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4:39 am
Sat February 2, 2013

The Dow's Big Day Rounds Out Big Week In Business News

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 1:07 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. And the U.S. stock market's on a tear. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 14,000 yesterday, for the first time in more than five years. Investors seized on encouraging news about factory orders and auto sales. They chose to look past a report that unemployment inched up last month, too, to 7.9 percent. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

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Remembrances
4:39 am
Sat February 2, 2013

Remembering New York's Large-Than-Life Mayor, Ed Koch

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 1:07 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ED KOCH: Hi, hi. How am I doing?

SIMON: Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York, died yesterday at the age of 88. He was as New York as a salt bagel with an extra schmear. I profiled him when he ran for re-election in 1981.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

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Television
4:39 am
Sat February 2, 2013

'House Of Cards' A Delicate Balance Of Politics And Drama

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 1:07 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Kevin Spacey's got a memorable entrance in the new series "House of Cards." He looks into the camera and talks to the audience while he strangles an injured dog.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HOUSE OF CARDS")

KEVIN SPACEY: (as Francis Underwood) There are two kinds of pain: the sort of pain that makes you strong; or useless pain, the sort of pain that's only suffering. I have no patience for useless things.

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Africa
4:39 am
Sat February 2, 2013

In Cairo, Couriers Take Big Risk To Deliver Goods

Credit Marco Longari / AFP/Getty Images
An Egyptian man delivering bread rides through Cairo's Tahrir Square last year. Couriers are taking great risks as they work around Egypt's capital.

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 8:14 pm

In Cairo you can get most anything — food, medicine, groceries — delivered right to your door, anytime. But civil unrest in the streets of the Egyptian capital has made it a riskier job for deliverymen.

Tabouleh restaurant, an upscale Lebanese joint, is tucked into a quiet neighborhood just south of Tahrir Square, the center of Egypt's revolution.

It's usually packed. But clashes between protesters and police have been ongoing for a week just two blocks away. On a recent night, there's only one table of diners.

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Around the Nation
3:26 am
Sat February 2, 2013

America's Undocumented Workers: 11 Million And Counting

Credit David McNew / Getty Images
While a vast majority of undocumented immigrants in the United States come from Mexico, many also come from Central American nations, China, parts of Africa and India.

Originally published on Sun April 7, 2013 6:06 pm

There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, and it's a number you might have heard a lot about this week from Washington lawmakers.

Since the 1970s, Jeff Passel, now senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, has been keeping tabs on a group that actively tries to stay off the radar. He says many actually do participate in the census count and other surveys.

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The Salt
3:17 am
Sat February 2, 2013

How To Save A Public Library: Make It A Seed Bank

Credit Courtesy of Dylan Johns
The seed library is a partnership between the Basalt Public Library and the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute. Seed packets encourage gardeners to write their names and take credit for their harvested seeds.

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 1:07 pm

Despite the cold and snow, some signs of spring are starting to break through in Colorado. The public library in the small town of Basalt is trying an experiment: In addition to borrowing books, residents can now check out seeds.

In a corner of the library, Stephanie Syson and her 4-year-old daughter, Gray, are just finishing a book with a white rabbit on the cover.

When Gray approaches the knee-high shelves filled with seed packets, she zeroes in on a pack labeled "rainbow carrots."

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Simon Says
3:12 am
Sat February 2, 2013

History Sometimes Rewards Those Who Are Sidelined

Credit G. Newman Lowrance / AP
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith looks on from the sidelines during the overtime period against the New York Giants on Jan. 22, 2012, in San Francisco.

Originally published on Sat June 15, 2013 3:26 am

You might look for a player along the sidelines in the Super Bowl on Sunday named Alex Smith and wonder, as he might, if he'll be the next Wally Pipp or Ken Mattingly.

Pipp was the Yankee first baseman in 1925 who had a headache and was told to take two aspirin and sit out the game. A young player named Lou Gehrig took his place — and stayed at first base for 14 years, becoming one of baseball's most storied players.

Pipp wound up working in a screw factory. He was a good sport who told fans in later years, "I took the two most expensive aspirin in history."

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The Two-Way
1:54 am
Sat February 2, 2013

Taliban Militants Assault Pakistani Army Base

Credit Jibran Yousufzai / AP
Pakistani troops gather at the site of an attack on an army post in Serai Naurang town, near Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, on Saturday.

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 7:10 am

Armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, militants attacked an army camp in Northwestern Pakistan early Saturday morning.

According to officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, 12 militants and 13 security officials were killed in the attack. The New York Times is reporting that 10 civilians — including three women and three children — who were living in a nearby compound, were also killed.

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Three-Minute Fiction
10:03 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Three-Minute Fiction Round 10: Leave A Message After The Beep

Credit Alex Hoerner
Author Mona Simpson is the judge for Round 10 of Three-Minute Fiction. She has written five works of fiction (among other short stories and essays): Anywhere but Here, The Lost Father, A Regular Guy, Off Keck Road and My Hollywood.

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 9:59 pm

It's Round 10 of Three-Minute Fiction, the short story contest from weekends on All Things Considered. Here's the premise: Write a piece of original fiction that can be read in about three minutes (no more than 600 words).

Our judge for this round is author Mona Simpson, whose most recent book is My Hollywood. She most recently won a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, among other prizes. Here's her twist for Round 10:

Write a story in the form of a voice-mail message.

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Shots - Health News
5:17 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

White House Tries Again To Find Compromise On Contraception

Credit iStockphoto.com

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:35 pm

The Obama administration on Friday issued another set of proposed rules — and asked for yet another round of public comments — in a continuing quest to find a way to ensure that women receive no-cost contraception as part of a package of preventive health services under the 2010 Affordable Care Act without requiring religious employers to violate their beliefs.

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Health Care
4:33 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Obama Administration Wades Into Birth Control Coverage Fray

The Obama administration has issued a proposal detailing how coverage for contraception will be paid for under Obamacare. The health overhaul law requires insurance plans to provide birth control coverage, but those opposed to artificial contraception argue they should not be made to use their own funds to pay for it. Audie Cornish talks to Julie Rovner.

It's All Politics
4:13 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

What's Behind Rubio's 'Full Circle Back' On Immigration?

Credit Charlie Neibergall / AP
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, is among a bipartisan group of eight senators who this week announced a plan to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

Marco Rubio has been the junior senator from Florida for barely two years, but he's already considered a likely 2016 presidential contender.

The 41-year-old Republican's political star rose still higher this week when he joined a bipartisan group of senators offering a path to citizenship to millions of unauthorized immigrants.

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The Salt
4:12 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Where's The Beef? Burger King Finds Horsemeat In Its U.K. Patties

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 6:21 pm

Burger King has acknowledged this week that some of its burgers in Britain and Ireland included horsemeat, the latest development in an ongoing scandal.

Horsemeat actually contains just as much protein and far less fat than beef, according to nutritionists.

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
4:10 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Lightning Fill In The Blank

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 8:53 am

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Time to roll on to our final game Lightning Fill in the Blank. Each of our players has 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can, each correct answer now worth two points. Carl, can you give us the scores?

CARL KASELL: Charlie Pierce has the lead, Peter. He has four points. Faith Salie has three. Brian Babylon has two.

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
4:10 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Bluff The Listener

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 8:53 am

Transcript

CARL KASELL: From NPR and WBEZ-Chicago, this is WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME, the NPR News quiz. I'm Carl Kasell. We're playing this week with Charlie Pierce, Brian Babylon and Faith Salie. And here again is your host, at the Chase Bank Auditorium in downtown Chicago, Peter Sagal.

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Thank you so much.

(APPLAUSE)

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
4:10 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Panel Round One

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 8:53 am

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

We want to remind everybody they can join us here most weeks at the Chase Bank Auditorium in downtown Chicago, Illinois. For tickets and more information, go to wbez.org.

You can find a link at our website, that's waitwait.npr.org. There you can also find out about our big simulcast cinema event on May 2nd, WAIT WAIT live in a theater new you. Spoiler alert: we're even more attractive than you imagined. Am I right?

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Take their word for it.

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
4:10 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Astronaut Mae Jemison Plays Not My Job

Credit NASA

Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 8:53 am

In 1992, Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to fly in space when she served as a science mission specialist. We've invited Jemison to play a game called "Excuse me? When do we get to the Southwest terminal?" Jemison has flown in the space shuttle Endeavour, so we thought we'd ask her questions about a sometimes more unpredictable vehicle ... the airport shuttle.

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Economy
4:02 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Pentagon Remains Big Target In Likely Budget Cuts

Credit AFP/Getty Images
The winding down of the war in Afghanistan and efforts to slice the budget deficit will likely mean more spending cuts for the Pentagon.

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

The economy shrunk in the fourth quarter — for the first time in three years — and one of the critical reasons was a drop in defense spending. Apparently, contractors took precautionary steps and held onto money in case the federal government failed to avert the fiscal and tax crisis known as the fiscal cliff.

But there's now a new deadline — automatic budget cuts, known as sequestration, which may hit at the beginning of March.

The Effect On Contractors

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The Two-Way
4:02 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Barney, Former First Dog Who Loved Playing With His Soccer Ball, Dies

Credit Tina Hager / Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum
Barney at the White House.

Barney, a Scottish Terrier who loved playing with his soccer ball and golf ball and was better known as President George W. Bush's pet, has died.

"Barney was by my side during our eight years in the White House," Bush said in a statement posted on his Facebook page. "He never discussed politics and was always a faithful friend. Laura and I will miss our pal."

Barney was 12 and died after a battle with lymphoma.

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Europe
4:02 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Spain's Prime Minister May Have Received 'Black Money' For Years

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Swiss bank accounts, bribes, embezzlement, fraud up to the highest levels of government. Those are the headlines out of Spain this week amid allegations of under-the-table payments to top conservative politicians, including Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. His party denies it all and Rajoy has called an emergency meeting for tomorrow.

Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid on how Spaniards are finally saying enough.

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Middle East
4:02 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Suicide Bombing At U.S. Embassy In Turkey Kills Security Guard

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

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

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

CORNISH: And we begin this hour with a report on today's suicide bombing in Turkey. The target, the U.S. embassy in Ankara. The attack killed two people, a guard and the bomber. The White House called it an act of terror but had no information on the motive behind the blast. Turkish authorities identified the bomber as a member of an outlawed left-wing group. NPR's Peter Kenyon has our story from Istanbul.

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U.S.
3:47 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

For Some Donors, Boy Scouts' Ban On Gays Doesn't Add Up

Credit Barbara Liston / Reuters/Landov
Eagle Scout Zach Wahls delivers cartons of petitions to the Boys Scouts of America national board meeting in Orlando, Fla., last May, calling for an end to anti-gay discriminatory practices. Helping to carry the cartons are Mark Anthony Dingbaum and Christine Irvine of Change.org.

Years of criticism and even a U.S. Supreme Court challenge couldn't force the Boy Scouts of America to admit openly gay members and leaders. But money talks, and after the defections of major donors, the 103-year-old organization is poised to lift its national ban.

Just last summer, the Boy Scouts reaffirmed the ban after a lengthy internal review. Several incidents since then have tarnished the organization's image and fueled an aggressive nationwide protest led by an Eagle Scout.

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The Salt
3:45 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Carrot Juice Instead of Coke? USDA Proposes New School Snack Rules

Credit Paul Sakuma / AP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's proposed new rules for school snacks promote healthier options, like the fruits and vegetables served in this Palo Alto, Calif., cafeteria.

Originally published on Wed February 6, 2013 8:24 am

The Department of Agriculture has proposed a new "Smart Snacks in School" rule that aims to promote more healthful options in school vending machines, snack bars and cafeterias across the country.

The USDA's updated regulations, which are open to public comment for 60 days, will set nutrition standards and calorie limits for snack foods that are sold in schools.

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It's All Politics
3:43 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Why Steven Chu Was One Of Obama's Most Intriguing Choices

Credit David Goldman / AP
Energy Secretary Steven Chu tours the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Ga., last year.

Of all the individuals in President Obama's first-term Cabinet, physicist Steven Chu was arguably the least likely to be found in official Washington.

The Energy Department secretary, after all, was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist from the University of California, Berkeley, the first science laureate to serve as a Cabinet secretary.

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Deceptive Cadence
3:34 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Treasures In The Attic: Finding A Jazz Master's Lost Orchestral Music

Originally published on Wed February 20, 2013 3:13 pm

The Two-Way
3:30 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Questions Arise About Veracity Of Iranian Space Monkey

Credit AFP/Getty Images
The monkey Iranian authorities said was sent to space.

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 4:21 pm

Earlier this week, we told you that Iran was claiming a "major achievement." State media reported the country had sent a monkey into space.

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The Two-Way
3:21 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Reports: Secret Service Director Will Retire After 30 Years Of Service

Credit Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images
Mark Sullivan, Director of the United States Secret Service, at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in May of 2012.

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan will retire after 30 years in service, The Associated Press and other news outlets are reporting.

Sullivan is retiring after a tough year for the agency. If you remember, 11 of its agents were involved in a prostitution scandal in Colombia.

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Remembrances
3:17 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch Oversaw City's Renaissance

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

We're going to take a few minutes now to remember former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, who died early this morning. Koch was a colorful and pugnacious force in New York City politics, serving three terms as mayor from 1978 to '89. He presided over the city's recovery from a fiscal crisis while grappling with homelessness, rampant crime and the outbreak of AIDS. He did all that in a very New York tone, as we hear from Jim O'Grady of member station WNYC.

JIM O'GRADY, BYLINE: Ed Koch sounded like no mayor who'd come before him.

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Sports
3:17 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Former Football Player Jim Brown Among The Game's Best Running Backs

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. With the Super Bowl this weekend, football fans are renewing a perennial debate about the game's best players, but not just this year, of all time. Jerry Rice is arguably the best wide receiver. Linebacker Ray Lewis, who will play Sunday for the Baltimore Ravens, gets mentioned, alongside Mike Singletary and Dick Butkus, even Lawrence Taylor.

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Economy
3:17 pm
Fri February 1, 2013

Stock Market Rallies On Positive Jobs Report

Originally published on Fri February 1, 2013 5:17 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

We're going to take a look now at some economic indicators, and here's one number to start, 14,000. Today, the Dow closed above 14,000 for the first time since 2007. It seems the market liked what it saw in this morning's report from the Labor Department. Employers added 157,000 jobs last month, another example of slow but steady growth in the job market.

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