NPR Story
3:27 am
Thu January 17, 2013

Obama Calls On Congress To Act To Reduce Gun Violence

Originally published on Thu January 17, 2013 9:11 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

President Obama says he's done what he could on his own. Yesterday he signed 23 executive orders related to gun control. They will allow federal agencies to strengthen the existing background check system and improve the tracking of stolen guns. The big ticket items, like universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons and high capacity clips, will need congressional action.

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Shots - Health News
1:48 am
Thu January 17, 2013

Bad Flu Season Overshadows Other Winter Miseries

Originally published on Thu January 17, 2013 9:11 am

Dr. Beth Zeeman says she can spot a case of influenza from 20 paces. It's not like a common cold.

"People think they've had the flu when they've had colds," Zeeman, an emergency room specialist at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, Mass., tells Shots. "People use the word 'flu' for everything. But having influenza is really a different thing. It hits you like a ton of bricks."

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Losing Our Religion
1:46 am
Thu January 17, 2013

Making Marriage Work When Only One Spouse Believes In God

Originally published on Thu January 17, 2013 9:11 am

Maria Peyer and Mike Bixby are one of those couples who just seem made for each other. They hold hands when they sit and talk. They're happy to spend the morning cooking brunch with their children in their home in southern Washington.

Bixby and Peyer have known each other since they were young, but got married only a few years ago.

"It just hadn't been the right time, until it was. God bless Facebook," says Peyer.

"She Facebooked me, and asked if I remembered her, and then it just went from there," Bixby says.

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Losing Our Religion
1:46 am
Thu January 17, 2013

On Religion, Some Young People Show Both Doubt And Respect

Originally published on Thu January 17, 2013 9:11 am

This is the second of a two-part discussion. Read Part 1.

A third of young adults in this country say they don't identify with any organized religion. NPR's David Greene wanted to understand why, so he met with a group of men and women in their 20s and 30s, all of whom have struggled with the role of faith and religion in their lives.

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Theater
1:45 am
Thu January 17, 2013

A Cooler Roof For A New 'Cat'

Originally published on Thu January 17, 2013 9:11 am

There are certain classic American plays that are revived on Broadway every decade or so, to let a new generation of actors and audiences discover them. Tennessee Williams' 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, running through March 30, is one of those iconic plays.

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Classical
1:00 am
Thu January 17, 2013

January 23, 2013

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Mariss Jansons, conductor
Janine Jansen, violin
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 

Shots - Health News
4:53 pm
Wed January 16, 2013

Schedule Of Childhood Vaccines Declared Safe

Credit Dmitry Naumov / iStockphoto.com
Some parents have worried that kids get too many vaccinations too quickly. A review of all the available research suggests those concerns are misplaced.

Originally published on Fri January 18, 2013 5:16 am

Childhood vaccines for diseases like measles, polio and whooping cough have repeatedly been proved safe and effective. Even so, some parents still worry that the schedule of vaccinations — 24 immunizations by the age of 2 — can be dangerous. That worry is likely misplaced, according to a yearlong review of all available scientific data.

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The Salt
4:29 pm
Wed January 16, 2013

As Syrian Rebels Reopen Bakeries, Bread Crisis Starts To Ease

Originally published on Fri January 18, 2013 5:16 am

In Syria, the staple of most meals is a thin, round, flat bread that we would probably call pita.

Back in November, as fierce fighting raged across Syria, people started to run out of this bread. Government forces were attacking bakeries in rebel-held areas and cutting off electricity so mills couldn't grind flour. By late last year, Syrians were desperate.

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U.S.
4:26 pm
Wed January 16, 2013

Violence-Riddled Chicago Hopes Gun Proposals Will Help Shield It

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
Community leaders and family members of murder victims attend a press conference Jan. 3 at St. Sabina Church in Chicago to make a plea for stronger gun regulations.

Originally published on Fri January 18, 2013 5:16 am

As President Obama unveiled his gun control proposals Wednesday, he highlighted mass shootings at schools in Colorado, Virginia and Connecticut. He also mentioned another group of children, not in school — the ones on the street corners of Chicago.

Chicagoan Annette Holt was at the White House during Obama's address. Her teenage son, Blair, was shot to death five years ago on a Chicago bus as he shielded a fellow student from a spray of bullets.

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Politics
4:00 pm
Wed January 16, 2013

Interior Secretary's Legacy Defined By Issues Of Oil

Credit Susan Montoya Bryan / AP
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar speaks at the dedication for the Southwest's first urban wildlife refuge on the southern edge of Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 27, 2012. Salazar has announced that he'll leave his post in late March and return to Colorado.

Originally published on Fri January 18, 2013 5:16 am

The Department of the Interior is huge — more than 70,000 employees manage a half-billion acres of public land, mostly in the West. The department does everything from operate national parks to administer Native American social programs and manage wild horses.

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