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8:36pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Shots - Health News

House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 8:43 pm

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was chosen by House Republican leaders to manage a bill that would ban many abortions.

The House has passed one of the most far-reaching abortion bills in decades. But it's unlikely to ever become law.

By a mostly party-line vote Tuesday of 228-196, lawmakers passed the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which would ban nearly all abortions starting 20 weeks after fertilization.

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8:08pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Code Switch

How The Civil Rights Movement Was Covered In Birmingham

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 10:32 pm

As the Civil Rights Movement was unfolding across the US in 1963, the entire nation had its eyes on climactic events taking place in Southern cities like Birmingham, Ala., and Jackson, Miss. But there's a stark difference between how the national press covered the events in Birmingham and how Birmingham's papers covered their own city.

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7:13pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

Google Files First-Amendment Request With FISA Court

Google has filed a legal motion asserting its "First Amendment right to publish aggregate information about FISA orders," asking the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to remove the gag order that keeps the company from issuing that information. Google and other big U.S. tech companies have been under fire after it was reported that they allowed the National Security Agency to mine customer data, in a government program called PRISM.

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6:50pm

Tue June 18, 2013
It's All Politics

Boehner Seeks To Reassure House GOP On Immigration

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 10:29 pm

Credit Susan Walsh / AP
House Speaker John Boehner is getting flak from fellow Republicans over immigration legislation.

Faced with the threat of mutiny for what seems like the umpteenth time during his speakership, John Boehner moved to mollify fellow Republicans on Tuesday, saying immigration legislation would need the support of a majority of the House GOP before it could be brought to a floor vote.

After emerging from a meeting with House Republicans, following days of warnings by conservatives that the Ohio Republican had better not try to pass an immigration bill with mostly Democratic votes, Boehner sought to calm the roiling Republican waters.

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6:32pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Architecture

Change Is On The Horizon For London's Famous Skyline

Credit Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images
London's 122 Leadenhall Street (nicknamed the "Cheese-Grater") is shown under construction on March 5. Once complete it will be London's second-tallest building. The recent construction of numerous skyscrapers has sparked concern that views of historic landmark buildings, such as St Paul's Cathedral, are being obscured.

Cities are defined by their skylines — while Paris is composed mostly of low-rise apartment buildings, New York is a city of tall office towers. But London is a city in transition. On Tuesday, Boris Johnson, the mayor of the British capital, attends a "topping out" ceremony for one of London's latest skyscrapers in a city where tall buildings cause a lot of controversy.

Until recently, London has been a low-rise city.
 Even now, a 12-story building is considered rather tall.
 But a spate of new skyscrapers is raising questions about the kind of city London should be.

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6:32pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

A Field Guide To Jimmy Hoffa Searches

Credit Carlos Osorio / AP
Law enforcement officials search an area in Oakland Township, Mich., on Tuesday for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa. The former Teamsters president was last seen at a Detroit-area restaurant in 1975.

The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa's final resting place was opened yet again Monday, when the FBI began digging up a field near Detroit in the hopes of finding the former Teamsters president, who was last seen on July 30, 1975.

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6:19pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Education

Home-Schooled Students Fight To Play On Public School Teams

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:42 pm

Credit Stephen Brashear / AP
Advocates of allowing home-schooled students to play on public school teams have dubbed legislation allowing it "Tim Tebow bills," after the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled in Florida.

Legislative battles are being fought around the country over whether or not to let home-schooled students play on public high school teams.

Roughly half of U.S. states have passed laws making them eligible to play on the teams. Advocates have dubbed them "Tim Tebow bills," after the NFL quarterback who was home-schooled when he played on a high school team.

But an attempt by Indiana to find a middle ground may not have solved the problem in that state.

Somewhere In The Middle

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6:18pm

Tue June 18, 2013
History

A Look Back At How Newspapers Covered The Civil Rights Movement

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

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

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

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6:13pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

'We Were Told To Lie,' Say Bank Of America Employees

Credit Chuck Burton / AP
Employees say Bank of America encouraged them to lie and falsify records to push more accounts into foreclosure.

Six former employees and one contractor say Bank of America's mortgage servicing unit consistently lied to homeowners, fraudulently denied loan modifications and offered bonuses to staff for intentionally pushing people into foreclosure, according to a Salon.com report.

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5:34pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

Perk Backlash: Do Surprise Upgrades Make Us Uneasy?

Credit iStockphoto.com
A new study finds that while "receiving unearned preferential treatment does generate positive reactions, it is not always an entirely pleasurable experience." Examples include getting a free upgrade on a hotel room.

Whether it's a free upgrade on a hotel room or skipping ahead in the check-in line, many businesses give preferential treatment to some customers, hoping to make them more loyal. The practice often works — but a new study suggests that when we get perks we didn't earn, negative feelings can result. And they can make a surprise deal a little less sweet.

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5:06pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Shots - Health News

Patients Lead The Way As Medicine Grapples With Apps

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 10:39 pm

Credit Heather Rousseau / NPR
How many calories in that bite? My Fitness Pal and other fitness and nutrition apps can help find the answer.

Christine Porter is hooked on the MyFitnessPal app. In October, after deciding to lose 50 pounds, Porter started typing in everything she eats, drinks and any exercise she gets.

"This is my main page here," says Porter. "It's telling me I have about 1,200 calories remaining for the day. When I want to record something I just click the 'add to diary' button. I'm on it all day either through my phone or through the computer."

She says she's lost 42 pounds in nine months.

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5:05pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

The 'Standing Man' Of Turkey: Act Of Quiet Protest Goes Viral

Credit Petr David Josek / AP
Erdem Gunduz (center) stands in Instanbul's Taksim Square early Tuesday. After weeks of clashes with police, many Turkish protesters were inspired to emulate Gunduz, and stand silently.

As protests against the Turkish government enter their third week, activists are taking increasingly creative measures to maintain their momentum.

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4:51pm

Tue June 18, 2013
NPR Story

Pentagon Debuts Plans For Opening Combat Positions To Women

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:18 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

Today, the Pentagon outlined its plans for opening up nearly all military jobs to women, including combat positions. The military has until 2016 to rescind what's known as the combat exclusion, which has kept women out of combat jobs.

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4:26pm

Tue June 18, 2013
It's All Politics

Obama's Unplanned NSA Discussion

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 4:58 pm

Credit Evan Vucci / AP
President Obama listens to French President Francois Hollande during the G-8 summit at the Lough Erne golf resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday.

You have to wonder if President Obama ever thought, when he first ran for the White House, that he would need to defend himself from accusations his presidency would be a mere extension of his Republican predecessor.

But there he was with journalist Charlie Rose having to explain why his approach to national security wasn't really like that of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

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4:22pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

'Days Of Rambo Are Over': Pentagon Details Women's Move To Combat

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
Women in the U.S. military will be integrated into front-line combat units by 2016, the Pentagon says. Here, female Marine recruits stand in formation during pugil stick training in boot camp earlier this year at Parris Island, S.C.

Women in America's armed services will have new options for what units they can join in coming years, the Pentagon says. The military said in January that it will end its combat exclusion that set a minimum size for units in which women could be deployed; the limit kept many women away from front-line combat units. The shift means women could join elite forces such as the Army Rangers and Navy SEALs.

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4:06pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Salt

The Mystery Of the Ridiculously Pricey Bag Of Potatoes

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 5:39 pm

Credit iStockphoto.com
How much for that bag of potatoes?

On Monday we told you about allegations that America's potato growers had banded together in a price-fixing Potato Cartel.

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3:52pm

Tue June 18, 2013
All Tech Considered

Mexico's Tech Startups Look To Overcome Barriers To Growth

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:18 pm

Credit Mónica Ortiz Uribe for NPR
Enrique Lima is a co-founder of Publish 88, a Mexican startup that develops software for publishing companies.

In the past decade, Mexico's tech industry has flourished, growing three times faster than the global average. Most of that growth has been fueled by demand from the United States. But as Mexico's startups strive to make it in foreign markets, they say they need more engineers and ways to finance their growth.

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3:42pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Shots - Health News

FDA Backs Off On Regulation Of Fecal Transplants

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 3:57 pm

Credit Janice Carr / CDC/dapd
Bad bug: The bacterium Clostridium difficile kills 14,000 people in the United States each year.

Federal regulators are dropping plans to tightly control a procedure that is becoming increasingly popular for treating people stricken by life-threatening infections of the digestive system.

The Food and Drug Administration says the agency will exercise enforcement discretion and no longer require doctors to get the agency's approval before using "fecal microbiota for transplantation."

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2:58pm

Tue June 18, 2013
Parallels

British Leader: Trend Setter, Or A Bit Too Casual?

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 3:29 pm

British Prime Minister David Cameron is sometimes picked on for his privileged background, and at the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, he sought to go casual.

Not only did he ditch the tie, as did other leaders, Cameron also shed his jacket and even rolled up his sleeves.

Not everyone was won over.

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2:17pm

Tue June 18, 2013
The Two-Way

Where's Jimmy Hoffa? Everywhere And Nowhere

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 7:59 pm

If it's him, it's going to be a letdown.

For the better part of 40 years, the disappearance of former Teamsters President James Hoffa has been a source of fascination on par with Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the aliens in Roswell, N.M.

If the FBI finds and identifies his body, as agents are currently trying to do just outside Detroit, it will end the mystery and ruin the suspense, says Bob Thompson, a pop culture professor at Syracuse University.

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