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5:26am

Mon June 4, 2012
Election 2012

Bill Clinton Campaigns As Obama's No. 1 Surrogate

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Credit Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images
Bill Clinton speaks with President Obama in the White House Briefing Room after a private meeting in the Oval Office in 2010. The former president has become Obama's highest-profile advocate this campaign season.

Former President Bill Clinton and President Obama used to have a famously rocky relationship. But the days when Clinton tried to help his wife, now secretary of state, defeat Obama in the 2008 primaries are ancient history.

Former Clinton strategist Carter Eskew says the ex-president is almost always an asset for Obama.

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5:26am

Mon June 4, 2012
Africa

Egyptian's Unsatisfied With Mubarak Verdict

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 1:26 pm

Protests continue against the court rulings on former President Hosni Mubarak. A panel of judges sentenced Mubarak and his former interior minister to life in prison for their role in the deaths of protesters during the Arab Spring uprising in the country. But the panel acquitted six security officials linked to the shootings.

5:26am

Mon June 4, 2012
Sports

NBA Finishes Half Its Conference Playoff Series

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 12:08 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The NBA is halfway through two riveting conference final playoff series, and there's absolutely no indication how they're going to turn out. Last night in Boston, the aging and creaky Celtics proved that they are really a match for the star-studded Miami Heat. Boston beat Miami 93 to 91 in overtime to tie the Eastern Conference Finals at two games apiece. In the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder also are tied 2-2, and they play tonight in San Antonio.

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5:26am

Mon June 4, 2012
Election 2012

Analysts Try To Define Romney's Foreign Policy

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now, one way Mitt Romney has challenged President Obama is by going after his foreign policy record. Romney has been especially critical of the president's handling of Iran and Syria. But those attacks aside, some analysts say it's been hard to define where Romney stands on key international issues and whether he differs all that much from the president.

Here's NPR's Jackie Northam.

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5:26am

Mon June 4, 2012
Business

Unemployment Followup

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

From jobseekers in Spain, we turn to those here in the U.S. The latest employment numbers revealed that there are still many more Americans looking for work than there are our jobs that need filling. The May jobs report showed the economy added an anemic 69,000 jobs - about half the number that were added in April. Yet, here's the paradox: Despite the high number of people seeking jobs, many employers insist they can't find the right person for the exact positions they have open.

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5:26am

Mon June 4, 2012
Business

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And for our last word in business today, we go to Tacoma, Washington, home to what is now the newest and largest automobile museum in the country. It just opened over the weekend.

David Madeira is chief executive of LeMay, America's Car Museum. Madeira says part of the museum's largest label is based on exhibition space. It has 165,000 square feet in the four-story building.

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5:03am

Mon June 4, 2012
NPR Story

Night At The Ballpark

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

We're keeping track of two minor league baseball players this summer. These are guys who are trying to make it to the big leagues. Today, we're checking back in with Reid Gorecki. We first met him while he was teaching at a baseball academy out on Long Island.

REID GORECKI: Beautiful.

GREENE: That's where you told us about his time playing for minor league teams affiliated with the Cardinals and Yankees. And he even played in the majors, briefly with the Atlanta Braves.

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2:49am

Mon June 4, 2012
Asia

U.S. Works To Rebuild Ties In Asia-Pacific

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Credit Jim Watson / AP
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta hands out coins to members of the crew as he visits USNS Richard E. Byrd in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, on Sunday. Panetta toured the former U.S. air and naval base in the bay, becoming the most senior American official to go there since the war ended.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is trying to send a message during a weeklong trip to the Asia-Pacific region: The U.S. is back.

Panetta continues Monday to Vietnam, where he's hoping to build stronger defense ties. The trip began Sunday with a historic return to a key crossroads of the Vietnam War: Cam Ranh Bay.

Panetta boarded a little ferry boat Sunday in the beautiful natural harbor north of Ho Chi Minh City. On board, he asked about his destination: the USNS Richard E. Byrd, a big supply ship docked on the other side of the bay.

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2:48am

Mon June 4, 2012
Africa

Some Taboos Vanish In Tunisia, Replaced By Others

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 2:49 am

Over the next couple weeks, NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep will be taking a Revolutionary Road Trip across North Africa to see how the countries that staged revolutions last year are remaking themselves as they write new social rules, rebuild their economies and establish new political systems. Steve and his team will be traveling some 2,000 miles from Tunisia's ancient city of Carthage, across the deserts of Libya and on to Egypt's megacity of Cairo.

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2:45am

Mon June 4, 2012
Crisis In The Housing Market

A Waiting Game For Homeowners Trying To Sell Short

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Credit Jennifer Simonson / MPR
Cathy Yamauchi has been waiting since Thanksgiving to hear from her mortgage lender regarding a short sale of her home in Ramsey, Minn. She is planning to move to a townhome, but is mostly living out of boxes while waiting on the short sale.

Banks are often accused of dragging their feet when a homeowner wants to sell for less than the balance on the mortgage. A lot of those "short sales" might be better dubbed "really long and drawn out" sales. New federal guidelines, though, could now push lenders to approve short sales faster.

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2:43am

Mon June 4, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

What's Different About The Brains Of People With Autism?

Originally published on Wed June 6, 2012 1:21 pm

Credit Rebecca Droke / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jeff Hudale, who is autistic, demonstrates a face recognition test at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Researchers use eye tracking devices to monitor and record what he is looking at.

Like a lot of people with autism, Jeff Hudale has a brain that's really good at some things.

"I have an unusual aptitude for numbers, namely math computations," he says.

Hudale can do triple-digit multiplication in his head. That sort of ability helped him get a degree in engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. But he says his brain struggles with other subjects like literature and philosophy.

"I like working with things that are rather concrete and structured," he says. "Yeah, I like things with some logic and some rules to it."

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2:42am

Mon June 4, 2012
Science

Summer Science: How To Build A Campfire

Originally published on Mon June 4, 2012 11:10 am

Summer living is supposed to be easy — school is out, the days are long, the traffic eases. But it's not all inner tubes and lemonade: Summer can throw us some curveballs, too. How can I avoid sunburn? What can I do to stave off that brain freeze? Why do my s'mores always burn?

Fear not; NPR is here to help. As part of our new Summer Science series, we'll turn to science to tackle these vexing questions, starting with how to build the perfect campfire.

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6:25pm

Sun June 3, 2012
Remembrances

'Family Feud' Host Richard Dawson Remembered

Richard Dawson, the actor and original host of Family Feud, died Sunday at the age of 79. He hosted the show for nearly 10 years, ending in 1985. The actor and original host of the popular TV show died Sunday at the age of 79.

6:15pm

Sun June 3, 2012
Presidential Race

Wisc. Recall: A Trial Run For The Presidential Race

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 6:25 pm

Voters in Wisconsin will decide Tuesday whether or not to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker. It's been one of the most expensive statewide races in American history, and the stakes in that election could have national implications, for unions, for deficit hawks, for businesses, even for President Obama's re-election.

The vote over whether to recall Walker is so important, it's drawn millions in outside money and some of the biggest political stars in the country. Now millions of dollars are flowing in, too.

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5:01pm

Sun June 3, 2012
Middle East

Assad Denies Role in Houla Massacre

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 6:25 pm

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

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

In two days, voters in Wisconsin will decide whether or not to recall their governor, Republican Scott Walker. It's been one of the most expensive statewide races in American history. And the stakes in that election could have national implications for unions, for deficit hawks, for businesses, even for President Obama's re-election. We'll tell you why in a moment in our cover story today, but first to some news out of Syria.

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5:01pm

Sun June 3, 2012
Interviews

How Reliable Are Surveys?

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 6:25 pm

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

And if you're just tuning in, this is WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Guy Raz.

Have you ever received an unsolicited phone call from someone asking you questions about your politics or your buying habits or your likes and dislikes? Well, those surveys have long been important tools for corporations and political campaigns. But here's the thing - did you ever refuse to answer those questions or just hang up altogether?

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5:01pm

Sun June 3, 2012
Europe

Thousands Mark Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 6:25 pm

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN")

GUY RAZ, HOST:

A day of, what else, pomp and circumstance in London today.

(SOUNDBITE OF BOAT HORNS)

RAZ: Boats of all sizes blew their horns in celebration traveling past the queen on her own vessel on the River Thames. It's the queen's diamond jubilee, a celebration of her 60th year on the throne.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Three cheers for the queen. Hip, hip...

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Hooray.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Hip, hip...

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Hooray.

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5:00pm

Sun June 3, 2012
NPR Story

In Calif. Election, A Fight For Second Place

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 6:25 pm

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

This Tuesday, a congressional race in California's rural Central Valley will come down to a fight for second place. As Sasha Khokha of member station KQED reports now, the race pits a farm worker-turned-astronaut against the son of a disgraced congressman.

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1:04pm

Sun June 3, 2012
The Two-Way

Queen's Diamond Jubilee A Celebration For All

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 4:56 pm

Thousands are crowding the banks of the Thames today to catch a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth leading a flotilla of a thousand boats to mark her 60-year reign.

Her gilded barge is the centerpiece of what organizers are calling the biggest pageant on the river in 350 years. As NPR's Philip Reeves reports from London, a 41-gun salute echoed over the city this morning, launching what will be several days of festivities.

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9:53am

Sun June 3, 2012
Asia

'Like Our Own Mother': Aung San Suu Kyi In Thailand

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 7:36 pm

On her first journey abroad in 24 years, Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi upstaged and dazzled world leaders with her statesmanship and charisma.

Suu Kyi attended an international economic forum in Thailand last week, but Saturday was very different. She visited a camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, where refugees have fled to escape oppression and civil war in her homeland. The visit showed that despite becoming one of the most prominent politicians in Asia, her political situation at home remains a bit precarious.

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