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The Two-Way
7:14 am
Tue April 9, 2013

Book News: Margaret Thatcher Authorized A Posthumous Biography

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Britain's then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the Tory Party Conference in Blackpool, England, in 1981.

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 8:18 am

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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The Two-Way
6:51 am
Tue April 9, 2013

3 Things To Know About Louisville's Basketball Championship

Credit Mark Cornelison / MCT /Landov
The Louisville Cardinals celebrated after beating Michigan 82-76 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 9:00 am

  • On 'Morning Edition': David Greene and Mike Pesca talk about Louisville's win

By beating Michigan 82-76 Monday night in Atlanta, Louisville won this year's Division I men's basketball championship.

In winning:

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Movie Reviews
4:34 am
Tue April 9, 2013

Movie Review: 'Trance'

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 9:14 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The director Danny Boyle is best known for the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire." His latest film is called "Trance," but Los Angeles Times and MORNING EDITION film critic Kenneth Turan was not put under its spell.

KENNETH TURAN, BYLINE: "Trance" begins with the auction of a painting by Goya.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "TRANCE")

JAMES MCAVOY: (As Simon) Telephone bidder now, $26 million; 26 on the telephone, 27 to the lady on the aisle. Selling, 27 million, 500 thousand pounds - sold...

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Business
4:34 am
Tue April 9, 2013

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Travels To Europe

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 9:14 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene. President Obama is preparing to send budget plan to Capital Hill this week and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will be key in selling that plan to Congress.

Right now, Secretary Lew is on another mission: to sell European leaders on the idea of easing austerity to boost economic growth. We reached Secretary Lew in Berlin. Mr. Secretary, welcome back to the program.

SECRETARY JACK LEW: Good to talk to you, David.

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Business
4:34 am
Tue April 9, 2013

J.C. Penney CEO Johnson Is Forced Out

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 9:14 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with J.C. Penney's revolving door.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: J.C. Penney has ousted its high-profile CEO, Ron Johnson. The retailer recruited Johnson from Apple, to revitalize the company. But since his arrival less than 18 months ago, things at J.C. Penney have only gotten worse.

Here's NPR's Wendy Kaufman.

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Shots - Health News
2:58 am
Tue April 9, 2013

The 'Hard-To-Change' Legacy Of Medicare Payments

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
President Obama's budget plan for fiscal year 2014 may include a proposal for Medicare patients to pay more of their own medical bills.

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 9:14 am

The budget President Obama will send to Congress Wednesday is expected to include some $400 billion in reductions to Medicare and other health programs.

And if the word around Washington is correct, it may also include a proposal aimed at winning some bipartisan backing — by changing the way Medicare patients pay for their care.

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Animals
2:58 am
Tue April 9, 2013

Starving Baby Sea Lions Flood Southern California Shores

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 9:14 am

In recent months, more than 1,000 starving baby sea lions have been found on Southern California beaches, from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just declared the crisis an "unusual mortality event."

On a recent early morning, Peter Wallerstein is on the job on a beach near Marina del Rey, Calif. His white truck is a familiar sight along this coastline. Next to him, a small blond dog named Pumpkin rides shotgun.

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Research News
2:56 am
Tue April 9, 2013

To Find Insider Trading, Follow The Kids' Money

Credit iStockphoto.com

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 4:46 am

In New York and Washington, government regulators are cracking down on insider trading, the illegal practice in which people with internal information about important company events make stock market trades before ordinary investors find out what's happening.

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The Two-Way
7:14 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Pastor Joel Osteen Is The Target Of A Complex Online Hoax

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 12:22 pm

April Fool's Day was one week ago — but an elaborate hoax targeting Pastor Joel Osteen gained wide attention Monday, after those behind the hoax used Twitter, YouTube, and other social media to spread spurious claims that the pastor had renounced his faith and would close his huge Texas church.

Update at 12:15 p.m. ET, Tuesday: Man Behind Hoax Describes Motives, Public Response

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The Two-Way
6:16 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

A Woman's Prayer Makes Mormon History

Credit Rick Bowmer / AP
Jean A. Stevens conducts the morning session's closing prayer during the 183rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Salt Lake City.

There was no formal acknowledgment of the historic moment Saturday when Jean Stevens stood at a dark wooden podium framed by potted plants and colorful flowers in the cavernous Mormon conference center in Salt Lake City.

"Our beloved father in heaven," she began, as 20,000 faithful and silent Mormons in the building listened, and as millions of others (according to Church officials) watched on television screens around the world.

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Reporter's Notebook
6:15 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Iowa Town Braces For New Reality In Factory Closure's Wake

What becomes of a city of 8,000 people when its main employer leaves town? What does it look like, and what does it feel like? I set out to answer those questions on a trip to Webster City, Iowa, last month, as part of my report on the Swedish appliance maker Electrolux.

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The Two-Way
6:09 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

His Makeover Strategy In Shambles, J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson Is Out

Credit LM Otero / AP
A J.C. Penney story in Plano, Texas.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 8:13 pm

After an unsuccessful makeover of the retailer J.C. Penney, Ron Johnson, the company's chief executive, is out.

In a press release, the company said Myron "Mike" Ullman, who was the company's previous CEO, is retaking the reins.

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The Salt
5:54 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Reduced Guilt? Chocolate Gets A Healthy, Fruity Makeover

Credit iStockphoto
You could cut up to half the fat from chocolate without sacrificing taste by infusing it with fruit juice, scientists say.

Chocoholics, rejoice!

British scientists have developed a new fruit-juice-infused chocolate that they say has up to 50 percent less fat than the regular stuff. And it's tasty, too.

The scientists, led by University of Warwick's Stefan Bon, created the hybrid chocolate using a blender to generate microscopic droplets of fruit juice fine enough to blend into molten chocolate.

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Monkey See
5:33 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

A Tip Of The Mouse Ears To Annette Funicello, 1942-2013

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 9:59 pm

Now it's time to say goodbye to former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. The singer, dancer and actress died April 8 at the age of 70, having battled multiple sclerosis for more than two decades.

Throughout her career, she was devoted to Walt Disney, who famously discovered her during a Swan Lake dance recital when she was just 12 years old.

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It's All Politics
5:25 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Sequester Uncertainty Surrounds Section 8 Housing Program

Credit Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
Members of the American Federation of Government Employees protest mandatory federal budget cuts during a rally March 20 in Washington, D.C.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 6:16 pm

Last week, several media outlets and advocacy groups began circulating the same sad story: Because of sequestration, 60 low-income families in Dane County, Wis., were soon to be homeless.

But the truth is more complicated.

The story began with a blog post written in February by Dane County Housing Authority Executive Director Rob Dicke.

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Shots - Health News
5:25 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Would Angry Teens Chill Out If They Saw More Happy Faces?

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 9:59 pm

All day long we're surrounded by faces. We see them on the subway sitting two by two, pass them on the sidewalk as we make our way to work, then nod to them in the elevator.

But most of those faces don't tell us much about the emotional life of the person behind the face.

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Business
5:21 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

One Manufacturing Giant Creates Winners And Losers

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 9:59 pm

The United States lost close to 6 million manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2009. Now, slowly, some of those jobs are coming back. Over the past three years, the U.S. economy has gained a half-million manufacturing jobs.

But even with the manufacturing recovery, there are both winners and losers — and sometimes they're created by the same company.

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The Two-Way
5:01 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Climate Change Could Equal Teeth-Rattling Flights

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Fly the bumpier skies?

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 6:23 pm

Buckle up — climate change could make this a bumpy flight.

That's according to a newly published study by two British scientists who say increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will make "clear air turbulence" — which can't be easily spotted by pilots or satellites — more common over the North Atlantic. That means the potential for gut-wrenching flights between the U.S., Europe and points east.

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The Two-Way
4:51 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

U.S. Will Deploy Solid-Sate Laser Weapon On Ship Headed To Persian Gulf

Credit John F. Williams / U.S. Navy
The Laser Weapon System (LaWS) temporarily installed aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey in San Diego, Calif.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 6:54 pm

Around the Nation
3:55 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Struggling W.Va. Town Hopes Boy Scout Camp Brings New Life

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 9:59 pm

Picture a tiny town set along a creek in West Virginia. A mountain rises from the town's eastern edge, overlooking the 1,400 people living below. Then, July comes — and 50,000 people arrive on that mountain for the National Scout Jamboree.

The town is called Mount Hope. I've heard some call it "Mount Hopeless." The town went through the long, downward slump from the boom days of deep-mine coal, when it was a grand, small-town capital of coal mining.

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The Two-Way
3:47 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Webster Celebrates College Chess Title, As New Hire Pays Off

Credit Alan Greenblatt / NPR
Webster University chess coach Susan Polgar, second from left, won two national titles at Texas Tech. When Webster hired Polgar last year, the entire Tech team followed her to St. Louis.

If there's no such thing as bad publicity, how much is good publicity worth? Webster University wants to find out.

Last year, the university didn't have a chess team. On Sunday, its team took home the national college championship, the President's Cup, after winning what is often called the "Final Four" of chess.

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The Two-Way
3:35 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Five Things To Know About Margaret Thatcher

Credit Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images
Baroness Margaret Thatcher, former British prime minister, in February 2008 in London.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 4:10 pm

Margaret Thatcher, the iconic former British prime minister, died Monday at age 87 after suffering a stroke. Although she was a towering presence on the world stage in the 1980s, often standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow conservative President Ronald Reagan, some people may have forgotten her contributions.

We decided to highlight five things you ought to know about her:

She helped break the glass ceiling in politics.

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The Two-Way
3:32 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

After Tumultuous Three Years, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz Will Step Down

Credit Ted S. Warren / AP
Seattle Police Chief John Diaz in 2009.

With his department under the watch of the federal government, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz announced today he was stepping down.

The Seattle Times reports:

"Diaz, who has been with the Seattle Police Department for more than 30 years, didn't say why he decided to retire now.

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World
3:20 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

A Close-Up Of Syria's Alawites, Loyalists Of A Troubled Regime

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 9:59 pm

The film on Syria's Alawite community isn't finished yet, but filmmaker Nidal Hassan's favorite scenes are beginning to take shape.

It opens with fireworks on New Year's Eve in Tartous, Syria. "May God preserve the president for us," one young man yells in a reference to Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

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It's All Politics
3:04 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Searching For The Sequester In The Middle Of Ohio

Credit Kiichiro Sato / AP
In Columbus, Ohio, signs of the sequester were hard to find.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 9:59 pm

It's been a little more than a month since the start of the sequester — the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that kicked in because Congress couldn't agree on something better.

Before it hit, there were dire and at times very specific predictions of job losses, furloughs and program cuts — many of them from the Obama administration.

Of course, it's still early. Everything you hear today about the effects of the sequester could and probably will change over the coming weeks and months.

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It's All Politics
2:46 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Guns, Immigration And Budget On Washington's Agenda

Credit Carolyn Kaster / AP
Blooming magnolia trees are seen along Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House on Saturday. This week, President Obama is speaking out on gun control, and will release his proposal for the nation's budget.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 3:18 pm

Congress returns from a two-week recess amid reports that a gun deal in the Senate may have gained late momentum; a focus on immigration to include a rally on Capitol Hill; and a budget proposal from President Obama that already has some in his own party fuming.

Here's what's happening on key issues this week:

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Remembrances
2:12 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Remembering David Kuo: Refocusing Religious Groups On Faith

Transcript

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. David Kuo died Friday of brain cancer at the age of 44. We're going to hear an excerpt of my interview with him. When President Bush created the office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in 2001, Kuo, a conservative, evangelical Christian, became its deputy director. When he left the office in 2003, he accused the Bush administration of manipulating conservative Christians to get the Christian vote.

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Author Interviews
2:12 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

The 'Alchemists' Who Control The Purse Strings Of The Economy

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 3:03 pm

As the U.S. economy struggles to recover from the financial crash, and Europe is buffeted by a series of banking crises, attention has focused on the presidents and prime ministers who've tried to cope with it all. Journalist Neil Irwin, an economics writer for The Washington Post, says there's an elite group of policymakers who can make enormously important decisions on their own, often deliberating in secret, and in many ways unaccountable to voters.

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The Two-Way
2:05 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Annette Funicello, 'America's Sweet Heart', Has Died

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Headshot portrait of American actor and singer Annette Funicello.

Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 6:23 pm

The Two-Way
2:04 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Louisville Basketball Has A Rare Chance At A Double

Credit Chris Graythen / Getty Images
In New Orleans on Sunday, the women from Louisville (in red) defeated California to reach the championship game against Connecticut on Tuesday.

Around midnight ET Monday, we should know whether something that's only happened once might happen again.

If the University of Louisville's men win the Division I basketball championship — they play Michigan in a game set to start at 9:23 p.m. ET on CBS TV — then there's a chance that this year both the men's and women's trophies will go to the same school.

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