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Bloomberg pollster J. Ann Selzer ignited something of a political firestorm this week when her national survey for the news organization showed President Obama leading GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney among likely voters by 13 points, 53-40 percent.

Most recent polls have shown the race much closer.

When the girls basketball team was cut from Charlotte Murphy's Pittsburgh school last year, the then 4th grader told the superintendent that the cut went against Title IX. For the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the law that prohibits schools from discriminating on the basis of sex, host Michel Martin talks to Murphy and Superintendent Linda Lane.

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Coming up, we take our weekly visit to the Barbershop where we will ask the guys now that LeBron James finally has his championship ring, will that stop the haters or not? That is later in the program.

On the final day of confessed Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik's trial, the defense is trying to portray him as an ideologically driven political militant rather than a delusional madman in hopes of getting a lighter sentence or an outright acquittal.

Breivik, 33, an anti-Muslim extremist, has admitted to the bombing and shooting that killed 77 people in the capital Oslo.

Heavily armed Taliban insurgents attacked a lakefront resort near Kabul overnight, killing at least 21 people during an assault and 12-hour standoff with combined Afghan and NATO forces.

The attack occurred at the Spozhmai Hotel on Lake Qargha, a popular recreation area for upscale Afghans just outside the capital. The Taliban claim they attacked because it was used by wealthy Afghans and foreigners to engage in "immoral activities."

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We're not precisely sure how Warren Houghton lost his wallet and his baseball glove. Suffice it to say, he was a boy. In the 1940s, he accidently dropped his possessions inside a wall in a one-room schoolhouse in Cornish, New Hampshire. Sixty-seven years later, construction workers found the wallet and glove and shipped them to the owner. He is now back in possession of pictures of his family, a Boy Scout ID and a letter from his sister.

Deb Thompson went to a Minnesota Goodwill looking for a deal and some bling. She got both: a pair of gem-studded pants for $3.99. And in one of the pockets, a diamond ring worth at least $5,000. Thompson is trying to locate the owner.

While Greeks are facing tough austerity measures, they are hopeful there soccer team will beat Germany in the quarterfinals of the Euro championship. Germany may have a better economy, but Greeks are betting on their team to prevail.

The eurozone will take a short break from its financial crisis to enjoy a sporting event. The soccer teams of Germany and Greece meet Friday in the quarter finals of the Euro 2012 championship in Gdansk, Poland. Germany's coach doesn't think political tensions will have an impact on the field.

It's been another tumultuous week in Syria. NPR's Deborah Amos was reporting from inside Syria earlier this week but she's back in Lebanon now. She says what surprised her most while she was in Damascus, is that more people are speaking out against President Assad's government.

With a movie title like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, it's no mystery what the plot is. Young Mr. Lincoln is tutored by an experienced vampire killer and goes into training with his trusty ax. He bears a special grudge against vampires because they killed his mother.

When Ohio native LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat in 2010, he left behind a legion of furious fans who had followed his career since he was an Akron teenager. Now that James has won the NBA ring, are Clevelanders ready to forgive him for leaving?

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And with no primary opponent to worry about, President Obama's campaign had nearly a full year's head start for fundraising over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. But as NPR's S.V. Date reports, the president's advantage is rapidly disappearing.

Later this summer, Republicans will gather in Tampa, Fla., for their presidential nominating convention; Democrats will then do the same in Charlotte, N.C. Each party gets more than $18 million in public funds this year to help pay for the gatherings.

The money comes from that $3 box that taxpayers can check on their federal tax returns. But this could be the last time party conventions get taxpayer funding.

Fifteen major banks were downgraded Thursday in a reflection of the slowing global economy and volatility in financial markets. In a sweeping move, Moody's cut the credit ratings of some of the world's largest financial institutions, including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Jerry Sandusky's trial on child sexual abuse charges is in the jury's hands. As they consider the 48 counts filed against the former Penn State assistant football coach, new allegations have emerged. Sandusky's adopted son now says he's also a victim.

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NPR's business news starts with a budget deal in California.

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INSKEEP: This deal comes just days before the start of the new fiscal year. It cuts social programs and it would knock three weeks off of Californian's school year unless voters approve a proposal for new taxes.

Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler reports from Sacramento.

BEN ADLER, BYLINE: The Democrats running this year's California budget process say they have one overarching goal: to bring years of festering shortfalls to an end.

Product safety regulators announced the recall Thursday after hundreds of people reported explosions in their toilet tanks. The faulty flushing system is made by the brand Flushmate — specifically the Flushmate Three Pressure-Assist Flushing System. It's used by several toilet manufacturers including American Standard and Crane.

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When President Obama addresses a large gathering of Latino politicians later today in Florida, he's likely to get a warm reception. Just last week, Mr. Obama announced that hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants who came to this country as children can stay in the U.S. - at least temporarily.

When it comes to health care, even the seemingly easy things become hard.

Take coverage for young adults under the Affordable Care Act.

Our piece about a Supreme Court's decision to dismiss fines against ABC and Fox, led to comments from households that have greatly reduced their television intake. Of course, most acknowledged the obvious — they're still on the internet (hardly a space known for its sterling regulation of decency), and did we detect a little of one-up-manship?

The credit rating agency Moody's Investor Services just downgraded the ratings of 15 of the world's largest banks.

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs were among them.

The AP reports:

"The ratings agency said late Thursday that the banks were downgraded because their long-term prospects for profitability and growth are shrinking.

The political fundraising numbers filed this week are revealing a new crop of million-dollar donors.

Cash flowed into the superPACs supporting President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney last month. Priorities USA Action, the pro-Obama superPAC, got $4 million, while the pro-Romney equivalent, Restore Our Future, pulled in $5 million.

So who are the big spenders?