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The Two-Way
12:04 pm
Sun November 18, 2012

Lawmakers Have More Questions On Benghazi Talking Points

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Originally published on Mon November 19, 2012 5:27 am

Lawmakers want to know who made changes to the intelligence assessment of the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Congress had asked the White House to explain the Obama administration's talking points in the aftermath of the attack.

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Movies
11:56 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Kids Prove They're No Pawns In 'Brooklyn Castle'

Originally published on Mon November 19, 2012 5:23 am

There's a public middle school in Brooklyn, N.Y., called Intermediate School 318, or I.S. 318. Like others in the area, it's a Title I school, which means it has a poverty level that's more than 65 percent. But unlike other schools, it's got the highest-ranked junior-high chess team in the nation. In fact, Brooklyn IS 3-18 has won more than 30 national chess titles.

I.S. 318 is the subject of a new documentary called Brooklyn Castle. The film has picked up audience awards at the SXSW and Hot Docs film festivals.

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Books News & Features
10:59 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Book-Vending Machine Dispenses Suspense

Credit Craig Small / via Vimeo

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 3:53 pm

Earlier this year, Stephen Fowler, owner of The Monkey's Paw used-book store in Toronto, had an idea.

He wanted a creative way to offload his more ill-favored books — "old and unusual" all, as the store's motto goes — that went further than a $1 bin by the register.

It came in a conversation with his wife: a vending machine.

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The Two-Way
10:57 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Three Dead In Egypt Clashes Over Plot Of Land

At least three people were killed as Egyptian troops clashed with protesters Sunday in Cairo in a dispute over a plot of land on an island in the Nile River.

Kimberly Adams reported on the clash for NPR's Newscast Unit. Here's what she said:

"Egyptian state media reported several army troops and protesters were injured in the four-hour gunfight in southern Cairo. Army troops arrested more than a dozen of the protesters.

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The Two-Way
8:11 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Airstrikes Hit Media Buildings In Gaza; Diplomatic Efforts Mount

Credit Marco Longari / AFP/Getty Images
Smoke billows from the local Al-Aqsa TV station in Gaza City Sunday after an Israeli airstrike.

Originally published on Sun November 25, 2012 7:45 am

The Israeli bombardment of Gaza continued Sunday — with one missile strike flattening a two-story building in Gaza City, killing at least 11 people, including women and children; another hit a media building and injured six journalists. Israel says its actions have been prompted by a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, targeting Israeli cities. Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations are under way, but Israel is continuing preparations for a ground invasion.

Update at 7:42 p.m. ET: State Department Comments

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The Two-Way
6:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Austin Hosts The World With The Return Of F1

Originally published on Mon November 19, 2012 6:39 am

Update at 4:05 p.m. ET: Lewis Hamilton of the legendary McLaren team wins the inaugural F1 race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Hamilton — the 2008 series champion — also won the race the last time it was run in America, five years ago in Indianapolis. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel placed second today in a closely fought race.

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Author Interviews
5:04 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Relationships, Short And Sweet, In 'Married Love'

Host Rachel Martin speaks with British writer Tessa Hadley about her new collection of short stories, Married Love and Other Stories. Hadley teaches creative writing at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and her stories regularly appear in The New Yorker magazine.

Food
5:04 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Put A Little Soul In That Thanksgiving Stuffing

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 1:48 pm

Thanksgiving has its must-haves: potatoes, cranberries, turkey. But cooking the feast with a soul-food style gives the meal a whole new flavor.

Soul food conjures up thoughts of rich dishes full of butter or gravy — comfort foods. But soul food comes out of one of America's darkest chapters. Chef Melba Wilson, owner of Melba's Restaurant and Melba's 125 in Harlem, N.Y., explains that the basis of the cooking comes from the food slave owners gave to slaves.

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Middle East
5:04 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Cease-Fire Or Invasion? Israel-Gaza Tension Grows

Originally published on Sun November 25, 2012 7:44 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We turn now to the Israeli side of the border, where sirens have been warning civilians to take cover from incoming rocket fire. It's also where the Israeli military has been gathering ground forces in preparation for a possible invasion. Despite the talk of cease-fire, analysts say it's anyone's guess how much longer this most recent round of hostilities will continue. Reporter Sheera Frenkel is on the border and she filed this report.

(SOUNDBITE OF SIRENS)

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Middle East
5:04 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Gaza Media Building Hit, Rockets Aim For Tel Aviv

Originally published on Sun November 25, 2012 7:43 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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Economy
4:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

An Evolutionary Explanation For The Fiscal Cliff

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 5:04 am

Host Rachel Martin speaks with NPR's Shankar Vedantam about the psychology behind the fiscal cliff negotiations. Vedantam says humans evolved as short-term thinkers, which makes dealing with the long-term problem of the national debt particularly difficult.

Politics
4:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Evangelical Leader Suggests It's Time To Collaborate

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 5:04 am

The election has also triggered some soul searching among evangelical Christian voters. Now, one of the movement's top leaders says it's time to stop the war rhetoric and start reaching out for compromise. Host Rachel Martin talks with Jim Daly, the president and CEO of Focus on the Family, about the post-election direction of the conservative evangelical movement.

Sports
4:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

What's The Beef With College Football Rankings

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 6:03 am

College football bowl season is just around the corner, and with it comes the seemingly perennial controversy around the bowl game selection process. Rachel Martin and NPR's Mike Pesca discuss the vagaries of the Bowl Championship Series ranking system, and why you can't just blame it on computers.

Middle East
4:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Syrian Opposition Finds Some Coherence

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 5:04 am

Fierce fighting has continued in recent days between the Syrian Army and rebels in the suburbs. The Syrian Opposition has been fragmented, but this month its factions reached a new understanding and appointed a leader. Host Rachel Martin discusses latest developments in the Syria crisis with NPR's Deborah Amos and Kelly McEvers.

Asia
4:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Online, Chinese Spin English Words For New Meaning

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 5:04 am

An unusual list of words popped up recently on China's Twitter equivalent, Weibo. The words are in English, but they've gone viral on the Chinese Twittersphere. Chinese "netizens" have come up with satirical misspellings of "democrazy" and "freedamn."

Asia
4:41 am
Sun November 18, 2012

With Obama's Asia Trip, An Attempted Focus Shift

Originally published on Sun November 25, 2012 7:45 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News, I'm Rachel Martin.

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The Two-Way
4:24 am
Sun November 18, 2012

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A ... Guy In A Giraffe Suit?

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 3:39 pm

"Scotland Is Growing To Love The Good Giraffe's High Ideals:

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Books
4:08 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Inspecting The Trend Of Autistic-Spectrum Characters

Credit Doug Hac
Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz are the authors of Colin Fischer.

Tasha Robinson is the national associate editor for The A.V. Club.

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Music Interviews
3:52 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Willie Nelson: Road Rules And Deep Thoughts

Credit David McClister / Courtesy of William Morrow
Willie Nelson has recorded more than 100 albums and was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 5:04 am

At nearly 80, Willie Nelson remains impressively prolific: lots of songs, lots of kids and, fittingly, lots of autobiographies. The country singer's latest memoir is called Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, after a song on his Heroes album, released earlier this year. Nelson says those seeking earth-shattering revelations about his life should look elsewhere; that wasn't his intention in writing the book.

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Food
3:52 am
Sun November 18, 2012

The Veggieducken: A Meatless Dish With Gravitas

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 9:45 am

Author Interviews
3:52 am
Sun November 18, 2012

A Book To Break The Gun Control Stalemate

Originally published on Mon November 19, 2012 8:25 am

Americans own an estimated 300 million guns. It's a level of gun ownership that no other country in the world comes close to matching. It's also a source of controversy in the U.S., where groups on both sides of the issue seem to have dug deep into the debate.

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Politics
3:50 am
Sun November 18, 2012

GOP Governors Say Party Lost On Strategy, Not Issues

Credit Ronda Churchill / AP
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (left), Indiana Gov.-Elect Mike Pence (center) and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, participate in a panel discussion during the 2012 RGA Annual Conference on Thursday in Las Vegas.

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 12:22 pm

Republican governors got together in Las Vegas last week to take stock of the election results, which continue to sink in.

Going into Election Day, Republican confidence was high that the Grand Old Party would sweep President Obama aside, retake the U.S. Senate and reshape the country in the aftermath.

So on Nov. 6, when the results came in, many if not most Republicans were shocked by the president's victory. Pat McCrory, the newly elected governor of North Carolina, however, saw it coming.

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Business
3:50 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Tesla Revived The Electric Car, But Can It Sell It?

Credit Paul Sakuma / AP
Tesla workers cheer on the first Tesla Model S cars sold during a rally at the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif., in June.

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 12:13 pm

The American auto industry has a new darling, but it doesn't come from the Big Three or even Motor City. Instead, it comes from the West Coast — Silicon Valley, to be precise.

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Politics
3:10 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Sen. Boxer: Female Politicians In 'Middle' Of Progress

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 1:29 pm

Sen. Barbara Boxer says we can finally stop using the term "Year of the Woman" once the Senate reaches a 50-50 split of men and women. "That's the goal," she says.

We're not quite there yet. But in 2013, more women will be serving in Congress than ever before. There will be 20 women in the Senate. When Boxer took her seat in 1993, there were six — and that was after tripling from two the term before.

So what does the California Democrat have to say about the fact that there's still a gender gap? Let's put this in perspective.

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Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
3:09 am
Sun November 18, 2012

Staten Island Relief Efforts Are A Community Affair

Credit John Moore / Getty Images
Volunteers bring food to residents of homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy earlier this month in the Staten Island borough of New York City.

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 4:09 pm

On a street corner in Midland Beach on Staten Island, volunteers have set up a makeshift stand. There's no tent here, no corporate logos — just a couple of folding tables and cardboard boxes full of food, clothing and cleaning supplies.

Ross Decker is the guy in charge.

"Anytime we run out of something, I tell the people just come back in 20 minutes, it'll be here," he says.

Decker says the site, badly flooded during Superstorm Sandy, was picked by a handful of local churches. This volunteer operation seems to be stocked mainly through the kindness of strangers.

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Sunday Puzzle
10:03 pm
Sat November 17, 2012

Being Initially Famous

Credit NPR Graphic

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 5:04 am

Special Note: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the deadline for this week's puzzle is Wednesday by 3 p.m. Eastern.

On-air challenge: Each clue is a two- or three-word description of a famous person in which the initial letters of the description are also the initials of the person. For example, given the clue "Motown great," the answer would be Marvin Gaye.

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Around the Nation
5:04 pm
Sat November 17, 2012

The Rise And Fall Of David Petraeus

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Should David Petraeus' extramarital affair be considered a disqualifying factor for his public position?

Originally published on Sat November 17, 2012 5:17 pm

Former CIA Director David Petraeus went through a spectacular public downfall, just over a week ago, when news of his affair spurred his resignation.

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Middle East
5:04 pm
Sat November 17, 2012

Israel Widens Air Assault On Gaza Rocket Operations

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 7:30 am

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

It's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz.

Intensive diplomatic efforts are under way in the Middle East to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas. Those efforts haven't stopped the two sides from escalating their attacks. And if the diplomacy fails, Israel could decide to invade Gaza. NPR's Anthony Kuhn joins us now from Gaza with the latest. Anthony, what's been happening today so far?

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Analysis
5:04 pm
Sat November 17, 2012

Week In News: Gaza And Israel Conflict Intensifies

Originally published on Sun November 18, 2012 7:31 am

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

Let's bring in our analyst James Fallows, who's with us most Saturdays. Jim is a national correspondent for The Atlantic. Good to have you, Jim.

JAMES FALLOWS: Thank you, Guy.

RAZ: As we just heard from Anthony, a sense that this crisis really could get worse.

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Around the Nation
3:54 pm
Sat November 17, 2012

How Do Public Officials Bounce Back After Scandal?

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Should David Petraeus' extramarital affair be considered a disqualifying factor for his public position?

Originally published on Sat November 17, 2012 5:09 pm

The resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus — and the extramarital affair and FBI investigation that led up to it — has been at the top of the news for the past week.

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