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9:18am

Tue May 1, 2012
The Two-Way

Looking Back: How The World Quickly Learned About Bin Laden's Death

Credit Pete Souza / White House
Iconic image: President Barack Obama and members of his national security team as they monitored the mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.

One year ago today, we learned that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden had been located and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

There's no shortage of stories and news related to that event, including these:

-- "After Bin Laden, Al-Qaida Still Present As Movement." (NPR's Dina Temple-Raston, on Morning Edition.)

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8:56am

Tue May 1, 2012
It's All Politics

Adviser: Romney's VP 'Short List' Could Contain 20 Names

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 9:49 am

Credit Jim Cole / AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns with Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Monday in Portsmouth, N.H. A 43-year-old freshman senator, Ayotte is among those under consideration as a vice presidential running mate, according to a Romney adviser.

If history holds, Mitt Romney is still months away from announcing a vice presidential running mate on the Republican ticket. But he continues to make appearances with those who could be on the so-called short list.

Or in Romney's case, it may still be a rather long list.

On Monday, Romney campaigned with freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the 43-year-old former state attorney general, in her home state of New Hampshire.

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8:38am

Tue May 1, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Lighter Weights Can Still Make A Big Fitness Difference

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 1:30 pm

Credit iStockphoto.com
Try taking some weight off in your workout.

Here's good news for geezers — or for merely middle-aged folks — who'd like to stay fit and independent far into their later years.

You don't have to lift heavy weights to build muscle strength. Lifting lighter weights can be just as effective if you do it right, and you're much less likely to hurt yourself, researchers say.

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8:02am

Tue May 1, 2012
The Two-Way

Afghan Soldiers' Attacks On U.S. Troops Not Being Fully Reported, AP Finds

Credit Chris Hondros / Getty Images
A soldier from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division on patrol in southern Afghanistan. (October, 2010, file photo.)

An Associated Press investigation has concluded that the U.S. military and its allies in Afghanistan have been "under-reporting the number of times that Afghan soldiers and police open fire on American and other foreign troops."

According to the wire service:

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7:55am

Tue May 1, 2012
Europe

Netherlands Celebrates Queen Beatrix

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

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7:51am

Tue May 1, 2012
Around the Nation

Calif. City Debates Location Of Stone Head

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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7:33am

Tue May 1, 2012
The Two-Way

New Facebook Status Lets You Share Whether You're An Organ Donor

Credit Facebook.com
A new status option.

In a bid to encourage its members to become organ donors, Facebook just announced that "starting today, you can add that you're an organ donor to your timeline, and share your story about when, where or why you decided to become a donor."

Also, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg write, "if you're not already registered with your state or national registry and want to be, you'll find a link to the official donor registry there as well."

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7:05am

Tue May 1, 2012
The Two-Way

Rupert Murdoch 'Not A Fit Person' To Lead A Major Company, Report Charges

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 2:33 pm

Credit Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Wendi Deng Murdoch, as they were being driven away from the Royal Courts of Justice following his testimony last Thursday in London.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is "not a fit person" to lead a major international company, a committee of U.K. parliament members concludes today in a scathing report about the News Corp. chief and the actions of his British tabloids, NPR's Philip Reeves tells our Newscast Desk.

The report also accuses Murdoch's companies of "misleading a parliamentary committee," Philip says, and exhibiting "willful blindness" regarding their illegal activities.

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6:47am

Tue May 1, 2012
National Security

White House Official Acknowledges Drone Strikes

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The president's counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, made another statement yesterday. He argued that drone strikes to kill militants are legal.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Brennan's remarks were unusual. It's rare that the administration mentions drones at all. Yesterday, Brennan chose to say that the missile strikes by unmanned aircraft which take place in countries like Yemen and Pakistan fit within international law.

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5:13am

Tue May 1, 2012
Business

Siemens Changes Its Culture: No More Bribes

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 6:47 am

Wal-Mart remains under a cloud after The New York Times reported the retailers expansion in Mexico involved systematic bribes. To get a sense of how that might play out, Steve Inskeep talks to Peter Solmssen, a managing board member and general counsel for Siemens. The German engineering and electronics conglomerate was involved in its own bribery scandal.

4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Business

Business News

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 7:23 am

The nation's second-largest bank is planning to layoff about 2,000 people at its investment banking, commercial banking and wealth management units, according to The Wall Street Journal. The cuts are notable because they include high earning employees in operations that account for most of Bank of America's profits since the financial crisis.

4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Business

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 7:44 am

In a new report, the employment firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas predicts more jobs for teenagers this summer. While the jobs picture is improving, CEO John Challenger says teen hiring is still several years away from returning to pre-recession levels.

4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Asia

China Suppresses Coverage Of Two News Stories

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 10:05 am

Two stories out of China — the escape of a blind dissident from house arrest and the corruption scandal involving a top politician and his family — have attracted international attention. But inside China, the picture is different. The government has successfully suppressed the story about the dissident, Chen Guangcheng, such that most Chinese have never even heard of him. The Communist Party has waged a smear campaign against the fallen official, Bo Xilai, whom citizens see as a loser in a power struggle, a corrupt politician or both.

4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Author Interviews

Caro Writes Alone Among Bookshelves, Filing Cabinets

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 6:59 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The writer Robert Caro has spent about 35 years writing about President Lyndon Johnson and he still isn't done. As we heard on the program yesterday, Caro has come out with his fourth book on Johnson's life.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Years ago, one reviewer noted that Caro's research was so exhaustive that his book on Johnson's youth in Texas described the average annual rainfall in the Texas hill country in the years before Johnson was even born.

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4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Election 2012

N.H. Sen. Kelly Ayotte Considered For Romney's VP Slot

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 7:12 am

Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire is the latest politician to appear on the campaign trail with presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. That's fueled speculation that Ayotte is being considered as a running mate.

4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Africa

Conflict Simmers Between Sundan, South Sudan

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 7:07 am

South Sudan is the country that voted to break away from Sudan. They've been jostling for control of border zones, including oil fields. And just as the two sides were sitting down to negotiate, fighting broke out.

4:37am

Tue May 1, 2012
Business

Caring For Sick Or Elderly Is Tough On The Wallet

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 12:26 pm

Credit Courtesy of Cheryl Matheis, AARP
Cheryl Matheis is senior vice president for policy at the AARP.

The average caregiver is 49 years old. Cheryl Matheis, senior vice president for policy at AARP, tells Steve Inskeep when a worker has to leave their job to care for a relative, they lose on average $325,000 in lifetime income — from lost wages, Social Security and pensions.

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3:07am

Tue May 1, 2012
Europe

In French Election, Candidates Chase Far-Right Votes

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 7:35 am

Credit Philippe Huguen / AFP/Getty Images
A campaign poster for French President Nicolas Sarkozy stands next to a torn poster of National Front candidate Marine Le Pen in northern France. Sarkozy needs Le Pen's far-right voters if he is to win the runoff election on Sunday.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is fighting desperately to hold on to his job with five days to go until the French presidential runoff against socialist rival Francois Hollande.

Both candidates have been trying to appeal to supporters of France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who came in third place in the first round of balloting held last month. Sarkozy, from the center-right, finished in second place, with Socialist candidate Francois Hollande taking first with nearly 29 percent of the vote.

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3:05am

Tue May 1, 2012
Crisis In The Housing Market

Some Housing Markets Rebound, But Bargains Scarce

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 9:12 am

Credit Chris Hondros / Getty Images
While some sections of Arizona's housing market have shown signs of recovery, potential homebuyers who are looking for affordable houses have been frustrated. This file photo from 2008 shows a subdivision extending into desert scrubland.

The real estate market has turned around in some parts of the U.S., but many buyers aren't seeing true bargains anymore. Investors are driving up prices, and inventory is low, especially for homes priced under $250,000. That's not great news for anyone hoping to buy an affordable house to live in.

Arizona is home to one of the nation's extraordinary turnarounds. The Phoenix-area median home price rose 20 percent over the past year — 6 percent in March alone. And Tucson was recently named the nation's best market for investors. But the easy money has already been made.

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3:01am

Tue May 1, 2012
National Security

After Bin Laden, al-Qaida Still Present As Movement

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 8:16 am

Credit AP
Thousands of Somalis gathered at a militant-organized demonstration on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of the merger of the Somali militant group al-Shabab with al-Qaida, which was announced in February by al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

A year ago Tuesday, Navy SEALs attacked Osama bin Laden's secret compound in Pakistan and may have fundamentally changed al-Qaida as we know it.

The Obama administration's top counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, spoke Monday in Washington, D.C., and seemed on the precipice of talking about the terrorist group in the past tense.

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