Steve Inskeep http://wcbe.org en Politics In The News http://wcbe.org/post/politics-news-27 Transcript <p>DAVID GREENE, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm David Greene.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>Again and again, President Obama's administration tries to pivot attention toward East Asia. Administration officials believe China and its neighbors are where the economic future lies.<p>GREENE: And yet it's the Middle East that keeps demanding the president's attention. It brings to mind that line from F. Mon, 13 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 35492 at http://wcbe.org U.S. Point Man On Syria Meets With Rebels Inside Syria http://wcbe.org/post/us-point-man-syria-meets-rebels-inside-syria Ambassador Robert Ford crossed into northern Syria on Wednesday. The secret visit was confirmed by Syrian activists at the media office at the Bab al-Salama crossing on the Turkish frontier. Fri, 10 May 2013 09:45:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 35375 at http://wcbe.org FAA Expected To Gain Flexibility On Budget Cuts http://wcbe.org/post/faa-expected-gain-flexibility-budget-cuts Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>Now that automatic spending cuts are causing wider pain, Congress has begun finding ways to adjust some of them.<p>MONTAGNE: Today the House is expected to take up a bill the Senate has already approved. Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:45:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 34562 at http://wcbe.org Racin Case: Charges Dropped Against Miss. Man http://wcbe.org/post/racin-case-charges-dropped-against-miss-man Transcript <p>DAVID GREENE, HOST: <p>This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep. Here's another reminder that a fast-moving news story can completely change. Prosecutors have dropped the charges against Paul Kevin Curtis. He's the Elvis impersonator first arrested in the case of ricin being sent to U.S. officials, as we reported last week.<p>Now we're reporting, just as prominently, the change in focus to another Mississippi man's house. NPR's Debbie Elliott has been following this case. She's on the line. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:03:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 34446 at http://wcbe.org Boston Marathon Investigation Continues http://wcbe.org/post/boston-marathon-investigation-continues Transcript <p>DAVID GREENE, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm David Greene.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:35:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 34100 at http://wcbe.org Venezuelan Humorist Engages Kidnappers In Election Dialogue http://wcbe.org/post/venezuelan-humorist-engages-kidnappers-election-dialogue Earlier this week in Caracas, we were about to go to an interview when it had to be rescheduled. The man we were going to speak with was unavoidably detained — kidnapped, to be precise.<p>It took awhile after that for Laureano Marquez to free up his schedule and meet us in a coffee shop.<p>"I'm so sorry," he said when he finally arrived, as if it was his fault for being thrown into a car and driven off to the far reaches of town.<p>We'd been planning to talk with Marquez about Venezuela's presidential election this weekend, an election that opens a door on a changing Latin America. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:53:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 33850 at http://wcbe.org Venezuelan Humorist Engages Kidnappers In Election Dialogue How Hugo Chavez's Policies Affected Ordinary Venezuelans http://wcbe.org/post/how-hugo-chavezs-policies-affected-ordinary-venezuelans In the days before elevators, there was no such thing as a penthouse on the top floor. The highest floors of a building had cheaper rents because the stairs were hard to climb.<p>Caracas, Venezuela, is organized roughly the same way, with many poor neighborhoods climbing up the sides of a mountain valley. Some of the poorest homes are among the most remote, accessible not by any road but by alleyways and long flights of stairs.<p>Up one of those flights of stairs, we found a woman whose life says a lot about Venezuela and by extension about Latin America. Thu, 11 Apr 2013 09:45:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 33779 at http://wcbe.org How Hugo Chavez's Policies Affected Ordinary Venezuelans Hugo Chavez's Legacy Looms Over Venezuelan Election http://wcbe.org/post/hugo-chavezs-legacy-looms-over-venezuelan-election Transcript <p>DAVID GREENE, HOST: <p>This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep in Caracas, Venezuela. This country is about to hold a presidential election. Voters are replacing the late Hugo Chavez, who shouldered this oil-rich republic onto the world stage. He often denounced the United States as an oppressive empire - even as he sold Americans oil - and imported gasoline from U.S. refineries. Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:56:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 33720 at http://wcbe.org Pentagon May Take Over CIA's Drone Program http://wcbe.org/post/pentagon-may-take-over-cias-drone-program Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.<p>We're learning this morning of a possible change in the American use of unmanned drones. The change, if it happens, would affect who gives the orders and possibly how much the public learns.<p>MONTAGNE: A senior U.S. official tells NPR the administration may now move the drone program away from control of the Central International Agency. Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 32649 at http://wcbe.org Installation Mass Launches Pope Francis' Papacy http://wcbe.org/post/installation-mass-launches-pope-francis-papacy Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>(SOUNDBITE OF BELLS RINGING)<p>INSKEEP: That's the sound of bells in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, as Pope Francis celebrated his inaugural Mass today. Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:52:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 32533 at http://wcbe.org When Pitching The Common Good Is Bad http://wcbe.org/post/when-pitching-common-good-bad Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>When President Obama recently called for stricter gun control laws, he started out by saying this.<p>(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)<p>PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is the land of the free, and it always will be.<p>INSKEEP: The land of the free, he said. But he added this.<p>(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)<p>OBAMA: We don't live in isolation. We live in a society, a government of and by and for the people. Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:43:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 32519 at http://wcbe.org Selection Sunday Sets NCAA Tournament Brackets http://wcbe.org/post/selection-sunday-sets-ncaa-tournament-brackets Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>OK. The field is set for the NCAA Division One men's basketball tournament. Top seeds include Kansas, Louisville, Indiana and Gonzaga. The team previously known for its heroic upsets in the NCAA tournament is now one of the teams to beat. NPR's Mike Pesca is here to discuss the selections. Mike, good morning.<p>MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Hello.<p>INSKEEP: How'd Gonzaga do it?<p>PESCA: I know, right? You read those other teams, and it's, like, perennial power, perennial power, perennial power, Jesuit school from Spokane.<p>(LAUGHTER)<p>PESCA: But they're awesome. Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:31:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 32457 at http://wcbe.org Pakistani Advocate For The Poor Slain By Gunmen http://wcbe.org/post/pakistani-advocate-poor-slain-gunmen Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>Gunmen killed a woman in Pakistan yesterday. The news stories about this were formulaic for Pakistan, she was killed in a customary manner by assassins on motorcycles who rolled away with impunity. What's remarkable is the way she lived. Parveen Rehman came from Karachi, one of the world's largest cities. Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:34:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 32288 at http://wcbe.org Venezuela To Display Chavez Body For Perpetuity http://wcbe.org/post/venezuela-display-chavez-body-perpetuity Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>Thousands of Venezuelans have been filling the streets this week, listening to music and lining up to see the coffin of their leader, Hugo Chavez, who died on Tuesday. Leaders from around the world have also come to the capital city, Caracas, for a funeral which formally takes place today. And in keeping with his often larger-than-life persona, the Venezuelan government plans to embalm Chavez and keep his body on display under glass, in perpetuity. NPR's Juan Forero is in Caracas, following events there. Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:39:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 31954 at http://wcbe.org Vatican Is Without Sitting Pope http://wcbe.org/post/vatican-without-sitting-pope Transcript <p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning. In Italy the papacy is officially vacant. The Vatican is now under the control of the cardinals who will elect a new leader of the Catholic Church. Yesterday Pope Benedict XVI gave up his ring, his cape and red papal shoes to become Pope Emeritus. Cokie Roberts was there, joins us from Rome. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:41:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 31541 at http://wcbe.org Ex-LAPD Officer, Who Vowed Revenge, Suspected In Murders http://wcbe.org/post/ex-lapd-officer-who-vowed-revenge-suspected-murders Transcript <p>DAVID GREENE, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.<p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>And I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>It's been a tense 24 hours in Southern California. The former Los Angeles police officer wanted in connection with three murders is still at large this morning, despite a manhunt that has spanned hundreds of miles.<p>GREENE: The search for Christopher Jordan Dorner is now focussing on a mountain resort town of Big Bear, some 100 miles east and 6,000 feet above the city of Los Angeles. Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:58:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 30317 at http://wcbe.org Egypt's Morsi Declares State Of Emergency http://wcbe.org/post/egypts-morsi-declares-state-emergency Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has declared a state of emergency after a deadly bout of violence over the weekend left at least 50 dead in three cities the Suez Canal. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:11:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 29635 at http://wcbe.org Politics In The News http://wcbe.org/post/politics-news-22 Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.<p>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: <p>And I'm Renee Montagne.<p>We have a clearer picture this morning of just what an immigration overhaul might look like.<p>INSKEEP: A bipartisan group of senators is spreading word that they have agreed on principles for change.<p>MONTAGNE: The proposal would include a pathway to citizen for millions of people now in the U.S. illegally. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 29634 at http://wcbe.org Gen. John Allen Cleared In Email Probe http://wcbe.org/post/gen-john-allen-cleared-email-probe Transcript <p>STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: <p>OK, the Pentagon says the U.S. commander in Afghanistan is cleared. Gen. John Allen was caught in a scandal last fall. You may recall, he'd been corresponding by email with a Florida socialite; and the question for the Pentagon was whether Gen. Allen's emails were inappropriate. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman followed the story back then. He's with us now. Tom, good morning.<p>TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.<p>INSKEEP: I feel like we need a little review here, for people who haven't memorized the national security section of TMZ. Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:14:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 29398 at http://wcbe.org It's Grim In Aleppo, Syria, But It Is Improving http://wcbe.org/post/its-grim-aleppo-syria-it-improving The situation in the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo is much less dire than it was a month ago. Food stalls are full of produce, albeit at much higher prices than before, and the bread crisis has been somewhat averted. The fighting is now centered on airbases on the outskirts of the city. Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:22:00 +0000 Steve Inskeep 28956 at http://wcbe.org