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The Two-Way
10:08 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Ted, What Have You Been Doing With Yourself? Unabomber, You Say?

Credit Elaine Thompson / AP
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski being led into a Montana court in 1996.

No, the Unabomber won't be attending his 50th class reunion at Harvard this week.

But Ted Kaczynski has updated his former classmates about what he's been up to all these years.

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The Two-Way
9:35 am
Thu May 24, 2012

SpaceX Ship Passes Close By International Space Station

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 10:42 am

Astronauts on board the international space station got a chance earlier today to see the private unmanned Dragon spaceship that was launched on Tuesday by SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is living on the station, was talking to Houston's Mission Control when he suddenly reported that he had spotted Dragon. "I'm looking at Dragon right now," he said.

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The Two-Way
9:17 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Egypt's Historic Voting Continues

Credit Mahmud Hams / AFP/Getty Images
An Egyptian man shows his ink-stained finger after voting in Cairo earlier today.

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 2:27 pm

  • Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, on 'Morning Edition'
  • Merrit Kennedy on 'Morning Edition'

A quick update:

Day two of the voting in Egypt's first-ever free presidential election is underway. From Cairo, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports that while turnout early in the day was slightly lower than on Wednesday, officials expect the lines will build as the day continues.

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The Two-Way
8:44 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Jobless Claims Dip; Orders For Durable Goods Are Soft

The number of first-time claims for jobless benefits dipped slightly last week, to 370,000 from 372,000 the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

The 4-week moving average for claims — which economists say gives a better picture of the trend — was also 370,000, down by 5,500.

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The Two-Way
8:04 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Cyber Countershot: U.S. Hacks Web Ads Of Al-Qaida's Yemen Affiliates

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 5:06 pm

Update at 4:53 p.m. ET. U.S. Is Not 'Hacking':

NPR's Dina Temple-Raston tells us State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland made it clear that the United States is not "hacking" the websites that appeal to al-Qaida. Instead, they are "countering propaganda with a counter-narrative that we believe is closer to the truth of the situation."

In her All Things Considered report, Dina provides an example:

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The Two-Way
7:28 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Man Has Implicated Himself In Etan Patz Disappearance, NY Police Say

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Etan Patz, and the "lost child" poster issued after his 1979 disappearance.

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 9:13 pm

Update at 7:13 p.m. ET: Police Announce Arrest Of Suspect:

At a press conference in New York, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police had arrested Pedro Hernandez in the killing of Etan Patz, the 6-year-old boy who disappeared as he was walking to school in 1979.

Officials say Hernandez, a former convenience store worker, confessed to police that he suffocated the boy, placing his body in a cardboard box. Etan's body has never been found.

Kelly said Hernandez also took police to the site where he contends the killing occurred.

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Around the Nation
7:13 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Safeway Meat Clerk Reinstated After Fight

Ryan Young saw a pregnant woman being kicked by her boyfriend. He leaped out from behind the meat counter and intervened. Safeway suspended him, citing a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence. But after the union took up his cause and people boycotted the store, Safeway reinstated Young, calling his action "commendable."

Around the Nation
7:06 am
Thu May 24, 2012

'Tebowing' Move Not Appreciated At Graduation

Chuck Shriner was about to receive his diploma from Fort Myers Catholic School in Florida when he dropped to one knee, and struck the praying pose made famous by quarterback Tim Tebow. Shriner won a $5 bet but lost the chance to get his diploma onstage.

Business
6:17 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Business News

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 7:30 am

The world's leading PC manufacturer has announced it will lay off 27,000 workers over the next two years — a third of those job cuts will be in the U.S. The CEO of Hewlett-Packard says the layoffs are part of a restructuring that will include greater spending on research and development.

Africa
5:14 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Egyptians Vote In 2nd Day Of Presidential Election

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 6:17 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

The first free presidential election in Egypt is in its second day. Thirteen candidates are vying to replace Hosni Mubarak in what many there say is a wide-open race. The last election in 2005 saw Mubarak winning 87 percent of the vote against another candidate, a candidate he later threw in jail. Voter turnout yesterday was so strong, election officials kept polling stations open across Egypt for an additional hour.

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Education
4:48 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Romney Declares National Education Emergency

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 7:48 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Mitt Romney laid out his education agenda on Wednesday. In a speech in Washington, he compared the American public education system to that of a third world country. But Romney's plan to deal with what he called a national education emergency does not appear to be a major departure from the policies that have been in place since 2001, under both Presidents Bush and Obama. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports.

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Business
4:48 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Reports For Housing Industry Appear Promising

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 6:17 am

The latest reports show that both new and existing home sales are up. What's spurring the improvement, and can it last? Not all economists, however, are optimistic.

NPR Story
4:48 am
Thu May 24, 2012

'Star Wars' Turns 35

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 6:51 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now let's talk about another icon, one with a light saber. Tomorrow marks the anniversary of "Star Wars." Thirty-five years ago, moviegoers first paid to see a tale from a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It changed the life of John Booth, author of "Collect All 21: Memoirs of a Star Wars Geek."

JOHN BOOTH: There were no space movies to me before "Star Wars."

INSKEEP: And then came "Star Wars 1."

MONTAGNE: Actually, Steve, that's "Star Wars 4."

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Middle East
4:48 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Iran Nuclear Talks Described As Long, Hard

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 6:40 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers resumed this morning in Baghdad. The United States and its allies are pressing Iran to freeze its production of highly enriched uranium, but are refusing to offer the kind of easing of economic sanctions that Iran is seeking as a concession. These talks are described as long and hard, and NPR's Peter Kenyon is covering them in Baghdad, Iraq. Hi, Peter.

PETER KENYON, BYLINE: Morning, Steve.

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Election 2012
3:19 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Obama Seeks To Gain Support Among Military Voters

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
President Obama returns a Marine's salute as he boards the Marine One helicopter Wednesday. Obama traveled to Colorado Springs for the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony.

Originally published on Tue May 29, 2012 4:38 pm

Historically, the veteran and military vote has gone Republican. In 2008, for example, while losing the presidency, John McCain — a war hero — won 55 percent of this vote.

This year, the Obama campaign thinks it can close the gap.

For one thing, neither candidate is a veteran. And the campaign is hoping to capitalize on a generational change in the military. Four years ago, although he lost the veteran vote overall, President Obama won among vets under age 60.

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Music News
3:18 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Glad To See You Again: Joey Ramone's Unearthed Demos

Credit Laura Levine
Joey Ramone: Weightlifter.

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 2:25 pm

The Ramones were there at the birth of punk rock.

None of the Ramones were actually related, but they all changed their last names to Ramone. They wore matching skinny jeans and leather jackets, and their songs were short and to the point, with hooks that are still impossibly catchy. The band's first album stunned listeners and critics. Joey Ramone described its influence in a 1991 interview in Finland that's posted on YouTube.

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All Tech Considered
3:02 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Travel Apps That Help You Pack, Explore, And Enjoy The Scenery

Credit Stuck on Earth
An image from a demo of the Stuck on Earth app, which Lauren Goode of All Things D calls "a photographer's dream."

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 7:59 am

Mobile phones and tablets have put a world of information at our fingertips, even when we're on the go. It would seem natural, then, for smartphones to help make traveling easier and more fun.

But not all apps are created equal — so Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep sought advice from Lauren Goode, a senior editor at All Things D, where she recently reviewed travel apps. Here are some of the tips Goode discussed with Steve:

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Shots - Health Blog
2:52 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Medical Marijuana 101: You Can't Smoke That On Campus

Credit Jeff Barnard / AP
Even if students have a prescription for pot, marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Colleges that let students self-medicate on campus could jeopardize their federal funding.

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 10:02 am

Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states, and that number is expected to grow. But these state laws put colleges in a bind. That's because under federal law, marijuana is still illegal. So colleges that let students make use of their pot prescription on campus risk losing their federal funding.

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Around the Nation
2:50 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Teaching Teens To Build Hammers Home A Message

Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 6:17 am

Teenagers in Washington, D.C., face tough odds getting a job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of those looking for work can't find it — the highest rate in the country.

Sasha Bruce Youthwork, an organization that works with troubled teens in the district, is trying to address that problem by training young people in the construction trades.

The group has enlisted an army of volunteers and a handful of trainees for what it calls a "blitz build" — an effort to rebuild a gutted house in a single day.

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Planet Money
2:47 am
Thu May 24, 2012

Bankrupt In Paradise

Credit Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images
A rainbow over the sea in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.

Originally published on Fri May 25, 2012 9:05 am

The Northern Mariana Islands are about 4,000 miles west of Hawaii. They look like the kind of tropical islands you see in the movies with bright blue water and white sand beaches.

The people who live on the islands are American. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is a U.S. territory. And just like a lot of U.S. states, the commonwealth has a pension plan for its government employees.

Sixto Igisomar used to run it.

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