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Shots - Health Blog
9:53 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Trash Can May Be Greenest Option For Unused Drugs

Credit Keith Srakocic / AP
Surplus and expired drugs collected during the DEA's fourth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. New research suggests it might be better for the environment to dispose of drugs in household trash.

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 10:21 am

American homes are filled with unused prescription drugs. Each year we squirrel away 200 million pounds of pharmaceuticals we don't need anymore, according to some estimates.

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The Two-Way
9:39 am
Fri May 18, 2012

French Plan To Pull Troops From Afghanistan Starts Busy Diplomatic Days

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Barack Obama meets with French President Francois Hollande on Friday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 1:36 pm

Update at 1:17 p.m. ET. Support Afghanistan In 'Different Way':

During their meeting in the White House, President Francois Hollande, the new socialist leader of France, said he told President Obama that he was committed to withdrawing French troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

But, the AP reports, Hollande said he was committed to supporting Afghanistan in a "different way."

This was Obama's first meeting with Hollande.

The two leaders also said they wanted Greece to remain a part the European monetary union.

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The Two-Way
9:33 am
Fri May 18, 2012

French Plan To Pull Troops From Afghanistan Starts Busy Diplomatic Days

Before President Obama welcomes world leaders to Camp David and Chicago, new French President Francoise Hollande is expected to say he wants his nation's 3,300 troops home from Afghanistan by year's end. That could upset other NATO nations.

The Two-Way
8:34 am
Fri May 18, 2012

5 Takeaways From Trove Of Evidence Related To Trayvon Martin's Death

Credit Florida State Attorney's Office / AFP/Getty Images
A photograph of George Zimmerman's head taken after the Feb. 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. It shows blood from injuries he Zimmerman says he received during their encounter.
  • NPR's Greg Allen reporting on 'Morning Edition'

Among the key things to know about what's in the hundreds of pages of evidence and other materials related to the Feb. 26 shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, which were released Thursday:

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Europe
7:42 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Is Now The Time To Vacation In Greece?

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 10:08 am

Despite all the chaos and misery of the Greek debt crisis, the country still has some major assets: It's a stunningly beautiful place, with sunny weather, great beaches, ancient marvels and modern amenities.

Greece has been attracting visitors for centuries — at least since Darius the Great led an unsuccessful Persian military package tour about 2,500 years ago.

That didn't work out so well for Darius, who was defeated at the Battle of Marathon.

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The Two-Way
7:33 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Like It Or Not, It's Facebook's Day On Wall Street

Credit Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:03 pm

  • Steve Henn talks with Steve Inskeep on 'Morning Edition'

Facebook's much-publicized first sale of stock to the public started with a bang late this morning as the price per share jumped. But though the volume of shares sold was a record for an initial public offering, the stock's price gave up its gains as the day continued.

By the end of trading in the U.S., Facebook had settled right at the $38 initial offering price that had been set before shares went on sale.

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World
7:08 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Police Wait For Thief To Release His Loot

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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Around the Nation
6:50 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Sudents Suspended Over Post-It Note Prank

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

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Economy
6:30 am
Fri May 18, 2012

G8 Summit To Discus Greece's Troubled Economy

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The president makes the food security announcement as world leaders prepare to meet at Camp David.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This G8 summit coming this weekend includes leaders from the world's largest economies and they'll be discussing what to do about the very troublesome economy in Greece.

INSKEEP: Greece keeps cutting its budget to help pay debts and avoid default, but then its economy keeps contracting, making the problem worse.

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Business
6:30 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Facebook To Begin Trading On Nasdaq

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL RINGING)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

There you have it, the sound of money. Mark Zuckerberg rang the opening bell for the NASDAQ stock exchange this morning. Facebook, his company, is going public today. The company's shares start trading under the ticker symbol FB. And we talked about one of the largest IPOs, initial public offerings, in history with NPR's Steve Henn.

OK. When we say one of the largest in history, how big is it here?

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Law
5:03 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Evidence Sheds Light On Trayvon Martin Shooting

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Americans now have a little more information on which to base their debate about Trayvon Martin. The teenager's killing in Florida - where he was shot by a man named George Zimmerman - prompted an intense and politically charged national discussion about violence, about gun laws and about race.

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Business
4:48 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Hewlett-Packard Set To Layoff 30,000 People

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with layoffs at HP.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: Technology giant Hewlett-Packard is poised to eliminate as many as 30,000 jobs worldwide. These cuts, though, will reportedly spare China - the company's largest source of growth, as well as its research and development divisions.

NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports.

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Business
4:48 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Did Bank's Culture Lead To JPMorgan's Big Loss?

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The head of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, has gotten an invitation to testify in front of the Senate Banking Committee about his bank's recent trading loss of at least $2 billion.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Dimon is very much the public face of his firm. In a Wall Street culture where banks are defined as much by the executives who run them is by the assets they hold. So, what kind of culture led to the multibillion dollar losses at JPMorgan Chase?

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Business
4:48 am
Fri May 18, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And today's last word in business is: free flight - to somewhere less exotic than Nepal.

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Asia
4:48 am
Fri May 18, 2012

A Preview Of Next Week's Mongolia Series

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's get a sneak preview, now, of a coming attraction.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BELOVED OTTER-COLORED HORSE")

INSKEEP: Mongolia is the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders.

(SOUNDBITE OF SHEEP)

INSKEEP: And it's also now riding a mining boom.

(SOUNDBITE OF INDUSTRIAL CRASH AND HORNS)

INSKEEP: All next week, NPR's Frank Langfitt takes us to Mongolia where the rush to extract mineral resources is transforming a nomadic culture.

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NPR Story
4:34 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Proposed Obama-Wright Campaign Ad Abandoned

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Mitt Romney is disavowing a plan by some wealthy Republicans to attack President Obama for ties to his controversial former pastor. Even the people behind that proposal said they are abandoning it after their idea was plastered on the front page of The New York Times.

The proposal centered on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was a mentor to Obama before the two parted ways during the last presidential campaign.

Republicans unaffiliated with Romney were considering spending $10 million on a racially tinged advertising campaign tying Wright to the president.

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NPR Story
4:34 am
Fri May 18, 2012

French President To Meet With Obama

Credit Lionel Bonaventure / AFP/Getty Images
Newly installed French President Francois Hollande and his partner, Valerie Trierweiler, leave the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris after a formal handover ceremony Tuesday.

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 10:19 pm

Valerie Trierweiler is a journalist and a twice-divorced mother of three teenage boys. She never thought she'd also end up as the first lady of France.

Americans will get their first close-up look at the woman who now calls France's Elysee Palace home when she and her partner, President Francois Hollande, visit the White House this afternoon.

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NPR Story
4:34 am
Fri May 18, 2012

Romney Starts To Close Funding Gap With Obama

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now let's talk about the money the campaigns themselves raise. All through the Republican primaries, President Obama's campaign raised far more money than Mitt Romney's campaign. But now the money gap is narrowing, as NPR's Peter Overby reports.

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Planet Money
3:20 am
Fri May 18, 2012

The Long, Long, Long Road To New Rules For Banks

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Would that big, bad JPMorgan Chase trade have violated the Volcker Rule?

It's too soon to say, despite the fact that the rule is part of a two-year-old law.

The Volcker Rule bans deposit-taking banks from making speculative bets. But it allows banks to make investments to hedge risks.

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Africa
3:18 am
Fri May 18, 2012

U.S. Serves Up New Food Security Effort In Africa

Credit Pablo Tosco / AFP/Getty Images
A woman refills her bucket from a well in the south of Mauritania. The Sahel region, south of the Sahara, is facing a third season of drought.

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

The Obama administration is announcing a major new initiative to boost investments in rural Africa in hopes of lifting millions out of poverty. Several African leaders are in Washington, D.C., for the announcement, which comes as President Obama hosts leaders of the Group of Eight in Maryland. Food security is a key agenda item.

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