Search results for

The public’s trust in the news media is slipping. It’s not just a problem for newsrooms: researchers say trust is also dropping for science, higher education and government as well.

This weekend's playoff games will decide who goes on to the Super Bowl, and who just watches it. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Howard Bryant of ESPN.com and ESPN Magazine about the lineup.

of John Salvi, the man accused of killing two women's health clinic receptionists at point-blank range last year. The prosecution, in its opening statement yesterday, summarized the charges, while defense lawyers painted Salvi as a paranoid schizophrenic not responsible for his actions.

NPR's Joe Palca reports that a new study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences found that the risk of cancer from both natural and unnatural carcinogens in food is neglible. While some foods contain chemicals that can cause cancer in animals, the levels are so low they pose no real dange, the report says. That especially true when compared to the risk for cancer from other things, such as eating too much fat, the report says.

The Education Department and certain school districts around the country are trying to figure out next year's budget, even while this year's is up in the air. Congress and the president have only agreed on temporary budgets for the Education Department, at a cut from last year's spending. Now the department and districts that get federal aid can't make plans until Washington officials come to an agreement. NPR's Phillip Davis has the story.

being put into place for the Summer Olympic Games. A huge force will provide protection for athletes, official, and visitors. It includes 15-hundred members of the Atlanta Police Department, 600 officers from the State of Georgia, a private security force numbering several thousand, and a large number of federal agents.

Figures from the Centers for Disease Control show AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African-Americans aged 25 to 44 years old. Jacki talks with Rev. Eugene Rivers, pastor of the Azusa Christian Community in Dorchester, Massachusetts about his crusade to fight the spread of AIDS and HIV among Africans and African Americans. Rivers has issued an open letter to churches and other organizations to urge them to step up activism in Africa and the across the U.S.

Last night, President Bill Clinton bid farewell to delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. In his 41-minute speech, Clinton championed the nation's economic prosperity and praised Al Gore. Today, Clinton joined Gore on the campaign trail in Monroe, Michigan, symbolically passing the political torch to his vice president. NPR's Anthony Brooks is traveling with the Gore campaign, and he talks with Noah Adams from the Gore-Clinton rally.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore's speech today at Howard University in Washington. Gore told the mostly-black audience that he would end racial profiling as the first "civil rights act" of his administration. Gore also said he would work for hate crime laws, affirmative action programs, and a tax deduction of up to 10-thousand dollars for college tuition.

All Things Considered Host Noah Adams profiles Olympian David Hearn, eighteen times the U-S national solo whitewater canoe champion. He's in his third Olympics in Australia. He's trained on the Potomac River for twenty-five years. Now, his wife, Jennifer, is one of his coaches. He's 41-years-old, twice the age of many of his competitors. Hearn says that the slalom course imitates a real whitewater river.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Cartagena, Colombia on the international convention of Narcotics Anonymous, a 12-Step Program for recovering drug addicts. About 15-hundred members of NA, mostly from the Americas, gathered in the Caribbean port city to celebrate their ongoing recovery from drug addiction. Ironically, the host country, Colombia, is the world's largest supplier of cocaine, and the second largest supplier of heroin and marijuana.

The FBI warns that al Qaeda may be planning what the FBI terms a "spectacular" terrorist attack. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says Americans should "remain vigilant" and that U.S. authorities are working behind the scenes to protect the nation's "critical infrastructure." NPR News reports.

On this observance of the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., we hear an excerpt of a letter written by King while he was imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. He is responding to a letter written by several white clergymen who criticized King's acts of civil disobedience and suggested his civil rights agenda could best be achieved in the courts. The exceprt is read by actor Wilson Cain III.

Reporter David Welna reports that last week 255 legislators from Mexico's ruling PRI party wrote a letter to President Ernesto Zedillo, criticizing Mexico's free market policy. The letter also urged the government to reassert control over the economy, promote lower interest rates and stablize the exchange rate. Although the legislators are now toning down their criticim somewhat, the attack on Zedillo and his policies has serious ramifications for the party.

Commentator Sam Fulwood says Virginia Governor George Allen's decision to declare April Confederate History and Heritage month was done for short term political gains without any consideration for the long term damage it could have on race relations. Allen's move serves only to push people further into the color-coded camps at the extremes of the race debate. His decision to honor the Confederacy without any mention of slavery was dishonest.

are protesting alleged harassment by Chicago police during last year's Democratic National Convention. They filed a lawsuit yesterday claiming the city's police violated a 15-year-old court order limiting surveillance and prohibiting potentially abusive tactics. Just last month, the city asked that the court order be relaxed, saying it has hampered police investigations of gangs and drug traffickers.

Robert talks to Brock Meeks, chief Washington correspondent for Wired magazine, about the case of William White, a student at the University of Maryland. White posted a message on several Internet newsgroups urging people to call a woman White claimed was abusing her daughter. Recipients of the message harrassed the woman without verifying the truth of White's statements. Meeks says that because computer communication is new, people tend to forget that the information imparted is not necessarily accurate.

NPR's John Ydstie reports on "tax freedom day" the day the Tax Foundation tells us is the day we begin working for ourselves and not to pay taxes. This year the average American has to work until May 7th in order to satisfy his tax liabilites, according to the Foundation. But critics argue the concept of a tax freedom day makes little sense...since your taxes are used to provide services you use year-round.

While the Democrats have charged repeatedly that Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole is in the back pocket of tobacco interests, both parties have benefitted from camapign contributions from the tobacco industry. Democrats are getting less money than they used to, but they still get a lot. And the Clinton Administration, while it has tried to limit smoking domestically, has not done so when it comes to tobacco exports. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports that in the United States, the USDA is instituting a new system aimed at increasing the safety of meat and poultry. Currently, inspectors rely on literally touching, smelling and looking at meat to determine whether it has been contaminated. Under the new system, scientific tests would be used to detect E-Coli and other microbes, and meat processors would be required to identify ways meat could become tainted, and take steps to prevent it from happening.

Linda talks with Ronald Boster (BOSS-ter) about the economic plan Dole announced yesterday. Dole said if he were elected president he would cut taxes by 15 percent across the board and also balance the budget by the year 2002. Boster says Dole's plan would not allow for government savings and investment. Boster is a vice president of the business-supported Committee for Economic Development and a former GOP aide to the House Budget committee.

His songs are the subject of a new C-D called " >Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison." Van Morrison, Georgie Fame, and Ben Sidran all appear on the disc. They're among the dozens of other musicians who've been influenced by Allison's words and music.

whether he'll keep U.S. troops in Bosnia as part of a new NATO peacekeeping mission. Last year, the President promised to limit U.S. participation in Bosnia to twelve months, but all indications say the President will order American troops to be a part of the new force.

Music reviewer Tom Moon takes a look at "Billy Breathes," the latest release from the heirs-apparent to the Grateful Dead...the rock band Phish (FISH). He says that their music has come a long way from the days of simple folk-tinged jamming, and their lyrics have now caught up to the rest of the technical abilities of the band. ("Billy Breathes" is the latest album from Phish, and is on Elektra Records.) (5:00) ((ST

Veta (VEE-tuh) Christy reports on a Connecticut mother who has repeatedly been reported for child abuse. But when state authorities investigate each case, they have found no basis for the charges. Authorities won't give her the names of her accusers and she's suing to find out just who keeps charging her with the most heinous of crimes.