KUER

Tornado Ravages Oklahoma City Suburb

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

Melissa Block talks to Joe Wertz of the public radio initiative State Impact about the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on Monday.

At L.A.'s UnCabaret, 25 Years Of Letting It All Hang Out

Art Silverman — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

A lot of the stand-up comedy that gets done in L.A. is really just comics auditioning for parts in TV or movies.

Not at UnCabaret: For 25 years, it's been a place to hear unvarnished, rough-edged ideas being tried out — mostly for the first and possibly the only time.

Two Broke Girls co-creator Michael Patrick King has worked out some issues there. So has comic, actor and Twitter titan Patton Oswalt, who took the stage to tell a tale about a date that changed his life.

With New Xbox, Microsoft Makes A Bigger Play For Living Room

Laura Sydell — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

Microsoft hasn't exactly had a great couple of years.

Its new Windows 8 operating system was held responsible for the drop in PC sales last quarter. Sales of its Windows Phones lag far behind both the iPhone and Google's Android phones.

The light in the darkness for Microsoft has been the Xbox 360, which has been the top-selling game console for over two years — beating out both the Nintendo Wii and Sony's PlayStation.

The Low-Tech Way Guns Get Traced

Melissa Block — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

Opponents of expanding background checks for gun sales often raise the fear that it would allow the government to create a national gun registry — a database of gun transactions. In fact, federal law already bans the creation of such a registry. And the reality of how gun sales records are accessed turns out to be surprisingly low-tech.

The trace begins after police seize a gun at a crime scene and then reach out to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Tracing Center in Martinsburg, W.Va.

An Ancient Religious Pilgrimage That Now Draws The Secular

Eleanor Beardsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

A 1,200-year old European pilgrimage route is experiencing a revival. Last year alone, some 200,000 followed in the footsteps of their medieval forebears on the Way of St. James, making their way some 750 miles from Paris across France to the Spanish coastal city of Santiago de Compostela, and the relics of the eponymous apostle.

But now, what was once a strictly religious affair has become a cultural and social phenomenon that attracts the nonreligious as well.

Suburban Poverty More than Doubles in Utah’s Major Metro Areas

Andrea Smardon — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:15:17 +0000

Poverty in US suburbs is on the rise, but especially in Utah. A new book released Monday shows that the number of people living in suburbs below the federal poverty line has more than doubled in three major metropolitan areas in Utah over an 11-year span. In fact, the Salt Lake City area ranked number 3 in the nation for fastest growth in suburban poverty.

Tornado Emergency Declared In Oklahoma City

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

(This post was last updated at 6:24 p.m. ET.)

A massive tornado ripped through the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City, Monday afternoon.

Helicopter images showed large tracts of Moore, Okla., completely leveled by what the National Weather Service says was at least an EF-4 tornado with winds in excess of 166 mph.

Yahoo's Other Billion Dollar Bets: Where Are They Now?

Elise Hu — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:29:00 +0000

Yahoo's $1.1 billion purchase of Tumblr could be considered a bargain compared with its other big-dollar bets. The company's history is dotted with pricey purchases of once-hot Web properties that had more promise than eventual purpose. A look back:

GeoCities, 1999: $3.7 Billion

When Yahoo!

Latest Health Hurdle: Buying Insurance Without A Bank Account

Sarah Varney — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:28:00 +0000

When movie stars become unbankable, they're no longer a slam dunk at the box office. When investments become unbankable, they're relegated to the Wall Street's junk pile. For ordinary Americans deemed unbankable — those who don't have a traditional checking or savings account — it can be hard to simply pay bills.

And that absence of a bank account is about to become a big problem for those who also lack health coverage — and for the health insurance companies trying to sell them coverage.

Aesop Rock And Kimya Dawson Showcase Their Strengths

Robert Christgau — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:24:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q_7fT-vSXU

LDS Groups Plan Bigger Role in Utah Pride Parade

Dan Bammes — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:23:43 +0000

Mormons marching in their Sunday best were a big part of last year’s Utah Pride Parade in Salt Lake City. This year, even more could turn out to support the LGBT community.

The group Mormons Building Bridges will be joined by the group Mormons for Equality. In all, Corey Howard with Mormons Building Bridges expects as many as five hundred marchers.

Fox Calls U.S. Surveillance Of Its Reporter 'Downright Chilling'

Eyder Peralta — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:19:00 +0000

Fox News said that it was "outraged," after learning that the Justice Department obtained the personal emails of one of its reporters during the course of a 2009 leak investigation.

The Washington Post broke the story this morning, citing an sealed affidavit filed in The United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Iran's 'Zahra' Tells Alternate Tale Of Presidential Campaign

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:02:00 +0000

Iranians choose a new president next month, and one thing Iran's leaders are intent on avoiding is a repeat of the massive street protests that followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in 2009.

The sponsors of those protests, known as the Green Movement, have been effectively silenced inside Iran, but not online.

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal Heads For Scrap Yard

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:46:00 +0000

The people of Portsmouth, England, on Monday turned out to bid farewell to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, destined for a Turkish scrap yard after its decommissioning two years ago.

The Invincible class carrier was a victim of a 2010 defense review that recommended scrapping the vessel and selling its Harrier jump jets (they were subsequently sold to the U.S.).

Washington State Butcher Spikes Pig Feed With Weed

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:27:00 +0000

William von Schneidau, an intrepid butcher in Seattle, is giving a whole new meaning to "potbelly pig." Lately, he's been feeding marijuana refuse to the pigs he turns into prosciutto for BB Ranch, his butcher shop in the city's famous Pike Place Market.<

Beijing Angry Over North Korea's Seizure Of Chinese Fishermen

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:06:00 +0000

Beijing has long been about the closest thing to an ally that Pyongyang enjoys, but the seizure of a Chinese fishing boat by unidentified North Koreans has threatened to put an already tenuous relationship on even shakier ground.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted by The New York Times as making it fairly clear that his government was not happy about the development.

China, he said, is "demanding that it properly deal with the matter as quickly as possib

Sandwich Monday: The Saltwich

Ian Chillag — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:01:00 +0000

For years, one of the pieces of advice we've been ignoring is that we should really cut back on our salt intake. Now, a panel of experts convened by the Institute of Medicine says limiting salt below a certain amount may not really do us any good. Around here, we take this to mean: Eat as much salt as you can or you'll die.

So, we've created The Saltwich, made with the saltiest foods we could find.

WATCH: A Train Wreck Of A 'Star-Spangled Banner' Performance

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:44:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKQ0fY3lrEo

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:00 +0000

The Internal Revenue Service is under fire for improperly singling out some conservative groups for extra scrutiny — putting them through months (or longer) of questions that delayed or derailed the organizations' requests for tax-exempt status.

Well, now the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee have some questions and requests — actually dozens of them — for the IRS.

As senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, say, "targeting applicants for tax-exempt

Brooks: 'I'm An EGOT; I Don't Need Any More'

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:19:00 +0000

Over the 60 years that Mel Brooks has been in the entertainment business, his name has become synonymous with comedy.

Pope Francis Puts The Poor Front And Center

Sylvia Poggioli — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:18:00 +0000

Over the past week, Pope Francis has launched a crescendo of attacks on the global financial system and what he calls a "cult of money" that does not help the poor.

The 2-month-old papacy of Francis — the Argentina-born Jorge Bergoglio — is shaping up as a papacy focused on the world's downtrodden.

Tiny Living: The Rise Of Small Spaces

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:14:00 +0000

As the populations in big cities increase and more people choose to live alone, a new trend of living in very small spaces has emerged. But the tiny living movement is not without controversy as growth of these multi-unit buildings puts pressure on established neighborhoods.

The Future Of The Workers' Movement

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:10:00 +0000

As membership in private-sector labor unions has continued to nosedive, traditional labor groups have been forced to reevaluate — just as non-union worker groups have emerged. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to writer Josh Eidelson about what he calls 'alt-labor.'

Life In Argentina's 'Little School' Prison Camp

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

During Argentina's so-called Dirty War, thousands were abducted and taken to secret prisons like a place known as "the little school," where many were tortured and killed. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to a former prisoner, Alicia Partnoy, about her disappearance and her time there.

ABC's Karl Expresses Regret, But Stands By Benghazi Story

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:00 +0000

ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl now says he regrets that some key parts of a major story he reported on May 10 were wrong.

The story sent off a political uproar. As we said last week, it made it appear that in a Sept.

Texas Company Scraps Controversial Lesson Plan System

Eyder Peralta — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:39:00 +0000

After uproar over some lesson plans some conservatives deemed un-American, a Texas company has decided scrap a curriculum system used by 877 school districts that were too small or too poor to produce their own.

"The CSCOPE era is over," Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, who was leading the charge against the program, said in a statement. Patrick and others had introduced legislation that would have added more scrutiny to the lesson plans produced by the program.

Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections

Kevin Whitehead — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:17:00 +0000

Singer Sarah Vaughan came up in the 1940s alongside bebop lions Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, starting out in Earl Hines' big band. Hines had hired her as his singer and deputy pianist, while Gillespie praised her fine ear for chords as she grasped the arcane refinements of bebop harmony.

KUER News Pod: Monday May 20, 2013

Brian Grimmett — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:51:31 +0000

At the annual state GOP convention, delegates vote to keep the current nominating system, the party elects a new chair, and Mia Love officially declares she’s ready for a rematch with Congressman Jim Matheson.

ADHD In Childhood May Feed Obesity In Adults

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:42:00 +0000

Men who were diagnosed with ADHD as children are more likely to be obese in adulthood, according to a new study.

The men who had ADHD weighed 19 pounds more at age 41 than otherwise similar men who hadn't had ADHD as boys, the researchers found.

"It makes sense, because they're self-medicating with carbohydrates," says Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist in Sudbury, Mass., who has ADHD and treats adults with ADHD. "Carbs do the same thing that stimulant medications do — promote dopamine," says Hallowell, who wasn't involved in the latest study.

Decades Of History Behind IRS Flap

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Host Michel Martin looks into why some non-profits are tax exempt, and how something like the recent IRS flap could happen. She speaks with David Cay Johnston, a columnist for Tax Analysts and reporter Brentin Mock of Colorlines.com.