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The Two-Way
4:20 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Equal Pay Measure Fails To Move Forward In The Senate

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Lilly Ledbetter, right, the woman who has become the symbol for the workplace equality movement, face reporters at the Capitol as the Senate considers the "Paycheck Fairness Act," on Tuesday.

With a vote of 52 to 47, today, Republicans in the Senate succesfully blocked a Democratic-backed bill that called for equal pay for women.

But, as the AP reports, passing the bill was not the only intent of Democrats. The bill was obviously intended to draw attention to schism that have developed between the two parties on women's issues.

The AP reports:

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Politics
3:33 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

In Fundraising, Walker Had A Governor's Advantage

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker vastly out-raised and outspent his Democratic challenger in the state's recall election, largely on the strength of major donations from across the country.

One reason for that was a quirk in Wisconsin law, which lets a governor in Walker's situation bypass limits on political donations.

Wisconsin law says candidates for governor normally may not take donations of more than $10,000 each. That was the limit under which Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democrat, operated in the recall election being decided Tuesday at the polls.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:28 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Depressed? Treatment May Be A Phone Call Away

Credit iStockphoto.com
Therapy by telephone can work about as well as the in-person variety.

Depression can be treated effectively over the phone, and a test of the approach showed that patients are more likely to maintain treatment telephonically.

Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine offered 18 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy, a kind of talk therapy, to more than 300 patients with major depression. Half received treatment in person and half over the phone.

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London 2012: The Summer Olympics
3:12 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Cyclist's Swift Ride From Wall Street To The Olympics

Credit Michael Steele / Getty Images
Since entering the sport at age 25, Evelyn Stevens (right) has risen to the elite ranks of women's cycling. In April, she passed top rival Marianne Vos of Holland on her way to winning the Fleche Wallonne race in Belgium.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

Four years ago, Evelyn Stevens was working as a Wall Street investment banker and just starting to race bicycles. But she rose through the cycling ranks quickly, and next month she will represent the United States at the Olympic Games in London.

On a recent muggy morning in busy Central Park, Stevens easily weaves her bicycle through many obstacles.

"There's the horse carriages, there's the bike buggies, there's the Rollerbladers," she says, "the people on their bikes training, the five gajillion joggers, the hot dog stands, the dogs — there's a lot going in."

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World
2:50 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

On Pakistan's 'Sesame Street,' Everything's Not A-OK

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

The U.S. is withdrawing millions of dollars in funding for the Pakistani version of Sesame Street. Officials say the decision stems from serious allegations of fraud directed at the Pakistani theater company that's producing the children's TV program.

Sim Sim Hamara, the Pakistani version of Sesame Street, is set in a mock-up of a typical Pakistani town. There's a school, the ubiquitous Banyan tree, a restaurant and a colorful cast of characters centered on a 6-year-old girl named Rani who loves the sport of cricket.

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Mom And Dad's Record Collection
2:44 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Mike Huckabee's Musical Education

Credit Paul Drinkwater / NBC via Getty Images
Mike Huckabee sits in on bass with the Tonight Show band in 2008.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

All Things Considered continues its "Mom and Dad's Record Collection" series with former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. The politician currently hosts a TV show on Fox News and plays bass guitar in his rock band, Capitol Offense. His musical tastes are similarly multifaceted: Huckabee says he grew up listening to big-band jazz.

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It's All Politics
2:32 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

How Accurate Is Obama's Attack On Romney's Jobs Record?

Credit Julie Jacobson / AP
Mitt Romney talks about his plan for creating jobs at a 2011 campaign speech in Las Vegas.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

A new Obama campaign ad says the Massachusetts economy actually fared poorly during Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's four years as governor, challenging the notion that Romney knows how to fix the nation's ailing economy.

The ad says that between 2003 and 2007, Massachusetts had one of the worst economic records in the country, lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs at "a rate twice the national average, and fell to 47th in job creation."

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Monkey See
2:13 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Home Video Picks: 'The Sting'

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

The Two-Way
1:27 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Report Of First Doctor To Treat Lincoln Rediscovered

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images

"When I entered the box the ladies were very much excited. Mr. Lincoln was seated in a high backed arm-chair with his head leaning towards his right side supported by Mrs. Lincoln who was weeping bitterly. Miss Harris was near her left and behind the President.

"While approaching the President I sent a gentleman for brandy and another for water."

Those are the words of Dr. Charles A. Leale, 23, the first physician to reach Abraham Lincoln's side on April 14, 1865, after assassin John Wilkes Booth shot the president in the head.

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Monkey See
1:14 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Aubrey Plaza Takes Quite A Trip In 'Safety Not Guaranteed'

Credit Benjamin Kasul / FilmDistrict
Aubrey Plaza in Safety Not Guaranteed.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

Asia
12:46 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Ties Strengthening Between Vietnam And The U.S.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 2:05 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

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Around the Nation
12:43 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

A Plan To Reform Immigration Policy, DIY-Style

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 2:05 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

Immigration remains an intense political issue in this country and a point of contention between Mexico and the United States. In an op-ed published on Saturday in The New York Times, Jorge Castaneda, Mexico's former foreign minister, and Douglas S. Massey, founder and co-director of the Mexican Migration Project, argue that in the shadow of that gargantuan debate, time and commonsense decisions by Mexican migrants have brought us nearly everything immigration reform was supposed to achieve.

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Around the Nation
12:41 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Giant Tankers Battle Wildfires From The Sky

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 2:05 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. We're still weeks away from the hottest and driest part of the year, and fire season is already well underway: Colorado, Nevada, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico. In a few minutes, we'll talk with a meteorologist who tries to forecast fire conditions, and we'll focus on the pilots who swoop through smoke and turbulence to drop retardant on wildfires. Two of them died in the crash of an elderly plane in Utah on Sunday.

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The Salt
12:39 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

The Storied History Of A Tunisian Tuna Pastry Called Bric

Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Steve Inskeep displays his "bric," a fried pastry containing runny egg and canned tuna.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 2:25 pm

Over the next couple of weeks, NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep is taking a Revolutionary Road trip across North Africa to see how the countries of the Arab Spring are remaking themselves after revolutions last year.

Steve and his team are traveling some 2,000 miles from Tunisia's ancient city of Carthage, across the deserts of Libya and on to Egypt's megacity of Cairo.

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NPR Story
12:28 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

The Day Buddy Guy 'Left Home,' Bound For The Blues

Credit Paul Natkin /
"I didn't learn nothing from a book," Buddy Guy tells NPR's Neal Conan. "I learned by ... being quiet, keep your ears open and listen."

Originally published on Wed June 6, 2012 8:21 am

Guitar legend Buddy Guy has been called the bridge between the blues and rock 'n' roll, as well as one of the most influential blues musicians in the world. Guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless others use words like "legend," "master" and "greatest of all time" to describe him.

In his new memoir, When I Left Home, Guy describes what he calls his second birthday: the day he left his home of Louisiana for Chicago, the blues capital of the world.

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From Our Listeners
12:01 pm
Tue June 5, 2012

Letters: Technology For Amputees And RVing

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 2:05 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

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It's All Politics
11:30 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Wisconsin Moderates: Heroes Or Heretics?

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 2:04 pm

When Wisconsin State Sen. Dale Schultz goes to the polls Tuesday, he will vote for GOP Gov. Scott Walker in the gubernatorial recall election.

"I'm a Republican," Schultz said during an interview in his Capitol office in Madison, on the eve of the state's historically acrimonious and expensive recall election.

But if the Democratic candidate, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, succeeds in ousting Walker, Schultz, 58, says, "I'm going to do everything I can to make him successful, too."

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Shots - Health Blog
11:22 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Summertime And Healthy Kids Are Never Easy

Credit Twitter
Dr. Robert Block, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, makes his opinion about the group crystal clear on his Twitter feed.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 11:23 am

Join us today at 3:30 p.m. EDT for a chat on Twitter with pediatrician Robert Block, the current president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Search for the hashtag #nprkids. We'll be tweeting from @NPRHealth with @DrBobBlock for about a half-hour.

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The Two-Way
11:18 am
Tue June 5, 2012

California's Prop 8 Same-Sex Marriage Ban Looks Headed To Supreme Court

A federal appeals court in San Francisco says it will not reconsider an earlier ruling that California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

That means, as our colleagues at KQED's News Fix blog report, that "Prop 8 supporters will almost certainly ask the United States Supreme Court to hear the case."

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The Two-Way
10:50 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Disney To Put Limits On Food Ads In Bid To Nudge Kids To Eat Healthier

Credit Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP/Getty Images
Mickey thinks kids should eat better.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 5:53 pm

With an endorsement from first lady Michelle Obama for its effort, Walt Disney Co. confirmed this morning that it is going to apply new standards to food ads aimed at children and their families during programming for kids. The entertainment giant says it will try "to inspire kids to lead healthier lifestyles."

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The Two-Way
10:49 am
Tue June 5, 2012

How The Transit Of Venus Helped Unlock The Universe

Originally published on Tue July 31, 2012 7:46 am

In an age when the size of the observable universe is known to a few decimal places, today's Transit of Venus offers a good opportunity to reflect on just how far we've come.

(For viewing information, click here.)

Less than 250 years ago, the brightest minds of the Enlightenment were stumped over how far the Earth is from the sun. The transits of the 1760s helped answer that question, providing a virtual yardstick for the universe.

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Music Reviews
10:40 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Tracing The Evolution Of Lost Chicago Jazz

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Mike Reed's People, Places and Things.

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 1:29 pm

Drummer Mike Reed put together his quartet People, Places and Things to play music by their 1950s forebears. But it makes sense that, after a few years together, they'd also play later pieces, tracking the evolution of Chicago jazz on a new album titled Clean on the Corner. One dividend of their repertory work is that it inspires Reed to write his own tunes in the same spirit, like "The Lady Has a Bomb."

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The Two-Way
10:38 am
Tue June 5, 2012

In Poll, Facebook Users Say They Are Not Swayed By Its Advertisements

Credit Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images
Facebook's logo.

It's more bad news for Facebook today. A poll by Reuters/Ipsos found that most of its users are not swayed by its advertisements.

Four out of five users surveyed said they had never bought a product based on advertising they saw on the network. What's more, the online poll revealed that "34 percent of Facebook users surveyed were spending less time on the website than six months ago, whereas only 20 percent were spending more."

Reuters reports:

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Around the Nation
10:37 am
Tue June 5, 2012

How Louisiana Became The World's 'Prison Capital'

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 12:07 pm

A new expose by The Times-Picayune of New Orleans calls Louisiana the "world's prison capital."

The state imprisons more people per capita than any other state or country in the world, with one out of every 86 adults behind bars. Its rate of incarceration is three times higher than Iran's and 10 times higher than Germany's.

How did Louisiana double its prison population in the past 20 years? And what differentiates it from other states?

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Economy
10:37 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Growing Economic Inequality 'Endangers Our Future'

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 12:45 pm

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz grew up in Gary, Ind. — a city that has weathered many economic storms over the past half-century.

Stiglitz went on to study at Amherst College and MIT, where he received a Ph.D. in economics. He later served on and chaired President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers and became the chief economist at the World Bank. But even as a child, Stiglitz says, he noticed ways in which the markets weren't working.

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It's All Politics
10:25 am
Tue June 5, 2012

The Uniqueness Of The 2012 Election

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 1:11 pm

All U.S. presidential elections "are unique in some fashion," says John G. Geer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University.

Sure, but what about 2012? What exactly will make the 2012 election between President Obama and Mitt Romney truly unique?

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The Two-Way
10:05 am
Tue June 5, 2012

From Our Readers: Unpacking Pew's Data On American Polarization

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 10:17 am

Starting today, we're trying something different. We've enlisted Marissa Alioto, an intern on NPR's social media desk, to comb through your comments and highlight those that are smart and insightful and can teach us all something. We know there is a wealth of knowledge there. We expect some of them to be opinion, but we hope others just point out something that moves a story forward. With that here is Marissa:

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Around the Nation
9:59 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Breast-feeding In Uniform: Brave Or Brazen?

Photos of Air Force moms breast-feeding in uniform recently went viral and sparked debate. The photos were meant to support military moms in breast-feeding. But some critics say the photos are disrespectful to the uniform. Host Michel Martin discusses the issue with active and retired military moms, including one who was featured in the photos.

Environment
9:59 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Do Plastic Bags Bans Help The Environment?

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 12:40 pm

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Coming up, during his long and varied career, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman has played everyone from soldiers to servants, from cowboys to criminals - not to mention the almighty. In a moment, he'll tell us what music he plays for inspiration. That's our feature we call In Your Ear, and it's just ahead.

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Politics
9:59 am
Tue June 5, 2012

Artur Davis On Leaving His Job, Home, And Party

Originally published on Tue June 5, 2012 12:40 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. Coming up, a picture of military moms breastfeeding their children has gone viral and it's raising questions about what's appropriate for women in uniform. We'll speak with one of the women in the picture about why she did it and the reaction to it. That's in just a few minutes. But first, voters are casting ballots in several states today and many political observers will look to the results for clues about the battle for the White House.

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