Melissa Block

Chemical Weapons Use In Syria Crosses U.S. 'Red Line'

Melissa Block — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:37:00 +0000

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The Obama administration has now joined France and Britain in concluding that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own people. That crosses a red line that President Obama has repeatedly warned would change the U.S. calculation in Syria. Tonight, the administration announced that it will step up its military support for the Syrian rebels.

Feds Drop Opposition To Restriction On Sales Of Morning-After Pill

Melissa Block — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:35:00 +0000

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block. The morning-after pill will soon be available - without a prescription - on pharmacy shelves, with no restrictions on age. That's because the Obama administration has dropped a long-running battle to keep age restrictions on emergency contraception. NPR's Julie Rovner joins me to explain this policy change. And Julie, this was an unexpected development. It came tonight.

Basements Not An Option For Many Homes In Oklahoma

Melissa Block — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:20:00 +0000

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During a tornado, the safest place to protect yourself is usually underground, but that's not an option for the large majority of people in southern Oklahoma. If you look just at new construction, fewer than 1 percent of homes in the area hit by the tornado have basements. Here to help explain why is NPR's Scott Neuman, who's written about this for our Two-Way blog.

And Scott, where I come from, a basement is a really common thing to have under the house. Not so in Oklahoma. Why not?

SCOTT NEUMAN, BYLINE: Well, it's interesting.

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.

When Clarence Thomas Wrote To George Jones

Melissa Block — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:22:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gtFxUYBDA

Boeing's 787 Dreamliners To Fly Again After FAA Approval

Melissa Block — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:59:00 +0000

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And as we continue to cover the events in the Boston area, we want to also talk about one other story, Boeing 787. The jet known as the Dreamliner will be back in the air soon. This afternoon, the FAA approved Boeing's redesign of the plane's battery system. Fifty 787s have been grounded for the last three months following two serious battery failures, one which led to a fire.

NPR's Wendy Kaufman has been following the story, and she joins us now.

Letters To Mississippi Senator, Obama Show Signs Of Ricin

Melissa Block — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:37:00 +0000

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And Tovia mentioned a different kind of attack, one that's the subject of a widening investigation here in Washington, D.C. A second letter thought to contain the poison ricin has been sent for further testing. That one was addressed to the White House. We heard yesterday about one addressed to Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker. Also today two Senate office buildings were locked down as the Capitol police investigated suspicious packages.

NPR's Tamara Keith joins us to talk about all this.

Arrests Made In Deaths Of Texas DA, His Wife And Prosecutor

Melissa Block — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:37:00 +0000

In Texas, prosecutors have filed capital murder charges against the wife of a former Justice of the Peace in Kaufman County. Kim Williams is charged with the murder of the county District Attorney, his wife, and another prosecutor.

Senate Rejects Compromise On Expanded Background Checks

Melissa Block — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:37:00 +0000

The Senate has rejected a compromise background checks language pushed by Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey. It could mean the end of gun control legislation in Congress, at least for a while. Ailsa Chang joins Robert Siegel from the Capitol with the latest.

Report: North Korea May Be Able To Deliver Nuclear Weapons

Melissa Block — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:07:00 +0000

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And I'm Melissa Block. A stunning revelation today from a member of Congress. It came from Republican Doug Lamborn, of Colorado, during an exchange on Capitol Hill with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lamborn cited a Defense Intelligence Agency report on North Korea's military capability, one that had not yet been released. Here's what Rep.

On Gun Ownership And Policy, 'A Country Of Chasms'

Melissa Block — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:55:00 +0000

The ideological gulf between gun owners and non-gun owners is a wide one — made all the more obvious by the ongoing debate over what, if any, gun control measures should be adopted in the U.S.

Sometimes, the debate feels like people are coming from different worlds, even for people within the same family. And while Americans are often willing to discuss their own views, it's rarer to hear conversations between people who own and love guns and those who do not.

Paul Gwaltney is one of the former.

Among Thousands Of Gun Deaths, Only One Charles Foster Jr.

Melissa Block — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:02:00 +0000

The Morris Missionary Baptist Church is nestled down a red dirt road, in Morris, Ga., set among pine trees near the Alabama state line. Next to the small white church lies its most recent grave site: that of Charles Foster Jr.

While the mass killings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., garnered a frenzy of news coverage, statistically, they are not the norm. Each year, thousands of gun homicides in the U.S. — 11,000 in 2010 alone — attract little or no media attention.

In those killings, the victim is most often a minority male between 15 and 25 years old and shot in an urban area.

Conservative Conference A Parade Of Potential Candidates For 2016

Melissa Block — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:27:00 +0000

The annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference began on Thursday. The lunchtime speakers were Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul.

Obama Travels To Capitol Hill To Talk Gun Control, Tax Reform, And Spending Cuts

Melissa Block — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:55:00 +0000

President Obama came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, in the first of three planned visits to court lawmakers on a cluster of issues, from gun control legislation to a so-called grand bargain on tax reform and entitlement spending cuts. He spoke with Senate Democrats. Melissa Block talks to Ailsa Chang.

Senate Committee Passes Bill Meant To Reduce 'Straw Purchases' Of Guns

Melissa Block — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:55:00 +0000

The first major gun bills in nearly two decades had their first hearing in the Senate on Thursday, including an assault weapons ban and a ban on so-called "straw purchases." Still, even in the aftermath of the shootings in Newtown, Conn., the legislation faces an uphill battle. Ailsa Chang talks to Melissa Block.

Sen. Rand Paul Filibusters To Block Brennan's Nomination

Melissa Block — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:30:00 +0000

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Now, more on the long speech Carrie mentioned from Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. He's engaged in an old fashioned stand on the floor and talk till you can't filibuster. It began shortly before noon, aimed at blocking the president's nomination of John Brennan to head the CIA.

SENATOR RAND PAUL: I've chosen to make a stand on this one and not so much the person, but the principle of this. I have nothing personally against Brennan.

Fugitive Ex-LAPD Officer Apparently Barracaded In Cabin

Melissa Block — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:11:00 +0000

Kirk Siegler talks to Melissa Block for an update on the search for former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner. A man that authorities identified as Dorner was holed up in a cabin near Big Bear Lake, Calif., on Tuesday evening. Hundreds of officers surrounded the home. Dorner is wanted for questioning in three murders and one attempted murder.

Obama To Focus On Job Creation, Economic Growth In State Of The Union

Melissa Block — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

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And we turn now to the big political news of the day. In a matter of hours President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress, the first of his second term. Tens of millions of Americans will be watching as the president lays out his agenda and picks up where he left off in his inaugural address last month. He's expected to focus on job creation and talk about how leveling the playing field to give everyone a fair shot will help the economy grow.

But his speech won't be bound entirely by talk of jobs.

U.S. Economy Shrinks For First Time In Over Three Years

Melissa Block — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:48:00 +0000

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

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And I'm Melissa Block. The U.S. economy unexpectedly slammed to a halt in the last quarter of 2012. The Commerce Department said today that the nation's growth rate shrank during the last three months of the year, falling a tenth of a percentage point. That decline raises big questions about the strength of the economy going forward.

We're joined now by NPR's Jim Zarroli.

U.S. May Build Base For Drones In Northwest Africa

Melissa Block — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:24:00 +0000

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We're going to head west now, from Egypt across Libya to Niger. The Pentagon has signed a deal with the government there. The agreement could allow the U.S. to establish a forward base in Niger so that it could operate drone aircraft across northern and western Africa. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman has been reporting on the U.S. military's growing presence on the continent. He joins me now here in the studio.

And Tom, how close is the U.S. to actually setting up a drone base in Niger?

TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Well, it doesn't seem to be that close.

In 'According To What?' Ai Weiwei Makes Mourning Subversive

Melissa Block — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:12:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YeQPn-6o6o

Inaugural Balls Downsized The Second Time Around

Melissa Block — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:19:00 +0000

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So 9-year-old Lauren Kanabel there has a dream: a girl president elected in 2016. And whether or not that dream comes true, there will be inaugural balls. The tradition dates back to George Washington. Four years ago, President Obama attended ten inaugural balls, this year only two, both at the convention center here in Washington. And NPR's Allison Aubrey is there. She joins us by phone. Allison, the ball has been going on for a few hours now. What's the scene?

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: (Unintelligible) absolutely packed in here.

House Pulls 'Plan B' Tax Measure From The Floor

Melissa Block — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:18:00 +0000

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

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Well, so much for Plan B. In a dramatic setback for House Speaker John Boehner, tonight he had to call off a vote on his alternative plan to avert the fiscal cliff because he didn't have the votes from his own Republican caucus to pass it. So now, year-end tax increases and spending cuts are looming as the House has gone home for Christmas without voting on the Boehner plan.

Local Opposition Councils Act As Government In Parts Of Syria

Melissa Block — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:07:00 +0000

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To Syria now, where rebel forces are claiming a string of territorial gains, including six towns in the central province of Hama. As the fighting continues, there are also diplomatic efforts to establish leadership that could take over when Bashar al-Assad's regime falls. This month, more than 100 nations, organized as the Friends of Syria, backed an opposition coalition to replace Assad.

Now local councils loyal to that coalition are beginning the work of government in rebel-held areas.

Boehner, Obama Closer To A Fiscal Cliff Deal But Not There Yet

Melissa Block — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:56:00 +0000

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

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And I'm Melissa Block. One week before Christmas and there's still no deal to avert the big tax increases and federal spending cuts slated for the end of the year.

Republicans Counter With $2.2 Trillion Deficit Plan

Melissa Block — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:27:00 +0000

On Monday, House Speaker John Boehner answered criticisms that Republicans have not proposed a deficit plan to counter the one from President Obama which they find so objectionable. Boehner's plan takes elements from presidential nominee Mitt Romney's proposal. David Welna talks to Melissa Block about the counteroffer.

Of Top Taxpayers, 1 In 5 A Small Business Owner

Melissa Block — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:25:00 +0000

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

One of the big sticking points in negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff is President Obama's insistence that income tax rates go up for the wealthiest Americans. Most congressional Republicans are against that idea.

Fiscal Cliff Talks Resume As Deadline Ticks Closer

Melissa Block — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:48:00 +0000

Negotiations to avert the fiscal cliff remained low-key in the first day of congressional work following the Thanksgiving holiday. Tamara Keith talks to Melissa Block.

A Dash Of Latin Flavor On The Thanksgiving Table

Melissa Block — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:20:00 +0000

When Chef Jose Garces, the Philadelphia-based restaurateur and author of The Latin Road Home, thinks back to the Thanksgiving table of his youth, he remembers the turkey, and his father's chicken giblet gravy.

But his parents, who emigrated to Chicago from Ecuador in the 1960s, whipped up Ecuadorean staples as well.

Those might be meat-filled empanadas, or sweet corn humitas — Ecuadorean