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11:31am

Fri May 17, 2013
Health Care

Nearly Half The Country Doesn't Know Health Law Exists

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 12:51 pm

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

I'm Celeste Headlee and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away. Coming up, we go to Ohio where black business owners are meeting to swap some new ideas. Basketball legend Magic Johnson even got a lead on an investment there. We'll tell you more about that in just a few minutes. But first, House Republicans voted yesterday to repeal President Obama's signature healthcare law - again.

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10:52am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Famed Race Driver Dick Trickle Dies, Suicide Suspected

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 12:36 pm

Credit Bill Hall / Getty Images
Dick Trickle at the start of a NASCAR race in 1993.

Dick Trickle, a "short-track hero" in the '70s and '80s who moved to the NASCAR circuit later in his career, died Thursday.

According to The Charlotte Observer, the 71-year-old was killed by "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lincoln County [N.C.] deputies said."

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10:39am

Fri May 17, 2013
Parallels

Young Gazan Men Get Unwanted Haircuts, Courtesy Of Police

Originally published on Sun May 19, 2013 10:39 am

Credit Emily Harris/NPR
Tarik al-Nakib (left) says Gaza Strip police officers picked him up on the street and forced him to get his hair cut recently. He's growing it out again in a style similar to that of his friend Mohammad Abu Ramadan.

As 17-year-old Tarik al-Nakib tells it, he was just out to buy some bread one afternoon in April when a silver bus from the Gaza Strip police department pulled up next to him.

"One guy opened the door and asked me to get in the bus," Nakib says. "Another came out and pushed me in. I was trying to understand what was going on, what did I do? No one wanted to answer me."

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10:25am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

For Trainer Of Derby Champion, 'My Dream Came True'

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 1:26 pm

All eyes may be on Orb, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the favorite to win Saturday's Preakness Stakes, but behind this feisty bay colt is a quiet, humble man named Shug McGaughey who has one thing on his mind: his job.

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9:28am

Fri May 17, 2013
Parallels

Venezuelans Stock Up On Toilet Paper Amid Shortage

Credit Fernando Llano / AP
A woman who just bought toilet paper at a grocery store reads her receipt as she leaves the store in Caracas, Venezuela, on Wednesday. The government says it will import 50 million rolls of toilet paper amid a shortage.

Venezuelans may be used to a dearth of medicine, milk and sugar, but there's a new shortage that's, shall we say, a bit more problematic: toilet paper.

The government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro announced this week that it would import 50 million rolls of toilet paper to meet the growing demand.

"We will saturate the market so the people will be calm," Commerce Minister Alejandro Fleming told the official AVN news agency.

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8:57am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 9:39 am

Credit David McNew / Getty Images
Amazon's U.K. unit racked up sales of $6.5 billion last year, but only paid $3.7 million in corporate taxes.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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8:54am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Gingrich Cautions GOP About 'Overreach' On Scandals

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:36 am

Credit Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch / MCT /Landov
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in April 2012.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was front-and-center during the Republican-led impeachment of President Clinton in 1998, is cautioning his GOP colleagues about the risk of appearing to be too eager as they dig into the scandals now dogging the Obama administration.

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8:02am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Kai The 'Hatchet Hitchhiker' Is Accused Of Murder

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:10 am

Credit Union County (N.J.) Prosecutor's Office / AP
Caleb "Kai" McGillvary.

7:27am

Fri May 17, 2013
Around the Nation

Washington D.C. Man Advertises For Wedding Date

On Cragslist, he describes himself as "a clean man" with a job and no arrest record, who adds, "I don't like murder." For extra motivation, he promises an open bar.

7:19am

Fri May 17, 2013
Around the Nation

Theater Lover Takes A Stand Against Annoying Cell Phone

Writer Kevin Williamson of the National Review attended a musical in New York. He says a woman was web surfing on her phone, violating theater rules. He tells Gothamist he complained to the woman. She replied, "So don't look." That's when Williamson grabbed her phone and threw it across the theater.

7:08am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Reports: Russia Sends More Missiles, Has Ships Near Syria

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:03 am

Friday's major news about the conflict in Syria:

-- "Russia Sends More Advanced Missiles to Aid Assad in Syria."

According to The New York Times, "Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, American officials said Thursday."

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6:34am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Congress Due To Grill Ousted IRS Chief

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 12:53 pm

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images
Outgoing acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Steve Miller as he was being sworn in Friday before a House Ways and Means committee hearing.

(Most recent update: 12:50 p.m. ET.)

Saying that "foolish mistakes were made by people trying to be more efficient in their workload selection," the outgoing head of the Internal Revenue Service told Congress on Friday that he and the agency want to apologize for the targeting of some conservative groups during the 2012 campaign cycle.

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5:25am

Fri May 17, 2013
Business

Obama Names OMB Controller As Acting IRS Commissioner

On Thursday, President Obama named Daniel Werfel, 42, acting IRS commissioner. The announcement comes a day after the resignation of Steven Miller, who got caught up in the controversy over the IRS targeting Tea Party groups.

5:14am

Fri May 17, 2013
Around the Nation

After shooting, New Orleans Neighborhood Begins To Return To Normal

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 6:04 am

Police in New Orleans have arrested six people in connection with last Sunday's mass shooting at a Mother's Day parade. Two brothers have been charged with 20 counts of attempted murder, for firing guns into a dancing crowd. Four others have been charged with assisting them after the fact.

5:14am

Fri May 17, 2013
Commentary

Kiss In 'Bombay Talkies' Breaks New Ground In Bollywood

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 6:31 am

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Indian cinema, four famous Bollywood directors have made an anthology movie, Bombay Talkies. Commentator Sandip Roy says one of the shorts is pretty revolutionary because it has a gay protagonist, and what is probably Bollywood's first gay kiss.

5:14am

Fri May 17, 2013
Afghanistan

Select Young Afghans Chosen As Commandoes In Training

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 5:57 am

From the Afghan capital Kabul, Morning Edition's Renee Montagne talks to Gen, Joseph Dunford, the commander of all U.S. and international forces there. They discuss the challenges of the current situation on the ground, and look ahead to the withdrawal of NATO combat troops in 2014.

3:06am

Fri May 17, 2013
StoryCorps

A Gift Of Life And Friendship After A Family's Loss

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 5:14 am

Today, Rick Bounds is a 58-year-old triathlete, with four competitions and a 100-mile bike ride to his credit.

But six years ago, he was diagnosed with a nonhepatitis liver disease. Rick's doctors told him that if he didn't have an immediate kidney and liver transplant, he would die.

He was given eight months to live and told that his chances of getting organs were slim.

'No Hope'

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3:04am

Fri May 17, 2013
Planet Money

Why Is There An Ammunition Shortage In The U.S.?

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 10:04 pm

Credit Marianne McCune / NPR
"We're going to keep prices as fair as we possibly can," says Bob Viden of Bob's Little Sport Shop in southern New Jersey.

Sales of guns and ammunition rose after President Obama took office in 2008, and they went through the roof starting late last year, when a school shooting led to a push for new gun control measures. That's led to a prolonged ammunition shortage, even with manufacturers running at full capacity.

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3:03am

Fri May 17, 2013
Politics

AP Case Adds To Obama Team's Tough Record On Leaks

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 9:34 am

Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
President Obama speaks during a news conference in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday. He told reporters: "Leaks related to national security can put people at risk."

President Obama had a reputation when he took office as a liberal former constitutional lawyer who had condemned Bush-era national security policies.

But he has proven to be even tougher than President George W. Bush on prosecuting national security leaks. The seizure of Associated Press phone records is just the latest example.

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3:02am

Fri May 17, 2013
Politics

LA Mayor Candidates Try To Persuade Voters To Pay Attention

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 5:14 am

Credit AP
Los Angeles mayoral candidates Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel had similar records while serving together on the City Council.

The candidates have spent a record amount of money. They've stumped hard in a city that isn't easy to campaign in — 470 square miles sliced up into neighborhoods divided by a web of freeways.

Yet despite nearly $20 million in spending in the March primary alone, turnout is expected to be low next Tuesday in Los Angeles when voters go to the polls to pick a new mayor to replace the term-limited Antonio Villaraigosa.

As a result, City Councilman Eric Garcetti and his opponent, City Controller Wendy Greuel, are engaged in an all-out blitz for votes across the sprawling city.

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