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6:37am

Mon February 27, 2012
Africa

Senegal's Early Vote Tally Indicates Runoff Ahead

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 7:21 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

People in Senegal voted over the weekend, an election overshadowed by protests and violence. People managed to keep the actual voting mostly peaceful. Now, it looks like they'll have to vote again. A run-off seems likely in the election that features an 85-year-old president who changed the law in order to seek a third term. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports.

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6:28am

Mon February 27, 2012
Law

Montana Defies Citizens United Case

In the Citizens United Case in 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled corporations and unions have a constitutional right to spend unlimited money on political ads. State courts are expected to follow that principle. But in December, Montana's high court refused to go along. It argued Montana's history and demography make it different enough to deserve an exemption from the federal ruling.

6:27am

Mon February 27, 2012
Analysis

Michigan, Arizona Prepare For Tuesday's Primaries

The Republican presidential candidates face two important primaries Tuesday with high stakes for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Polls for contests in Arizona and Michigan showed the once-designated front-runner falling behind former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum until recently when Romney has pulled even or slightly ahead.

5:02am

Mon February 27, 2012
Middle East

Clinton: How Do We Help Syrians Defend Themselves?

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 8:17 pm

Just a few days ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Tunis, Tunisia, meeting her counterparts from dozens of countries and issuing an ultimatum to Syrian President Bashar Assad to silence his guns and allow in humanitarian aid.

While in Morocco, before flying home to Washington, D.C., Clinton talked to NPR's Michele Kelemen.

Syrian tanks continue to batter homes, and no aid is getting in. So what are allies of the Syrian people to do?

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4:00am

Mon February 27, 2012
NPR Story

Business News

David Greene has business news.

4:00am

Mon February 27, 2012
NPR Story

China's Economy Slows Down

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 7:37 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's try to get a glimpse of the future here. No country has grown so quickly for so long as China. But a report out today from the World Bank - and a Chinese government think tank - says China must change the way it runs its economy or risk a financial crisis in the future.

NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from Shanghai.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: China built itself into the world's second-largest economy by allowing market competition, but still funding and favoring its state-owned companies.

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4:00am

Mon February 27, 2012
NPR Story

Afghan Violence Continues Over Quran Burning

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 7:02 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And let's go next to Afghanistan, where a car bomb exploded outside a U.S. air base today. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which killed nine people. This latest wave of violence follows reports of American soldiers burning several copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran.

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4:00am

Mon February 27, 2012
NPR Story

Auto Bailout Is Hot-Button Issue In Michigan

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 7:03 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

General Motors made a record-breaking profit last year. And to date, taxpayers have recovered close to half the $50 billion federal investment in the company. So the auto bailout worked, right? Wrong, say Republican presidential candidates, who insist the bailout was a huge mistake.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports.

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3:26am

Mon February 27, 2012
Race

Through Video, Lakota Students Reject Stereotypes

Credit Jim Kent
Feather Rae Colombe (from left) appeared in the Lakota student video More Than That. Kim Bos is a video technology teacher who helped produce the video. Student John Whirlwind Soldier directed the video.

Unhappy with portrayals of Native Americans in mainstream media, a group of students from South Dakota's Rosebud Sioux Reservation created a video to show that their community is about more than alcoholism, broken homes and crime.

The students are visiting Washington, D.C., on Monday to lobby Congress for increased funding for schools on reservations.

Filmed in black and white, the student-produced video More Than That takes viewers through the hallways, classrooms and gymnasium of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation's county high school.

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3:24am

Mon February 27, 2012
Author Interviews

How You Can Harness 'The Power Of Habit'

The 19th century psychologist William James observed, "All our life ... is but a mass of habits."

Ad men in the 20th century took this aphorism to heart. It wasn't enough to simply sell a product; the goal was to hook consumers and keep them coming back.

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1:37am

Mon February 27, 2012
It's All Politics

Romney Name Doesn't Guarantee Ballot Magic In Michigan

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney plays up his Michigan roots when he talks to voters in the state where he grew up.

In 2008, Romney won the Republican presidential primary in Michigan. On the campaign trail, he likes to tell stories about his father, George, who was an iconic governor of Michigan in the 1960s:

"He said, 'It sure is great to be in Mount Clemens today,' even though he was in Mount Pleasant. My mother was sitting behind and said, 'George, it's "Pleasant." ' He said, 'Yes, it's pleasant in Mount Clemens.' "

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12:42am

Mon February 27, 2012
Monkey See

'The Artist' Comes Out On Top As The Oscars Regroup And Reminisce

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 11:00 am

It's perhaps fitting that during a year when Hollywood made even more films than usual about the love of film itself, the two big winners at the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday night were the movies most overtly about cinephilia: The Artist, a silent black-and-white film about silent black-and-white films, and Hugo, the story of a boy who meets a reclusive filmmaker and helps him rediscover his love of his art.

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12:01am

Mon February 27, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Study Suggests Way To Create New Eggs In Women

Originally published on Tue February 28, 2012 4:15 pm

Credit Alvaro Heinzen / iStockphoto

12:01am

Mon February 27, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

New Methods Could Speed Up Repair Of Injured Nerves

Credit iStockphoto.com
Pinwheels like these are often used to test nerve responses.

When a nerve is injured, it's often hard to get it to regrow fast enough to restore function.

But now researchers say they can speed up that process, so that damaged nerves can be healed in days instead of months — at least in rats.

The scientists say they've developed a technique that reconnects the severed ends of a nerve, allowing it to begin carrying messages again very quickly. Usually, severed nerves must regrow from the point of injury — a process that can take months, if it ever happens.

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12:01am

Mon February 27, 2012
Books

'Space Chronicles': Why Exploring Space Still Matters

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 12:02 pm

Credit AP
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says valuing space exploration "transforms the culture into one that values science and technology."

After decades of global dominance, America's space shuttle program ended last summer while countries like Russia, China and India continue to advance their programs. But astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of the new book Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, says America's space program is at a critical moment. He thinks it's time for America to invest heavily in space exploration and research.

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4:46pm

Sun February 26, 2012
News

'Hallwalkers': The Ghosts Of The State Department

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 7:46 am

Credit Torie Partridge
Peter Van Buren says that although the State Department approved his book, State officials retaliated against him once it was published.

The halls of the State Department are haunted, not by actual ghosts, but by people who might as well be ghosts: whistleblowers, people who angered someone powerful and people who for one reason or another, can't be fired.

"People like me, that the State Department no longer wants, but for some reason can't or won't fire, are assigned to what we call 'hallwalking,'" says author Peter Van Buren.

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4:29pm

Sun February 26, 2012
Presidential Race

Energy Fuels Newt Gingrich's Comeback Plan

Credit Evan Vucci / AP
Republican candidate Newt Gingrich is counting on his promise of $2.50-per-gallon gas to return him to front-runner status.

3:57pm

Sun February 26, 2012
U.S.

What Happens If The Keystone XL Pipeline Isn't Built?

Part two of a two-part series on the Keystone XL pipeline

Gas isn't like a rare bottle of wine that fetches a high price just because it's rare. But at the same time, no one can agree what drives gas prices. Demand for gasoline in the U.S. is at its lowest point in more than a decade; domestic oil production is at an eight-year high.

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3:03pm

Sun February 26, 2012
Author Interviews

How Sugar Brought An End to Hawaii's Nationhood

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 7:40 am

If you've seen a Hawaiian tourism commercial, a beach movie, or even a cartoon with Daffy Duck in a lei and a grass skirt, you've heard the poignant strains of "Aloha Oe."

But the tune has a history stretching far beyond cartoons and commercials: It was composed in 1878 by the woman who would become the last queen of Hawaii, Lili'uokalani.

Hawaii is the only state to have once been an independent monarchy. And when Lili'u, as she called herself, was born in 1838, it was at its height.

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11:38am

Sun February 26, 2012
Sports

Money Ends College Sport's Oldest Rivalries

The Kansas Jayhawks staged a dramatic comeback Saturday to defeat the Missouri Tigers 87-86. Never mind the exciting finish; this may the last time these two teams ever meet.

And it's not the only feud ending this season. College sports has now bid farewell to three of its very oldest rivalries.

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