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National Security
11:36 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Bin Laden Papers Show Him Frustrated, Marginalized

Credit Sajjad Qayyum / AFP/Getty Images
Pakistanis walk past the rubble of bin Laden's demolished compound this week.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 12:50 pm

Documents found at Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan reveal an al-Qaida leader who had come to feel marginalized and frustrated with actions taken by affiliated terror groups he had helped inspire.

The man responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks is seen struggling to limit attacks that killed mostly Muslims, and to keep the international jihad movement focused on what he viewed as the main target: the United States.

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The Two-Way
11:23 am
Thu May 3, 2012

With Chen's Fate Uncertain, Online 'Dark Glasses' Campaign Continues

Credit ichenguangcheng.blogspot.com
The Dark Glasses blog.

Before his escape from house arrest, his stay at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and now his plea that he be allowed to go to the U.S., Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng was the focus of a "Dark Glasses" campaign aimed at drawing attention to his plight.

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Around the Nation
11:12 am
Thu May 3, 2012

What's So Compelling About Skyscrapers

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 11:56 am

After the terrorist attacks that brought down the twin towers in Manhattan, many said it was the end of an era for skyscrapers. New York City proved them wrong. The building constructed to replace the towers, 1 World Trade Center, has risen above 1,250 feet and surpassed the Empire State Building as the tallest in New York.

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Around the Nation
11:12 am
Thu May 3, 2012

OWS: A Case Study In Social Movements

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 12:16 pm

On May Day, the Occupy Wall Street movement re-emerged to try to reestablish its message and place in the national conversation. Thousands marched in New York City, Oakland and other cities, then quickly faded from national view. Guests consider what sustains social movements, and why some fail.

On Aging
11:12 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Confronting Your Crown: Male Pattern Baldness

Credit Max Nash / AFP/Getty Images
"Macho types are inspired by the likes of Jason Statham," pictured here, writes Daniel Jones.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 8:33 am

Men dealing with male pattern baldness have decisions to make — go with a comb over, take medication, get hair plugs or a toupee, or do nothing at all.

When New York Times contributing editor Daniel Jones started losing his hair, he chose what he considers a "cooler alternative" — head shaving.

"Losing your hair," he tells NPR's Neal Conan, "is a little bit like a girlfriend who's sort of drifting away, and you're clinging to her as she goes off and sees other people. ... It gets worse and worse. So it's better to take some sort of pre-emptive move."

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The Two-Way
10:40 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Congressman Calls For Hearing On Google Street View Data Collection

Credit Daniel Mihailescu / AFP/Getty Images
The camera mounted on a Google Street View car used to photograph whole streets obscures part of the U.S. Internet giant's logo.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 10:59 am

Google may be facing new investigations into its Street View program, which collected 600 gigabytes of personal data including e-mails, passwords, pictures and web searches while its vehicles roamed the streets.

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The Record
10:29 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Dudes Act Like A Lady: 'Call Me Maybe' Takes Over YouTube

Credit Vanessa Heins / Courtesy of the artist
Released in December, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" has been rising on the charts — it reaches no. 5 this week — and winning the hearts of fans on YouTube.

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 5:51 pm

Movie Reviews
9:54 am
Thu May 3, 2012

'The Avengers': A Marvel-ous Whedonesque Ride

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 4:29 pm

Two spheres merge in The Avengers: the Marvel Comics universe and the Whedonverse, fans' name for the nerdy wisecracking existentialist superhero world of writer-director Joss Whedon.

The Whedon cult is smaller but maybe more fervent, inspiring academic conferences on such subjects as free will vs. determinism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I find a lot of Whedon's banter self-consciously smart-alecky, but I love how he can spoof his subjects without robbing them of stature.

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Television
9:47 am
Thu May 3, 2012

The Man Who Revitalized 'Doctor Who' And 'Sherlock'

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 10:35 am

TV writer and producer Steven Moffat specializes in injecting new life into old, familiar characters and stories. He first worked his magic on the revived edition of Doctor Who, leading to several BAFTA and Hugo Awards for the series.

More recently, he has turned his eye to the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes. As the co-creator of the critically acclaimed BBC series Sherlock, Moffat is responsible for updating Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous fictional creation for a modern-day audience.

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Television
9:40 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: From 'Seinfeld' To 'Veep'

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 10:35 am

Julia Louis-Dreyfus will forever be known to millions as Elaine Benes, the character she played for nine seasons on Seinfeld. But she was also an early cast member of Saturday Night Live, and she won the Emmy for Best Comedy Actress while starring in the CBS series The New Adventures of Old Christine, which ran for five seasons after Seinfeld.

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World
8:31 am
Thu May 3, 2012

A Look At Bin Laden's Letters To Confidants

Some of the documents found during the raid on Osama bin Laden's hideaway in Pakistan were released Thursday. West Point's Combating Terrorism Center has been reviewing those documents.

Shots - Health Blog
8:09 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Energy Drinks Can Take Teeth On An Irreversible Acid Trip

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images
Drinks like Red Bull contain citric acid, which can strip away the enamel that protects teeth from decay.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:28 am

Drinks with a lot of sugar will rot your teeth, right? That's the conventional wisdom.

But what about the acid? It's not something we think much about, but dentists say it's high time we start, especially when it comes to the river of energy drinks we — and young people in particular — are consuming.

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The Two-Way
7:04 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Militia Leader Reportedly Involved In Shooting Deaths Of Four In Arizona

Credit J.T. Ready / AP
J.T. Ready is a reputed neo-Nazi who has been conducting heavily armed patrols to catch illegal aliens in the Arizona desert.

A man fatally shot four people Wednesday outside of Phoenix before being found dead, authorities say. Among the victims was a girl between 1 and 2 years old. There are concerns about possible hazardous materials in 55-gallon drums in the backyard, The Associated Press reports, slowing the investigation.

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The Two-Way
6:51 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Coming Up: Bin Laden Documents To Go Online

Credit AP
Osama bin Laden.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 11:59 am

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was frustrated with "regional jihadi groups and his seeming inability to exercise control over their actions" in the last few years before he was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs.

That's "the most compelling story to be told," according to an analysis of some documents seized from bin Laden's Pakistani compound in the May 2011 raid that ended with his death, West Point's Combating Terrorism Center reported today.

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Interviews
6:49 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Chen: I Didn't 'Understand What Was Happening'

Credit AP
In this photo released by the U.S. Embassy Beijing Press Office, Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng (center) is seen with U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke (right) and U.S. State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh before leaving the U.S. Embassy Wednesday for a hospital in Beijing.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:01 am

The Chinese activist who left the U.S. Embassy but then had a change of heart tells NPR from his hospital bed that he wasn't prepared for what would happen after leaving diplomatic protection.

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The Two-Way
6:38 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Jobless Claims Dropped By 27,000 Last Week

There were 365,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance filed last week, down 27,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

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The Two-Way
6:20 am
Thu May 3, 2012

No Note, No Firm Clues So Far In Junior Seau's Death

Credit Stephen Dunn / Getty Images
Junior Seau in 2002, when he was with the San Diego Chargers.

While the signs so far point to suicide, there aren't yet any really revealing clues to why former NFL star Junior Seau apparently killed himself Wednesday.

About all there is so far is a hint that, in retrospect, Seau may have said some goodbyes. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that:

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Europe
6:00 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Angry Greek Voters May Lash Out In Sunday's Polls

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 9:50 am

Greeks go to the polls Sunday in a climate of intense voter anger at the politicians they blame for turning their country into an international economic pariah. Protest votes could fill Parliament with an array of new parties, and most surprising is the growing popularity of the xenophobic Golden Dawn, which espouses a neo-Nazi ideology.

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Around the Nation
5:49 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Computer Glitch Summons Too Many Jurors

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

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Around the Nation
5:42 am
Thu May 3, 2012

San Francisco Transit Worker Fired For 'Good' Dead

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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The Two-Way
5:33 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Chinese Activist Wants To Leave With Clinton; U.S. Diplomats Back In Touch

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng (in wheelchair) held the hand of Gary Locke (at right) the U.S. ambassador to China in Beijing as he arrived at a hospital in Beijing on Wednesday.

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 6:07 pm

  • Chen speaks with NPR
  • Michele Kelemen talks with Steve Inskeep

The fate of Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng remains uncertain one day after he left the U.S. embassy in Beijing.

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Afghanistan
4:51 am
Thu May 3, 2012

What's Ahead For Afghanistan?

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a strategic partnership agreement in the Afghan capital Kabul. The deal put a spotlight on a future Afghanistan that does not include a massive number of American and NATO troops.

Politics
4:51 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Plenty Of Gingrich Campaign Memorabilia Left Over

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Newt Gingrich officially pulled out of the Republican presidential race Wednesday. So what happens to the leftover T-shirts and campaign buttons?

Remembrances
4:42 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Seau's Death Being Investigated As A Suicide

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau was found dead of a gunshot wound to the chest, in what authorities believe is an apparent suicide. His body was discovered at his home in Oceanside, Calif., Wednesday. Seau was 43.

Author Interviews
4:36 am
Thu May 3, 2012

How The Valdez Oil Spill Shaped ExxonMobile

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 10:13 am

Steve Inskeep talks to Steve Coll about his new book, Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power. In it, Coll delves into the business model of one of the country's largest and most profitable corporations. He explores how the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 shaped the culture at the company for years to come.

Around the Nation
4:12 am
Thu May 3, 2012

States Looking To Make Some Taxes Less Inevitable

North Dakota may be about to go where no state has gone before. On June 12, voters will decide the fate of a ballot measure that would eliminate all property taxes in the state.

"We think it's a horse race," says Bob Harms, spokesman for a coalition of business, local government and farm groups that are opposed to the measure. "It has a real possibility of passing."

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NPR Story
4:05 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Argentina Takes Over Spanish Energy Firm YPF

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with control of the energy.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: In South America, a shift towards political populism has led to the nationalism of an oil company in Argentina and an electricity provider in Bolivia. Both of the companies seized are Spanish. The nationalizations are hitting Spain during a time of deep economic crisis. And as we'll hear in a few minutes from reporter Lauren Frayer, they sparked a lot of anger in Spain.

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NPR Story
4:05 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Take Over Moves By Bolivia, Argentina Angers Spain

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Bolivia and Argentina's nationalization of Spanish companies hasn't gone over well in Madrid. Spanish officials say Bolivia and Argentina will pay the price in the long run, as investors become weary of doing business if their assets could ultimately get seized.

NPR Story
4:05 am
Thu May 3, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 8:31 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Last night at the Sotheby's auction house in New York, there was something to scream about. Our last word in business is: "The Scream."

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

As we reported yesterday, the Expressionist masterpiece by Edvard Munch went up for sale. There are four versions of this composition, but just one had been privately held by an heir of one of Munch's patrons.

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Asia
4:05 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Activists Changes His Mind About Staying In China

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 9:26 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

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