ohio, a federal judge ruled that homeless people who want to vote may legally use the address of any place they've spent the night: a shelter, a relative's house — even a park bench. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: And early voting in Florida has so overwhelmed polls there that the governor called a state of emergency. Early voting in the state began October 20, and more than 10 percent of Florida's registered voters have already cast ballots. Turnout was so strong that voters in many places waited hours in line. By calling an emergency, Governor Charlie Crist was able to keep polls open for 12 hours on weekdays and for a total of 12 hours over the weekend. STEVE INSKEEP, host: Here's some other election news. In Ohio yesterday, a federal judge ruled that homeless people who want to vote can legally use any place they've spent the night as their official address. It can be a shelter or a relative's house or even a park bench. The Ohio secretary of state says polls will accept these non-traditional addresses. And if the voter doesn't have sufficient identification, a provisional ballot will be issued so they can vote provisionally and check on the details later.

As The Games Begin, A Look At Early Results

NPR's Tom Goldman talks with host Scott Simon about the first medal events, including cycling and swimming.

The Roles and Responsibilities of Reporters

In the wake of the trial of Lewis Libby, which put many well-known journalists in the unpleasant glare of a different sort of spotlight, some musings abut the craft. What is the role of a reporter? What is that reporter's responsibility?

Brazilian Biodiversity

NPR's Martin Kaste reports from the Brazilian Amazon about how that country's government is protecting its potential biological and genetic wealth. (7:30)

Nunez: Dems Will Fix Budget Solo, If Needed

With the clock ticking for legislators to resolve the current year fiscal crisis, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez vowed today to do it without Republicans if necessary. In comments to the Sacramento Press Club, the Los Angeles Democrat emphasized that he hopes to find common ground with GOP lawmakers on how to resolve the $3.3 billion shortfall [...]

San Francisco and the Olympic Torch

Ever since San Francisco was announced as the only U.S. stop for the Olympic torch, the city has been a magnet for protesters of China's human rights record. We discuss the issues surrounding the torch's arrival.

Law Professor Michael Gerhardt Discusses His Testimony During Impeachment Hearing

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with constitutional law professor Michael Gerhardt, one of the witnesses who Democrats called to testify in Wednesdays's House Judiciary Committee hearing.

Sunday Puzzle: Switch The Vowel

On-air Challenge: Below are some clues. The answer to each one is one of the words in the clue with its vowel sound changed. Example: What fish bite --&gt; BAIT (the word "bite" with the long-I sound changed to a long-A) 1. Not day 2. It's made by moistening dirt 3. Jacket part that covers the head 4. Item that's sowed in a garden 5. Fail to hit a ball in fair territory 6. Painful illness you get in your joints 7. What kickboxers fight with 8. What might surround a castle 9. What a used towel is 10. [Fill in the blank:] Man in the ___ 11. [Fill in the blank:] Last but not ___ Last week's challenge: This challenge came from listener Michael Shteyman, of Freeland, Md. Name a person in 2011 world news in eight letters. Remove the third, fourth and fifth letters. The remaining letters, in order, will name a person in 2021 world news. What names are these? Challenge answer: (Osama) Bin Laden, (Joe) Biden Winner: Ross Jackson from San Jose, Calif. This week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Gerry Reynolds of Chicago. Name a national landmark (6,3). Add the name of a chemical element. Rearrange all the letters to name two states. What are they? Submit Your Answer If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here by Thursday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you.

Excerpt: 'In Cheap We Trust'

Introduction: Cheap Thrills Cheap. Cheap suit. Cheap date. Cheap shot. It's a dirty word, rife with negative associations. We hear the word cheap and we think, miser, whore, Wal-Mart, made in China, something that's going to fall apart. It's an insult, almost any way you look at it. An eighty-four-year-old man heard about my interest in cheapness and got so excited that he offered himself up for an interview about his frugal ways. At the end of our conversation, he said, sheepishly, "Please don't use my name ... I don't want people to think I'm cheap." My father has been called cheap for most of his life, by family members, friends, colleagues, and me. Dad is an economist in both senses of the word. He was an economics professor for thirty-three years at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. And he's also a master economizer, a legend in our extended family. I remember him dashing around the house turning lights off all the time, even if the room's occupant had just left to make a brief phone call. If I was in the shower for longer than a few minutes, I'd hear a knock on the bathroom door, followed by my father's voice saying, "Laur, you're using too much water." He refuses to use the dishwasher; instead, he insists on washing all the plates and cutlery by hand. At some point, we discovered that he was using cold water and no soap; that explained why the knives and forks were often encrusted with the remnants of recent meals. His latest conceit? He doesn't like to use the brakes on his car because he doesn't want to wear them out. So he coasts when he's approaching a red light, or employs a series of light taps and thrusts, a system he believes minimizes brake wear and tear. Dad also prefers to use hand signals out the window instead of the car's turning lights. I recently learned that he uses his tea bags not three or four times, like most proud cheapskates, but ten or twelve times. ("I just dip it in for a few seconds, until the water gets a little color," he says.) I spent my girlhood doing homework at the kitchen table, sock-clad feet nestling on the radiator, hands resting on the oven as it cooled down from dinner. This was the only way to stay warm during New England winters, when my father forbade us from turning the thermostat above fifty degrees. Cold? "Put on another sweater," he'd snap in his native Queens accent. Once he even tried to ration toilet paper, sitting the family down after dinner to tell us how much we could use for each bodily function. Proving too hard to enforce, however, these rules were eventually forgotten. It's easy to mock these extremes of thrift, to marvel at the amount of time, thought, and emotional energy that some people will expend just to save a few dollars, even a few pennies. We call them eccentrics. We call them irrational. If we're related to them, and even if we're not, we complain bitterly about how cheap they are. Then we turn into them — at least, I did. And maybe we realize they were onto something. * * * This book is a reconsideration of cheapness. It asks why we malign and make fun of people who save money. After all, when we as a nation and as individuals are so dangerously overleveraged, when we've watched our global financial system teeter and then tumble because of greed and ill-considered spending, when all of us could use a little more parsimony in our daily lives, why is it an insult to be called cheap? The word cheap actually started out with a positive spin. It derives from the Latin word caupo, or tradesman; evolved into the noun ceap (a trade) in Old English; and came to be used in Middle English mostly in the phrase "good chepe," meaning "good bargain" or "good price." The opposite phrase was not "bad chepe" but "dear chepe," which referred to high prices. By the sixteenth century, cheap was employed, without judgment, as a synonym for "inexpensive." But soon the word began assuming more malignant meanings. When the Earl of Clarendon wrote in 1674 of "the cheap laughter of all illiterate men," he referred to laughter too inexpensive, too easily obtained, and thus worthless. Cheapness came to indicate not just a low price but low quality as well. In 1820s America, a "cheap John" or "cheap Jack" was a man who peddled flimsy pots, ill-fitting suits, and inferior merchandise of all types, asking unreasonably high prices to begin with and gradually letting his customers haggle him down. And in 1880, a story in Harper's Magazine mentioned a character named Isaacson, "a traveling cheap-John who had opened a stock of secondhand garments for ladies and gentlemen in a disused sh**- house on the wharf." It was a contemptible profession, and through that usage, the word cheap entered our vocabulary as a term of derision, an adjective synonymous with miserly or stingy. Every culture, it seems, sustains a deep discomfort with the figure of the miser. A Native American legend tells of a hunter who refused to bring his kills back

On the Trail with Gore

Vice President Al Gore is on the campaign trail, too. Gore is in the midst of a 27-hour marathon -- passing through key states like Florida and Pennsylvania. NPR's Don Gonyea is traveling with the Gore campaign and filed a report.

Kofi Annan Appeals To Leaders For Solution In Syria

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is making a big push Saturday to try to keep his peace plan for Syria on track. He convened a meeting with foreign ministers in Geneva to back up his ideas for promoting a political transition. Host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Michele Kelemen.

Trump Signs Measure To Reopen The Federal Government

While the federal government may be reopening after the weekend shutdown, Congress has just three weeks to reach an agreement on government spending and immigration — or it could all happen again.

New Hampshire and Iowa

NPR National Political Correspondent Elizabeth Arnold reports that likely voters in Iowa and New Hampshire seem to be placing more emphasis on the character of the presidential candidates instead of issues they've been emphasizing in their campaigns. Arnold has been speaking informally to voters, as the candidates have criss-crossed New Hampshire and Iowa. Tonight, the Iowa caucuses will be held. The New Hampshire Primary takes place a week from tomorrow.

Ornette Coleman on Sound Innovations

As the master of free jazz, Ornette Coleman's career spans more than five decades. Over that time, he has created a musical world of his own. He talks to Farai Chideya about his unique perspective on the beauty of sound.

Nolte, Jordan Deliver in 'The Good Thief'

Director Neil Jordan brings a smoky, jazzy sensibility -- and some new twists -- to his remake of the classic 1955 French film, <EM>Bob Le Flambeur</EM>. But <EM>The Good Thief</EM>'s best asset may be its star Nick Nolte, who portrays a "glorious wreck." NPR's Bob Mondello reports.

How the Assisted-Suicide Ruling Affects Doctors' Work

Dr. Peter Rasmussen, a doctor of medical oncology, hospice and palliative medicine in Oregon, talks about how the Supreme Court ruling to uphold physician-assisted suicide in his state will affect his practice.

House Republicans Rename 'French Fries'

House Republicans announced that french fries and french toast in all House food facilities are renamed "freedom fries" and "freedom toast," a sign of their displeasure with France's opposition to war in Iraq. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

Writing State Of The Union Speech: A Juggling Act

For a White House speechwriter, there is a conflict in the State of the Union address. It's the speech that gets all the attention, where the president lays out his legislative agenda for the year ahead. But as far as poetry, arc and theme, it can also be the clunkiest. "They can be an absolute legislative laundry list," says Mary Kate Cary, a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. "And that doesn't make it very fun to write. "On one hand, it's nice to have the glory of saying, 'Well, I wrote the State of the Union address,' " she says. "But really, you'd rather want to be known for writing the inaugural address. That's where the poetry is, and the State of the Union is a bit of a slog, I think." A Management Challenge Most presidential speeches take shape vertically — that is, one speechwriter is in charge. He or she sends it up the White House ladder until it reaches the president. But the State of the Union takes shape horizontally. Every department and agency submits its plans for the coming year. And everyone has an opinion about what the speech should say, which can be a management challenge, says former George W. Bush speechwriter John McConnell. "You get a lot of suggestions from throughout the administration of things that need to go in the speech," McConnell says. "You get suggested language at times from people, and you have to give everything fair consideration." The planning takes months and starts before Christmas. This year, people familiar with the process say White House speechwriters were working on a draft on Saturday, Jan. 8. That day, a gunman opened fire in Arizona, shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords through the head and killing several others. For the team writing the State of the Union, the attack meant the mood of the speech had to change. During marathon revision sessions, they struggled over how to appropriately reflect the moment that the country is in, both after Tucson and after two years of economic struggles. 'A Leader For The Whole Country' Former Clinton speechwriter Jeff Shesol says Tuesday's address can't just be a sequel to the eulogy that Obama delivered in Arizona. "An event like Tucson will certainly have an effect," Shesol says. "That said, it's been clear already that he's going to talk about the deficit, he's going to talk about spending cuts, he's very likely going to talk about tax reform. Those things were already going to be in the speech, and they will still be in the speech irrespective of what happened in Tucson." Still, the attacks will be a big part of this speech. People from Tucson will almost certainly sit with the first lady in the House Gallery. And former Clinton speechwriter Michael Waldman says the president would be foolish not to use this moment to build on the political gains from the Tucson speech. "President Obama will want to use a speech like this to reassert his standing, not as a divisive partisan figure but as a leader for the whole country," Waldman says. "He really began to do that with the success in the lame-duck session of Congress and with the powerful and very widely praised eulogy in Tucson, but this speech is the next chance to do that." Working With Both Parties And the need for someone who can work with both parties is stronger now than ever. Behind Obama, Republican House Speaker John Boehner will be sitting in the chair that Democrat Nancy Pelosi occupied last year. So one option is for Obama to strike a conciliatory tone with Republicans. But McConnell says there's another option. "I think back to President Bush in 2007, when he was facing a new majority and his back was against the wall, in a sense, because he was trying to push the troop surge in Iraq, and the support for that was very thin in the Congress," he says. "And he went in there in the State of the Union, and he gave a very powerful message and had them on their feet." And that year, even though Democrats controlled Congress, the troop surge happened. LIANE HANSEN, host: A White House speechwriter works on hundreds of presidential addresses every year. Few get more scrutiny than the State of the Union. President Obama's writers are presumably putting the finishing touches on his address. NPR's Ari Shapiro spoke with a group of former White House speechwriters about why this speech is different from all the others. ARI SHAPIRO: For a speechwriter, there is a conflict in the State of the Union Address. It's the speech that gets all the attention, where the president lays out his agenda for the year ahead. But as far as poetry, arc and theme, it can also be the clunkiest speech of the year. Ms. MARY KATE CARY (Former Speechwriter, White House): They can be an absolute legislative laundry list, and that doesn't make it very fun to write. SHAPIRO: Mary Kate Cary was a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. Ms. CARY: On one hand, it's nice to have the glory of saying well, I wrote the State of the Union Address. But really, you'd rather want to be

If We Called Ourselves Yellow

I'm on the phone with an associate history professor at Indiana University, Bloomington, named Ellen Wu. We're talking about skin color, identity and how people like us — Americans of East Asian descent — can describe ourselves. Wu and I agree that there are many words we could use: Asian American, East Asian, East Asian American. People with roots from South Asia or Southeast Asia sometimes refer to themselves as brown, which seems like a useful shorthand. But for a bunch of reasons, brown doesn't work for East Asians. I'm wondering if there's a parallel word for us. I pose this question, a little hesitantly: What about yellow? Wu sucks in a breath. Her gut reaction is No! The word, she says, is too fraught. Using it would be like painting our skin with a sickly, mustard sheen or writing a nasty word on our foreheads. "Yellow" has long been considered noxious. To some, it's on par with Chink, gook, nip or Chinaman. And yet. And yet. I sort of love yellow. The idea of calling myself yellow stirs in the pit of my stomach, the same place where bellyaches and excitement form. It feels at once radical and specific. Though it's a slur — in fact, because it's a slur — it's the type of word that could force people to face its long, storied history of racism and resistance directly, every time they hear it. So, what about yellow? One of my most vivid childhood memories is of watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers after school with my two older sisters. I'd nestle into the couch beside them as they started on their homework, watching the Rangers shapeshift into things more powerful than their human selves. Even at a young age, I understood the Rangers' color-coded suits. Pink equaled female (white female, of course). Black was black. And the yellow Ranger? She was played by Thuy Trang, an actress of Vietnamese descent. And though I loved her, her costume confused me. My skin wasn't yellow. I didn't know anyone who did have yellow skin. In recent years, former Power Rangers cast members and producers have said that race had nothing to do with their costumes. Yet, as a child, it seemed clear to me that by the calculus of race in America, yellow meant Asian. So how did yellow come to signify East Asian? How did the color morph into something that could inspire fear, outrage and even empowerment? And given all the word's baggage, why am I so intrigued by the idea of reclaiming it? When and why yellow was first applied to people of East Asian descent is rather murky. The process occurred over hundreds of years. As some scholars have noted, it's not as if there were people with yellow skin. The whole "yellow equals Asian" thing had to be invented. And in fact, there was a time when there was no such thing as "Asian" — even that had to be invented. Enter Carl Linnaeus, an influential Swedish physician and botanist now known as the "father of modern taxonomy." In 1735, Linnaeus separated humans into four groups, including Homo Asiaticus — Asian Man. The other three categories, European, African and American, already had established — albeit arbitrary — colors: white, black and red. Linnaeus, searching for a distinguishing color for his Asian Man, eventually declared Asians the color "luridus," meaning "lurid," "sallow," or "pale yellow." I get this bit of history from Michael Keevak, a professor at National Taiwan University, who writes in his book Becoming Yellow: A Short History of Racial Thinking that "Luridus also appeared in several of Linnaeus's botanical publications to characterize unhealthy and toxic plants." Keevak argues that these early European anthropologists used "yellow" to refer to Asian people because "Asia was seductive, mysterious, full of pleasures and spices and perfumes and fantastic wealth." Yellow had multiple connotations, which included both "serene" and "happy," as well as "toxic" and "impure." He tells me that there was "something dangerous, exotic and threatening about Asia that 'yellow' ... helped reinforce." Which might explain why the fear that East Asian countries would take over the West became known as yellow peril. One of the first references to "yellow peril" can be traced to a dream that the German Emperor Wilhelm II — best known for his bombastic political maneuvering in the years before, and during, World War I — had in 1895. In the dream, the emperor saw a Buddha on the back of a dragon, storming Europe. He commissioned an illustration of the dream, which he shared with leaders of Europe and the United States. The work, by the artist Hermann Knackfuss, depicted an archangel trying to persuade various European nations to band together to defend a womanly figure from the so-called yellow forces of Asia. It was titled "Peoples of Europe, Defend Your Holiest Possessions," and it appeared in 1898 in Harper's Weekly, which had hundreds of thousands of readers in the U.S. The image was widely referred to as "THE YELLOW PERIL." Not surprisingly, anxiety about Asia made its way into pop cu

Rob Kalin, Founder Of Etsy

Host Jessica Harris speaks with Rob Kalin, founder of Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade goods. The company has become a vehicle for more than one million artisans who sell their products—ranging from knit-wear to musical instruments to clocks. Harris also speaks with Alex Counts, founder of the Grameen Foundation.

Reporter In Kabul Describes Airport Explosions

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with reporter Matthieu Aikins in Kabul about Thursday's deadly explosions at the airport as thousands were in line, hoping to evacuate.

How Uncle Jamie Broke Jeopardy

When most people go on Jeopardy!, they start out with the smallest dollar clues in a category and work their way up to the larger, harder ones. But in James Holzhauer's first round, he went straight for a $1,000 clue. And then another one. And another one. James's Jeopardy! strategy isn't a reckless gamble. It's informed by probability. He's won twenty-two straight games, more than $1.5 million, and... the title of cooler uncle. James happens to be related to our very own reporter, Kenny Malone (their siblings are married; they share four nieces and nephews). In this episode: Kenny complains to James about losing the uncle battle, gets James to reveal the logic behind his strategy, and talks to some of Jeopardy!'s most famous champions about how they helped break the game. Music: "Way to Mars" and "Union." Find us: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts and NPR One.

New Mix: Wilco, Sleigh Bells, The Julie Ruin, JEFF The Brotherhood, More

On this week's episode of All Songs Considered, we play new music from old favorites Wilco, JEFF The Brotherhood and Sleigh Bells. We also share songs from artists we've only just found out about: Bob introduces us to the young, Singapore-based Linying and our intern Sophie brings us Globelamp. Robin points out that the very sad "Play That One Again," from Greg Laswell's album Everyone Thinks I Dodged A Bullet, has its roots in real-life heartache: Laswell wrote the song in the wake of a divorce and while watching a parent suffer. In a track from Sleigh Bells, we hear the band grow out of their noise pop sound and into something a little more muted. But first, it's Robin's last day before vacation so he says goodbye for now and eats one too many packs of Smarties.

Two Mosques, Two Different Reactions in Germany

Simmering conflicts about immigration, integration and Islam in Europe have flared into an unrestrained national debate about whether a big, new mosque should be built in Cologne, Germany. But another large, new mosque an hour's drive away faces little opposition. Zuelfiye Kaykin is head of a Turkish community center that is getting a new home in the mosque under construction in Duisburg, a former coal-mining city near the Dutch border. Kaykin says there was no divisive debate there because German politicians, church and community leaders were invited to advise the project early on. "These are people the public trusts. Having them participate in developing the concept and the building is one reason why there wasn't any loud, public criticism," she says. She circulates with friendly grace and a watchful eye through a party breaking the daily fast of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Germans and Turks share round tables in a large, white tent across the street from the mosque. Born and raised in Duisburg, Kaykin speaks perfect German. She is proud that banners advertising Mercedes and a national bank hang on either side of a small stage. It's the first time the local branches of such big German companies have sponsored a Ramadan event there. "In my eyes, it's sending out a clear signal that they recognize the Turkish potential. They see opportunities here," she says. No Divisive Debate, But Flashes of Discontent The new mosque in Duisburg will be one of the biggest in Germany. Its walls are up, but the main prayer room is still full of scaffolding. Sabrina Vorberg, a non-Muslim interning with the mosque organization, points out extra-large windows — a detail intended to promote transparency. The idea was suggested by a local Catholic priest. The community center has a separate entrance from the prayer areas, designed to make non-Muslims feel more comfortable coming in. The project is "a very good example for making people [live] together," Vorberg says. But her husband, Thomas Vorberg, volunteers that some of his relatives who live nearby don't like it. "They are not so happy about this building," he says. "Now they ... must accept that these Turkish ones will be neighbors for many years." His wife waves at him to stop, but later he explains his relatives get annoyed when they see immigrants banding together to buy and share a Mercedes, for example — a tough economic achievement for a working German family. An Hour Away, Strong Resistance to Mosque The sparks of discontent in Duisburg have burst into full flame in nearby Cologne, where another large mosque is planned. "It's not a sign of the will to integrate but a wrong signal. It is a conquest on foreign territory; it's a declaration of war," says Ralph Giordano, a highly respected Jewish writer in Germany. But for Giordano, the mosque isn't the real problem. Integration is. "Apart from individual exceptions, integration is not possible. This is because here we have a clash of two cultures. Islam is simply not compatible with our Judeo-Christian history," he says. Cologne's new mosque would replace one crammed now into a low, cream-colored building across the street from a gas station. Open the door during Friday prayer and a wave of moist heat from the packed room tumbles out. Hundreds more pray in a conference room — or outside. "I believe there is some prejudice ... and lack of information," says Sadi Arslan, president of DITIB, the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs, the organization planning the new mosque. "Because we have already mosque here. So there is no new mosque." He says they just want a bigger, modern one. Arslan is a civil servant of the Turkish government. DITIB was established by Turkey and brings Turkish-trained imams to Germany. This bothers Nikolaus Schneider, president of the Protestant Church in the Rhineland. "We have the very interesting situation that the Turkish government is doing religious politics in Germany. Which is something very different than the self-organization of the Muslims here," Schneider says. City's Culture Plays Role in Discontent Still, Schneider supports the mosque on the principle of religious freedom. He says opposition flared in part because of the history and culture of Cologne. Indeed, the small right-wing political party fanning the flames is called Pro-Cologne. "For us, Cologne is still a German city, even if that's hard to see in some areas. We want to preserve the German character, the Christian-occidental character of this town," says Markus Wiener, the group's deputy president. The symbol of Cologne is its Gothic cathedral with its massive organ and towering spires. Those spires are three times the height of the mosque's planned minarets, which would be more than a mile away. Still, the minarets bother Winrich Granitzka of Germany's main conservative party. "The bigger the mosques become, and the more monumental they appear, the more people fear our culture is being pushed back and an

Seattle's First Urban Food Forest Will Be Open To Foragers

If you're a regular reader of The Salt, you've probably noticed our interest in foraging. From San Francisco to Maryland, we've met wild food experts, nature guides and chefs passionate about picking foods growing in their backyards. Now, Washington state has jumped on the foraging bandwagon with plans to develop a 7-acre public plot into a food forest. The kicker? The lot sits smack in the middle of Seattle. The idea is to give members of the working-class neighborhood of Beacon Hill the chance to pick plants scattered throughout the park – dubbed the Beacon Food Forest. It will feature fruit-bearing perennials — apples, pears, plums, grapes, blueberries, raspberries and more. Herlihy and a team first assembled their vision of a food forest in 2009 as a final project for a permaculture design class. After some community outreach, local support came pouring in for the idea. Herlihy and the Friends of Beacon Food Forest community group received a $22,000 grant to hire a certified designer for the project. A local utility, Seattle Public Utilities, offered up the 7-acre plot, which could make it the largest, urban food forest on public land in the U.S., Glenn Herlihy, a steering committee member for the project, tells The Salt. The group is currently working with $100,000 in seed money to set up the first phase: a 1.75-acre test zone to be planted by the end of the year. After a few years, if that section is deemed successful by the city, the remaining acreage will be converted to food trees. Continue Reading Of course, any "free" food source begs the question of what to do with overzealous pickers. No definitive answer on how to handle that predicament has been established yet, though. According to Herlihy, the only solutions right now are to produce an abundance of fruit so there's enough for everyone and to embed "thieves' gardens" with extra plants in the park for those people eager to take more than their share. For now, getting the park on its feet and drawing neighbors to its bushy terrain ranks highest on the totem pole of goals, Herlihy says. He hopes that the park will become a congregating area for the diverse residents of the neighborhood. "There's Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipinos, and Africans in the area. The Beacon Food Forest is a place where all ages and ethnicities can meet." Eventually, garden plots in the forest will be available to lease to gardeners for $10 a year. Also, Herlihy says they hope to educate community members on the benefits of permaculture. "It's a food system being developed in a neighborhood that's looking for more self-reliance," he says. "It's getting people together by having a common denominator: soil."

Marine's Widow Says Memorial Day Like Every Other

Marine Sgt. William Cahir died in combat in Afghanistan last August. A few months later, his wife gave birth to their twins. "I try to be mindful every day about how I can teach them about their father, and how I can hopefully make them understand someday that he loved them without having ever met them," she says.

Wray Stresses Role Of Right-Wing Extremism In Hearing About Jan. 6 Riot

Updated at 6:41 p.m. ET FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday condemned the attack on the U.S. Capitol as "domestic terrorism," defended the bureau's handling of intelligence about potential threats ahead of the event and rejected conspiracy theories blaming left-wing extremists for the violence on Jan. 6. Wray's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked his first public testimony since the deadly Capitol insurrection by Trump supporters two months ago. It comes as lawmakers--and the public--seek answers about what led to the spectacular security failure on that day. Tuesday's hearing focused in part on what the FBI knew leading up to the attack, and its response more broadly to the rising threat from domestic violent extremists. "Unfortunately, January 6 was not an isolated event," Wray said. "The problem of domestic terrorism has been metastasizing across the country for a long time now, and it's not going away anytime soon." He said the number of FBI domestic terrorism investigations has doubled since he took office in 2017 to more than 2,000. The number of investigations into white supremacists has tripled in that time frame, while the number of probes into anarchist extremists has risen significantly as well, he said. Before And After Jan. 6 Wray defended the FBI's handling of intelligence in the run-up to Jan. 6. He said the bureau had warned several times of the possibility of extremist violence through the Jan. 20 inauguration. He pointed to a much discussed Jan. 5 report from and FBI field office flagging online chatter that discussed possible "war" in Washington on Jan. 6. Wray said that information was shared within an hour of receiving it "not one, not two but three different ways" with other law enforcement agencies, including the Capitol Police and Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department. He said the warning, which he called raw intelligence, was sent by email, was part of a command post verbal briefing and put on a law enforcement Internet portal. "As to why the information didn't flow to all the people within the various departments that they would prefer, I don't have a good answer for that," he said. Wray testimony comes a week after three former top congressional security officials — the ex-sergeants at arms of the House and Senate plus the ex-U.S. Capitol Police chief — blamed what they called a lack of actionable intelligence for the security failure on Jan. 6. They pointed the finger at intelligence despite the fact that the Capitol Police department had produced its own assessment on Jan. 3 that Congress would be a likely target for the crowd on Jan. 6. In his testimony, former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said "none of the intelligence we received predicted what actually occurred." He also acknowledged that the Capitol Police had received the FBI report but that information was not passed up the chain to him. All three officials resigned after the Capitol attack. Wray also said the FBI had found no evidence that would support the conspiracy theory pushed by allies of former President Trump that the attack on the Capitol was staged by left-wing extremists such as antifa to try to frame Trump supporters. "We have not to date seen any evidence of anarchist violent extremists or people subscribing to antifa in connection with the sixth," he said. That doesn't mean we're not looking, and we'll continue to look, but at the moment we have not seen that." While a handful of Republican lawmakers sought to draw attention to left-wing extremists and other threats, Wray was clear that the evidence around the Jan. 6 attack shows a connection to right-wing extremism, particularly militia groups. He said violent extremists with ties to right-wing militias and white supremacy were involved in the violence, and are facing federal charges for their alleged roles. So far, more than 300 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection. They include members of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group and the Proud Boys. Watch Wray's opening remarks below. In their opening remarks, the Democratic chairman and top Republican on the panel painted different pictures of the threat posed by domestic extremism, with Democrats focusing on the Jan. 6 attack while Republicans pointed to last summer's unrest protesting police violence following the death of George Floyd. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said that while he unequivocally condemns left-wing violence, "let's stop pretending that the threat of antifa is equivalent to the white supremacist threat. Vandalizing a federal courthouse in Portland is a crime. It should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. "But it is not equivalent to a violent attempt to overthrow the results of elections, nor is it equivalent to mass shootings targeting minority communities." But Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, retorted in his own opening statement, "We're not serious about attacking extremism if we care about some government building

'Cold Cash' Jefferson Ousted In Louisiana Shocker

Well, to use an old New Orleans expression, Holy Toledo! Rep. William Jefferson, (D) who in 1991 became Louisiana's first African-American congressman since Reconstruction, was defeated Saturday by Anh "Joseph" Cao in a runoff. Cao, a Republican, becomes the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress. The district is overwhelmingly African-American and overwhelmingly Democratic. Jefferson had been under indictment since 2007. Federal prosecutors said they had found $90,000 in alleged bribe money stashed away in his freezer. The FBI said it had Jefferson on videotape accepting bribes, money he received from businessmen in exchange for his influence in Congress to broker deals in several African nations. Jefferson says he is innocent. Even when reports of wrongdoing came out in 2006 and even when he became a national punch line with late-night comedians Jefferson managed to win re-election. As it was, when he survived a multicandidate primary this year on Nov. 4 (a primary delayed because of Hurricane Gustav), most people thought he was, again, home free, at least politically. Cao, whose sum total of election experience was an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the state Legislature in 2007, was boosted by an aggressive GOP effort to portray Jefferson as corrupt. But practically no one thought the campaign would succeed. Jefferson was first elected to Congress in 1990. The incumbent Democrat from the 2nd District, Lindy Boggs, bowed to reality and chose not to run again that year; she had been the sole remaining white incumbent in a black-majority district. Jefferson had won re-election handily ever since until 2006, when he was forced into a runoff as reports of his ethics woes became widespread. Nonetheless, he defeated fellow Democrat Karen Carter with 56.5 percent of the vote. In another Louisiana runoff Saturday, in the 4th District (centered in Shreveport), Republicans apparently have retained the seat of retiring incumbent Jim McCrery. John Fleming, (R) a physician, held a 356-vote lead over Democrat Paul Carmouche.

Trump's Defense Of Ukraine Call

President Trump says he wants his defenders to focus on substance rather than process. Trump says the call between himself and the Ukrainian president is all that matters.

'Little Woods' Is Grimly Lovely — Dark And Deep

The opioid crisis looms large over Little Woods, a modest but intensely empathetic first film by writer–director Nia DaCosta. But you won't see lurid footage of bewildered tots hovering near the prone bodies of parents immobilized by Oxycontin. Instead, the movie draws its drama from the underground economy in which the prescription drug crisis thrives, and the perpetual state of emergency lived by residents of former boomtowns faded into ghost towns by recession or corporate flight. DaCosta drops us inside the lives of two estranged sisters banding together to avoid eviction from their late mother's house in the North Dakota backwater of Little Woods. One sibling is a perennial screw-up, the other a resourceful survivor; both temperaments are shaped by the drastically limited choices available to them. The young women are in deep trouble, and as the movie opens they're far from a tight family unit. Deb (played by an oddly cast but capable Lily James) is a single mother who's newly drug-free but pregnant for the second time by her son's deadbeat dad (James Badge Dale). The movie revolves around Deb's adopted sister, Ollie, who's played with understated smarts by Tessa Thompson. Ollie is a practical sort who, over the one week they have to come up with a hefty mortgage payment, mops up her sister's messes. And she does so while attempting to make good on her own past mistakes as a small-time drug dealer who moonlights guiding clients over the border to get illicit health care in Canada. On the cusp of clearing her probation, Ollie scratches out a more legit living in food delivery and tries to extricate herself from the opioid business that turns the otherwise decent people of Little Woods into predators or no-hopers. DaCosta calls her feature debut a modern Western, but that's a bit of a stretch. If anything, Little Woods plays as a quietly feminist thriller with a procedural bent, if that's what you can call the endless grind of trying to stay afloat. The film wrings severe beauty from a desolate landscape of cavernous nocturnal parking lots and rickety plywood interiors. Thematically and visually, Little Woods is of a piece with Courtney Hunt's 2008 Frozen River, Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy (2008), and Debra Granik's Winter's Bone (2010) — intimate realist dramas with a touch of the Grimm fairytale, made by women about women struggling to rise above lives hemmed in by danger and deprivation. DaCosta's movie is, to the best of my knowledge, the first in this sub-genre to be made by a black woman with a black woman in the lead, and to her credit she doesn't make a big fuss of that fact, or that Ollie is far more competent than her sister. As Ollie and Deb make their way (yes, through a dark forest filled with peril) to the border for one more perilous run, the film touches on topical issues like abortion, reproductive rights and sexual assault. For the most part, though, DaCosta has a light touch: Rather than belabor the sociology, she immerses us in the sisters' endless struggle to surmount the multiplying obstacles to their survival. With the exception of one sympathetic black probation officer (Lance Reddick) who's firmly planted in Ollie's corner, it's men — parasitic, predatory, or both — who give the two young women the most grief. If there's a weakness in Little Woods it's a tendency (not unusual in a first film) to have the characters verbalize what DaCosta has already so ably shown us. By the end, no one needs to tell us that "Your choices are only as good as your options." Does the film tie up Ollie and Deb's travails too neatly at the end? Perhaps, but they've earned themselves something like a happy ending. In any event, DaCosta's next film, for Jordan Peele, is a reboot of Candyman, which will surely take us back to her dark places.

NPR To Drop Call-In Show 'Talk Of The Nation'

NPR executives announced Friday that they will stop production of <em>Talk of the Nation</em> this summer. The call-in program will be replaced with <em>Here and Now,</em> a newsmagazine that will be a co-production of Boston member station WBUR and NPR.

Picketing Truckers Raise Tensions At LA Port Amid Dockworker Talks

Labor tensions are high at the largest port complex in the country — Los Angeles and Long Beach — which handles nearly half of all the cargo coming into the United States. Short-haul truck drivers are striking. They're the independent, contract truckers who bring the containers off the ships to nearby warehouses for companies like Wal-Mart and Costco. At the twin ports, their numbers hover around 10,000. Just over 100 of them have been protesting this week, including driver Santos Lopez. As he takes a break from picketing a long line of semis waiting to get into a terminal, Santos says in Spanish that he and his family decided that forgoing a paycheck this week was worth it to bring attention to their fight. He says there's no end date to the picketing, and the picketers will be here as long as it takes. The drivers want the trucking companies they work for to reclassify them as regular employees, so they can get benefits. Right now, as independent contractors, they have to pay their own way — gas and maintenance for their trucks, insurance and parking fees. The trucking companies have dismissed the protests, blaming outside interests for trying to push a larger agenda. A few times this week, there have been work stoppages. At least three terminals briefly shut down as some dockworkers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union stopped working in a show of support for the truckers. Contract Negotiations The relatively small trucker strike comes as the shipping companies are also in negotiations with ILWU dockworkers over a new contract. Their previous six-year deal expired on July 1. Plenty of observers say the timing of this week's trucker strike is more than coincidence. "It's a great opportunity for them to take advantage of the fact that a lot of people around the country are getting increasingly anxious about negotiations between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association," said Jock O'Connell, an international trade expert with Beacon Economics. O'Connell says the broader negotiations could give the truckers a leg up in their fight. Meanwhile, the negotiations between the dockworkers and the cargo industry are set to resume Friday morning. "The bigger picture here is that the West Coast doesn't want to lose any more market share," said Tony Scioscia, a retired shipping executive and former board member of the Pacific Maritime Association. "They want to negotiate, get this contract done without a disruption." For Scioscia, a "disruption" means something a lot bigger than this week's trucker strikes. That is, a dockworker strike that could shut down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. That would cost the U.S. economy an estimated $2 billion a day and would come at a critical time for the U.S. retail sector — which is gearing up for the back-to-school season. It's widely thought a full-blown strike is unlikely, but the possibility is still looming in the back of many people's minds. "Negotiations, I know this from the outside, that they have been civil, they've been very positive, they have been constructive," Scioscia said. "But of course they can go the other way very quickly." Analysts say that's more of a concern now given the tense atmosphere at the ports this week. Protests To Continue 'Indefinitely' Back at the ports, a midday rally at a park in the shadow of three giant container cranes drew leaders from unions across Los Angeles and the nation. There were cheers and chants, and protesters held signs that read "Justice for Workers." The leaders see their fight as part of a much larger struggle. Unions have been losing members — and influence — as the ports have moved toward mechanization. And if the truck drivers became regular employees they could form a union. "We're going to show them how they can achieve their rights, get justice, be properly classified and have the rights that so many employees take for granted," said one of the organizers, Fred Potter, senior vice president for the Teamsters. Potter said the unions will be here and continue their protests for months, or as long as it takes. MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: And I'm Robert Siegel. Labor tensions are high at the largest port complex in the country - Los Angeles and Long Beach - which handles nearly half of all the cargo coming into the U.S. Short-haul truck drivers are striking. The relatively small strikes come as the shipping companies are also in negotiations with dockworkers over a new contract. If that labor dispute isn't resolved soon, NPR's Kirk Siegler reports a much bigger disruption could be looming on the West Coast. KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: As an independent contractor hauling containers from the ships to warehouses across Southern California, truck driver Santos Lopez works long hours - some days ten, others 14. But not this week - this week he's picketing, a long line of semis waiting to enter this container truck. SANTOS L

French Workers In Calais Throw Support Behind Marine Le Pen

Factory workers in the French port city of Calais have been battered by globalization and surrounded by migrants. Some say they will break with tradition and vote for anti-immigration, anti-European Union presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.

DEA Agent Killed In Afghanistan Remembered

Michael Weston was among the three agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration who was killed recently in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Graduating from Harvard Law School would provide bragging rights for many, but Weston was different. He skipped the usual path of joining a top law firm, instead choosing to serve as a U.S. Marine and later a DEA agent.

Chicago Street Vendors

Chicago is one of the few major U.S. cities to ban street vending. But now, there's a move afoot to change that.