LATEST FROM NPR

Pages

9:00am

Thu March 22, 2012

8:36am

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Jobless Claims Dropped By 5,000 Last Week

There were 348,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits last week, down 5,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration just reported.

At that level, weekly claims remain the lowest they've been since March 2008.

The agency also said "the 4-week moving average was 355,000, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week's revised average of 356,250."

Read more

8:15am

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

After Trayvon Martin's Death, We're All Having 'The Talk'

Credit Mario Tama / Getty Images
When he was killed on Feb. 26, Trayvon Martin was said to be wearing a hooded sweatshirt. In New York City on Wednesday, hundreds of people gathered for a "Million Hoodies" march to call attention to his death.
  • From 'Morning Edition,' on 'The Talk'

A national discussion about race continues in the wake of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's death last month in Sanford, Fla.

Read more

6:50am

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Explosions, Gunfire At Sight Of Standoff With Murder Suspect In France

Credit Pascal Guyot / AFP/Getty Images
Members of a special police force unit at the site of the standoff in Toulouse, France, today.
  • French Interior Minister Claude Guéant (translated)

After a massive manhunt and a two-day standoff at an apartment building in Toulouse, French authorities say a man who claimed to be a member of al-Qaida and to have killed seven people in recent weeks is now dead himself.

According to French Interior Minister Claude Guéant, in the hour before 7 a.m. ET there was a dramatic conclusion to the saga that had gripped France and gotten the attention of people around the world.

Read more

5:04am

Thu March 22, 2012
Energy

What's Making Americans Less Hungry For Gasoline?

Credit David Zalubowski / AP
Growing demand for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, like these 2009 Dodge Journey crossover vehicles, has helped drive down gasoline consumption in the U.S.

The price of gasoline keeps rising for Americans, but it's not because of rising demand from consumers.

Since the first Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, the U.S. has struggled to quench a growing appetite for oil and gasoline. Now, that trend is changing.

"When you look at the U.S. oil market, you see that there's actually no growth," says Daniel Yergin, chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

He says gasoline demand peaked in 2007 and has fallen each year since, even though the economy has begun to recover.

Read more

4:56am

Thu March 22, 2012
Planet Money

From Abe Lincoln To Donald Duck: History Of The Income Tax

Originally published on Fri March 23, 2012 9:02 am

4:40am

Thu March 22, 2012
National Security

Cybersecurity Bill: Vital Need Or Just More Rules?

Originally published on Fri March 23, 2012 7:03 am

Credit Mark J. Terrill / AP
The Homeland Security Department's Control System Security Program facilities in Idaho Falls, Idaho, are intended to protect the nation's power grid, water and communications systems. U.S. security officials and members of Congress are convinced a new law may be needed to promote improved cyberdefenses at critical facilities.

Consider what Hurricane Katrina did to New Orleans, and you get an idea of the consequences of a cyberattack on critical U.S. infrastructure: No electricity. No water. No transportation. Terrorists or enemy adversaries with computer skills could conceivably take down a power grid, a nuclear station, a water treatment center or a chemical manufacturing plant.

Read more

4:01am

Thu March 22, 2012
Business

Airlines, Fliers Seek To Fit More In Overhead

4:00am

Thu March 22, 2012
NPR Story

Obama Showcases His Energy Policy On 2-Day Tour

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

President Obama visits Oklahoma today, talking of speeding construction for a major oil pipeline. Yesterday, he visited a solar panel farm in Nevada. Those were just two of the stops on a presidential effort to defend his energy policies. He's under pressure from Republicans because of rising gas prices.

And we start our coverage with NPR's Scott Horsley.

Read more

4:00am

Thu March 22, 2012
NPR Story

Crowds Join Slain Youth's Parents In 'Hoodie March'

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Today, Justice Department officials meet with family of Trayvon Martin. The unarmed African-American teen was shot in Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer. Last night, Martin's parents joined a rally in New York's Union Square, and NPR's Margot Adler attended.

MARGOT ADLER, BYLINE: There was rage, sadness and also the feeling of a prayerful community gathering. When the parents of Trayvon Martin spoke, the crowds pushed closer to get a look and shouted words of encouragement. Tracy Martin, the teenager's father, spoke first.

Read more

4:00am

Thu March 22, 2012
NPR Story

NFL Shake-Ups: 'Bounty' Suspension, Tebow Trade

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

March Madness is supposed to be all about basketball. But it was the NFL that produced a dizzying day of news yesterday. The NFL came down like a ton of bricks on the New Orleans Saints. The league suspended head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season. That was punishment for the team's bounty system, which paid players for injuring opponents.

Read more

4:00am

Thu March 22, 2012
U.S.

Army Health Care In Spotlight After Afghan Shooting

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Good morning.

The lawyer for the soldier suspected of killing unarmed Afghan civilians last week says his client may have suffered from diminished capacity, or in other words a mental breakdown. That possibility has focused attention on the Army's ability to detect and treat psychological problems among soldiers. NPR's Martin Kaste reports on how the Army's system works in theory and in practice.

Read more

3:52am

Thu March 22, 2012
Author Interviews

'Wonder' What It's Like To Have Kids Stare At You?

Raquel Jaramillo's debut novel, Wonder, written under the pen name R.J. Palacio, was born out of a rather embarrassing incident. The author was out with her two sons, sitting in front of an ice cream store. Her oldest had just finished fifth grade, and her youngest was still in a stroller. They spotted a girl whose face had been deformed by a medical condition.

Read more

7:57pm

Wed March 21, 2012
Europe

French Police Fight For Presumed Killer's Surrender

Originally published on Thu March 22, 2012 8:37 am

French police have been trying to get a suspected gunman to surrender, after he apparently changed his mind about turning himself in. The 24-year-old has confessed to killing the Jewish children and the paratrooper in Toulouse. Explosions have been reported near the apartment. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley tells host Robert Siegel the latest developments.

6:56pm

Wed March 21, 2012
Law

Supreme Court: Property Owners Can Challenge EPA

Credit Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP
Mike and Chantell Sackett of Priest Lake, Idaho, pose for a photo in front of the Supreme Court in Washington on Oct. 14, 2011. The court ruled unanimously Wednesday that property owners have a right to prompt review by a judge of an important tool used by the Environmental Protection Agency to address water pollution.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of an Idaho couple who were prevented from building their dream home after the Environmental Protection Agency barred them from building on their land. The agency claimed the property was protected wetlands under the federal Clean Water Act.

The ruling gives property owners the right to challenge an EPA compliance order from the time it is issued, rather than waiting for the agency to begin enforcement actions.

Read more

6:50pm

Wed March 21, 2012
All Tech Considered

A Job At What Cost? When Employers Log In To Dig In

Credit Leon Neal / AFP/Getty Images
Employers have been asking for prospective employees' Facebook username and passwords to do some extra research on whom they may be hiring.

How would it feel if you were in a job interview and the prospective employer asked for your username and password to see your Facebook profile? Robert Collins says he felt "violated."

"I felt disrespected. I felt that my privacy was invaded," he tells All Things Considered host Robert Siegel, "but not only my privacy, the privacy of my friends and that of my family that didn't ask for that."

Read more

6:37pm

Wed March 21, 2012
The Two-Way

Pew: More Americans See 'Too Much' Religious Talk In Politics

Originally published on Thu March 22, 2012 1:59 pm

According to a new survey, 38 percent of Americans say there is too much "expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders."

Thirty percent say there is too little and 25 percent say there's just the right amount.

Read more

6:01pm

Wed March 21, 2012
Election 2012

Lots Of GOP Money Flowing From The Texas Two

Originally published on Thu March 22, 2012 10:50 am

The latest reports from the Federal Election Commission shed new light on the political largesse of two Texas businessmen who have become common names in the world of Republican fundraising.

With a $1 million check in February to the superPAC backing Rick Santorum, Dallas nuclear waste dump owner Harold Simmons and his wife, Annette, have now contributed to groups supporting all three of the top GOP candidates.

Read more

5:53pm

Wed March 21, 2012
It's All Politics

Republicans Charge High Gas Prices Part Of A Plan To Decrease Consumption

Credit Paul Sakuma / AP
A driver pumps gas into his Toyota Prius hybrid at a gas station in Sunnyvale, Calif., in 2007.

As gasoline prices rise, some Republicans are making a provocative claim about President Obama. They say higher energy prices are actually part of the administration's agenda and they point to some comments made by the president before he took office.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was the latest Republican to make the charge about President Obama, and he did so on Fox News Sunday this past weekend, saying, "There's no question that when he ran for office he said he wanted to see gasoline prices go up."

Read more

5:34pm

Wed March 21, 2012
The Two-Way

'Million Hoodie March' Planned In New York To Protest Killing Of Trayvon Martin

Originally published on Thu March 22, 2012 7:43 am

Credit RM Lopez / via Facebook
One of the many pictures posted to the Million Hoodie March Facebook page.

At 6 p.m. ET., a "Million Hoodie March" is set to begin winding through the streets of New York City, from Union Square to the United Nations.

One of the organizers, Daniel Maree, told News One that the march was intended to protest "the absurdity of Trayvon [Martin's] murder."

Read more

Pages