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The Two-Way
11:09 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Pffff: Hong Kong's Six-Story Rubber Ducky's Been Deflated

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 1:52 pm

That giant rubber duck floating in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor, which we posted about on May 6, is down for maintenance.

And when we say down, we mean it. It's been deflated.

But fans shouldn't despair. Ducky's hosts say it just "needs to freshen up" and will return. It's set to be in Hong Kong until sometime next month.

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The Two-Way
10:57 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Boehner: Who's Going To Jail For What IRS Did?

Credit Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA /LANDOV
House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday in the Capitol.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 9:34 pm

He doesn't want to know who's going to resign, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters Wednesday morning.

He wants to know: "Who's going to jail" for what IRS personnel did to some conservative groups?

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The Two-Way
10:38 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Dirty Diapers Pile Up In Portland Recycling Bins: 'It's Not Pretty'

Credit David McNew / Getty Images
Portland recycling handlers say they've seen more diapers in recycling bins after the city switched to biweekly trash pickups. A file photo shows bags of diapers in a container at a California recycling facility.

Waste and recycling handlers in Portland, Ore., say they're seeing an unfortunate side effect of the city's reduction in garbage pickups: 120 pounds of dirty diapers a day, tucked into recycling bins.

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Shots - Health News
10:35 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Angelina Jolie's Mastectomy Decision And Weighing Cancer Risks

Credit Burhan Ozbilici / AP
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has sparked a discussion about breast cancer risk and how to manage it.

On Wednesday's Morning Edition, David Greene talks with writer and breast cancer survivor Peggy Orenstein about actress Angelina Jolie's decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer.

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The Two-Way
9:58 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Get In Line! Enormous Powerball Jackpot Up For Grabs

Credit Orlin Wagner / AP
A customer fills out a Powerball form at the Jayhawk Food Mart in Lawrence, Kan., last Nov. 23, 2012.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 12:50 pm

If it seems as though lottery jackpots keep growing in size, you're right — the multistate Powerball lottery has ballooned to its third-largest size in history, and one or several lucky people could win Wednesday night's drawing.

At this writing, the Powerball is worth an estimated $360 million, with a $229.2 million cash value. The Associated Press says not only is this one of the biggest Powerball jackpots ever, it's the seventh-largest prize ever awarded in any lottery.

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The Two-Way
9:39 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Cup Of Joe With Apple CEO Goes For $610,000

Credit Mark Lennihan / AP
An anonymous bidder has offered $610,000 to have coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a charity auction that closed Tuesday afternoon.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 9:55 am

It turns out that the desire to speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with $610,000, will buy you a cup of coffee. That's the winning bid offered in a charity auction for up to an hour of Cook's time.

As we reported last month, the chance to grab coffee with Cook at Apple's headquarters zoomed past the suggested value of $50,000 set at the Charitybuzz auction site, rising to more than $600,000 in just three days.

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The Two-Way
9:29 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Military Recruiters, Sex Assault Responders To Be Retrained

Credit Jason Reed/pool / Getty Images
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel with U.S. troops in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 11.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 2:59 pm

All branches of the U.S. military have been ordered "to retrain, re-credential and rescreen all sexual assault prevention and response personnel and military recruiters," the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday morning.

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The Two-Way
9:06 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Cleveland Kidnaps Suspect Will Plead Not Guilty, Lawyer Says

Credit / Getty Images
Ariel Castro, in a booking photo released by the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 2:09 pm

Saying that their client is not a "monster," attorneys for Ariel Castro have told Cleveland's WKYC-TV that the man accused of kidnapping three young women, holding them captive and repeatedly raping them over the course of about a decade will plead not guilty to all charges if he is indicted by a grand jury.

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The Two-Way
7:58 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Read The Report On IRS's 'Inappropriate' Scrutiny Of Groups

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 1:58 pm

The language is not dramatic, but the message is clear: A much-anticipated report from the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration is straightforward about how Internal Revenue Service personnel unfairly singled out some conservative groups for unnecessary scrutiny during the 2012 campaign cycle.

As the report's summary says:

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Around the Nation
7:45 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Unsatisfied Fan Uses Tweets To Torment Players

The NBA's New York Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night, falling further behind in their playoff series. Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith took responsibility. A new Twitter account followed each shot he took.

Around the Nation
7:40 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Security Tapes Show Supermarket Glutton Stuffing Himself

Police in Kentucky say Trevor Runyon slipped into a supermarket and waited for it to close.Surveillance cameras show he then had a feast. He cooked and ate six steak, and washed them down with beer, shrimp and birthday cake. Police found him hiding in the ceiling.

The Two-Way
7:21 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Book News: Justice Department Says Apple Led Price-Fixing Ring

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the 2011 Apple World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco. He died later that year.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 8:54 am

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

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The Two-Way
7:14 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Holder Isn't Sure How Often Reporters' Records Are Seized

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Attorney General Eric Holder during a news conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 6:10 am

As his Justice Department faces bipartisan outrage for searching phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors, Attorney Gen. Eric Holder says he is not sure how many times such information has been seized by government investigators in the four years he's led Justice.

During an interview with NPR's Carrie Johnson on Tuesday, Holder was asked how often his department has obtained such records of journalists' work.

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Book Reviews
7:03 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Easy Rawlins Is Alive, Or Is He?

Credit / Marcia E. Wilson

I've been following Easy Rawlins since reading Devil in a Blue Dress in the '90s. That's a lot of time to give to a character. And as I read Little Green, I realized that I hadn't been following Easy, the character, all these years. In the past I was more invested in other parts of the stories.

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Politics
6:19 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Attorney General Holder Called To Capitol Hill To Answer Questions On Controversies

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 6:23 am

In an NPR interview, Attorney General Eric Holder answers questions about the IRS's processing of tax-exemption applications, the Justice Department's subpoenas for reporters' phone records and other hot issues. Holder faces questions on Capitol Hill Wednesday during an oversight hearing.

Around the Nation
6:19 am
Wed May 15, 2013

1 Month Since The Bombings, Signs Of Progress In Boston

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 7:25 am

Explosions rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon one month ago. Four Boston-area families continue to mourn their loved ones and dozens of the 250 injured push on with their rehab. In the area of the bombing, only one business has not reopened.

The Changing Lives Of Women
5:32 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Stay-At-Home Dads, Breadwinner Moms and Making It All Work

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 9:21 pm

The next time you see a father out shopping with his kids, you might need to check your assumptions.

"I'll get the, 'Oh, look, it's a dad! That's so sweet!' "says Jonathan Heisey-Grove, a stay-at-home father of two young boys in Alexandria, Va., who is pretty sure the other person assumes he's just giving Mom a break for the day. In fact, he's part of a growing number of fathers who are minding the kids full time while their wives support the family and who say societal expectations are not keeping up with their reality.

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Education
3:35 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Utah Charter School Nurtures Entrepreneurial Spirit

Credit Whittney Evans / KUER
Eighth-grader Kymira Jackson works at Highmark Charter School's store, where students buy little treats with money earned by turning in homework on time and performing chores.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 7:27 am

A new charter school in Utah wants to equip students in kindergarten through ninth grade with a solid foundation in business.

Students' daily lessons are peppered with concepts like sales and marketing, finance and entrepreneurship, says first-grade teacher Tammy Hill. "And that plays into leadership and improved math skills. And finance plays into every part of their lives."

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Politics
3:35 am
Wed May 15, 2013

IRS Inquiries Crossed The Line, Tea Party Groups Say

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 9:51 am

Tea Party activists are calling for a full investigation, and possibly lawsuits, following revelations that the Internal Revenue Service flagged so-called patriot groups for extra scrutiny in applications for federal tax-exempt status.

Among those claiming unjust and unconstitutional targeting by the IRS is a group called TheTeaParty.net, which bills itself as the largest grass-roots conservative Tea Party organization in the country.

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The Salt
3:33 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Eating Much Less Salt May Be Risky In An Over-Salted World

Credit iStockPhoto.com
Eat less salt, but not too much less.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 11:08 am

Americans are repeatedly told to cut back on salt to reduce the risk of heart disease. But there are new questions being raised about the possible risks of reducing sodium too much.

So, how low should we go? Currently, the government recommends that Americans should aim for 2,300 milligrams per day. And people older than 50, as well as those with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease are advised to reduce sodium even further, down to 1,500 mg per day.

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Sweetness And Light
3:32 am
Wed May 15, 2013

No. 1s: The Latest Greatest Of All Time

Credit Fred Jewell/Alan Diaz / AP
Watch The Throne: Not so long ago Michael Jordan was the GOAT. Now, there's a groundswell to ordain LeBron James as the greatest-of-all-time basketball player.

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 6:19 am

The Great Gatsby is on the screen again, re-opening the perennial debate about whether or not it is the great American novel. Or was that Huckleberry Finn? Or are we still waiting for the great American novel? Is the title vacant, like most recent Tour de France championships? In the arts, the argument over the great American novel is a rather unusual great fuss about the greatest. In most disciplines there simply doesn't seem to be a passion to constantly assess who's No. 1. Except, except ...

Except in sport.

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National Security
3:31 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Women In Combat: Obstacles Remain As Exclusion Policy Ends

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 10:02 am

U.S.
3:30 am
Wed May 15, 2013

Budget Woes Mean Big Delays For Small Claims Courts

Credit Damian Dovarganes / AP
Members of the Save Our Courts coalition rally outside the Los Angeles County Courthouse in March. The county will soon cut the number of courthouses handling small claims cases from 27 to six.

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 5:14 am

Across the country, cash-strapped state and local governments are not just cutting services — they're also cutting access to courts. The tip of the iceberg may be small claims courts.

These courts, dealing with disputes involving small sums of money, are the workhorses of the judicial system. There are thousands of such courts across the country, but perhaps nowhere are they being cut more dramatically than in California.

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U.S.
8:02 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

IRS Inspector General Faults 'Ineffective Management'

Audie Cornish talks to Scott Horsley about the IRS Inspector General's report on the agency's audit of conservative groups.

The Two-Way
6:17 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

Road Crew In Belize Destroys Ancient Pyramid

Credit Jaime Awe / Associated Press
What's left of the Nohmul pyramid after a construction crew virtually destroyed the 2,300-year-old Mayan structure.

Originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 6:53 pm

A construction crew in search of gravel to use as road filler used its backhoes to level one of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids.

"It's a feeling of incredible disbelief because of the ignorance and the insensitivity ... they were using this for road fill," Jaime Awe, the head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, said of the destruction at the 2,300-year-old Nohmul pyramid, located in the Orange Walk/Corozal area.

"It's like being punched in the stomach. It's just so horrendous," Awe said Monday of the destruction thought to have occurred last week.

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Around the Nation
6:11 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

With No Unified Database, Many Murder Victims Remain Nameless

Originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 7:15 pm

A serial killer who committed suicide in an Alaska jail last year confessed to murdering at least 11 people across the country. But Israel Keyes didn't name names, and investigators trying to figure out who he killed are running into a major stumbling block: There is no unified, mandatory national database for missing persons.

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The Two-Way
5:50 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

Convicted Philadelphia Abortion Doctor Gets Life In Prison

Credit Associated Press
Dr. Kermit Gosnell in an undated photo released by the Philadelphia District Attorney's office.

Originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 5:51 pm

The Philadelphia abortion provider who was found guilty of first-degree murder in three illegally performed late-term abortions will be spared the death penalty.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted Monday, agreed Tuesday to give up his right to an appeal. He faces life in prison.

The Associated Press reports:

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Middle East
5:49 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

A Sign Of Disunity? Iranian Candidates Jockey For Position

Originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 7:15 pm

Nearly 700 presidential hopefuls have thrown their names into the ring for Iran's June 14 presidential elections. But two last-minute entrants have altered the shape of the already-chaotic race: a former president once dismissed as a has-been and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

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Music Interviews
5:47 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

Vampire Weekend: New Sounds Signal The End Of An Era

Credit Alex John Beck / Courtesy of the artist
Vampire Weekend's third album is titled Modern Vampires of the City. Singer Ezra Koenig (far left) says he sees it as the closing chapter of a trilogy.

Originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 9:17 pm

The Two-Way
5:07 pm
Tue May 14, 2013

Experts Say Prize-Winning Photo Of Gaza Funeral Is Authentic

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images
Swedish photographer Paul Hansen did not artificially manipulate his prize-winning picture "Gaza Burial," the World Press Photo Foundation said Tuesday. Critics had said the image was a composite of several photos.

The striking image of grief-stricken men carrying two young boys to a mosque for their funeral in Gaza City was hailed for capturing a poignant human moment in an ongoing conflict.

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