Search results for

Democrats say they have a path forward on social spending. Facebook's new corporate name is Meta, but the app is still Facebook. Ex-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces a misdemeanor sex charge.

Gertrude Abercrombie was a bohemian midcentury painter whose surrealist paintings, newly coveted by collectors, are now touring museums as part of the show "Supernatural America."

Noah Adams speaks with Wall Street Journal sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about golf. Specifically, Stefan notes that last weekend, Annika Sorenstrom's record setting tournament round of 59 was a bit overshadowed by a tournament victory by Tiger Woods, who hadn't won a tournament since last year. The Ladies PGA Tour gets less attention than the men's but the quality of play is just as good. Tiger Woods' 'slump' is hardly that. And many pros on the men's tour are using a new golf ball which they believe improves their play.

Talk of tax cuts continues to dominate both chambers of Congress. The tax writing committee of the House this week approved a second phase of President Bush's proposed $1.6 trillion package of tax cuts, this one eliminating the so-called marriage penalty and increasing the child tax credit. But on the Senate side, talk turned to another concept -- the granting of a swift tax rebate that might pump new money into the consumer economy relatively quickly. No sooner did one Republican mention the idea than several leading Democrats adopted it. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's Emily Harris reports on a dispute between aerospace and defense contractor Raytheon and the Federal Aviation Administration. Raytheon says it should have been permitted to bid for a chance to upgrade the air traffic control system. The FAA had awarded that contract to Lockheed Martin without putting it out for bid.

Noah Adams talks with Ben Miller about the closing of Fresh Kills, the world's largest landfill and the largest manmade object on earth. Fresh Kills opened in 1948 and received its last barge of New York City garbage this week. The garbage mounds will be covered with dirt and seeded with vegetation, but it will take decades for the waste to decompose. Miller is the author of Fat of the Land: Garbage in New York -- the Last 200 Years.

Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports on the experiences of a group of boxers from Iceland who are training and fighting in Duluth this week. Amateur boxing is outlawed in Iceland, but these Rocky wannabe's won't be discouraged.

Bob Garfield, co-host of NPR's On the Media reports on permission specialists -- the people who get the suspects in the "cops" type shows to sign on the dotted line to allow their stories and images to be used in these "reality shows." There are lots of reasons why few suspects hesitate to sign -- some hope it will help their case, some just want that 20 seconds of fame before being put away for 20 years, and some, they say, are just stupid.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Maidstone, England, on the trial of Dutchman Perry Wacker, the truck driver charged in the deaths of 58 illegal Chinese migrants who suffocated while being smuggled in his truck into Britain. Wacker took the stand yesterday to insist he didn't know he was carrying human cargo. In its cross-examination, the prosecution sought to show he knew full well and closed the vent on his truck to make sure no one heard the illegal migrants inside.

Electronic data collected by the U.S. surveillance plane may have been destroyed by the crew, but much of the equipment is presumed to be intact. China has recreated equipment and technology in the past. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on how the Chinese may be able to use the plane now in their custody.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports on the trial of Parry Wacker, a man caught smuggling 58 Chinese people into Britain last year. Only two of the illegal immigrants survived the journey and Wacker is being charged with manslaughter.

Bob Edwards talks with singer-songwriter John Hiatt. Hiatt dropped by NPR's studios recently and performed songs from his new CD, Crossing Muddy Waters.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to spend his remaining time on earth as a vegan. Commentator John Ridley says PETA's choice for celebrity spokesperson is a stroke of genius.

NPR's Julie Rovner reports on President Bush's nomination for director of the Health Care Financing Administration. The organization is unpopular among both congressional representatives and health care providers, but it could play a big role in the future of Medicare and Medicaid under the president's budget plan.

Nancy Solomon, of member station KLCC in Oregon, reports on an extradition battle for 70-year-old Robert Lee Burns. He's been living in Oregon for 20 years, but now California says it wants him back, so he can complete his sentence for the 1963 murder of a highway patrolman.

Russia today said that it would expel four United States Embassy officials for conduct "incompatible with diplomatic status." Russia also said it would soon expel 46 more U.S. diplomats. The retaliatory move follows Washington's announcement of the expulsion of 50 Russian diplomats from the U.S. suspected of being intelligence agents. Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Michelle Kelemen.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Robert Culp, professor of Aerospace Science at the University of Colorado. They talk about 'space-junk' and whether it's a hazard to us here on Earth.

NPR's Van Williamson reports from Chestertown, Maryland, on tomorrow's launch of the schooner, "Sultana" onto the Chester River. Professional builders and volunteers spent four years constructing the vessel, which is more than 50 feet long and weighs 52 tons. It's modeled after a cargo vessel, built in 1768, that the British Navy used to patrol for smugglers. At the time, Chestertown was a deepwater port, 20 miles up the Chester River from the Chesapeake Bay. Today it's a tourist destination.

NPR's Ina Jaffe reports on Mexican President Vicente Fox's first trip abroad since his election. Fox visited California for two days, discussing border and immigration issues with Gov. Gray Davis.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that the Bush administration has decided to end the practice of consulting the American Bar Association about potential nominees for federal judgeships before making their names public. For nearly 50 years, both Republican and Democratic presidents have consulted the ABA about judicial nominees before announcing them. Conservatives are pleased with the decision because they say that the ABA has a liberal bias.

Pat Dowell reports on Elmer Bernstein who, after composing scores for more than 200 movies, is moving to writing concert music. Bernstein regrets the state of film music today — which he says lacks emotion, and is included primarily to create an atmosphere, rather than impart a grand musical theme.

NPR's Guy Raz reports that the hills over the city of Tetovo were quiet today, in the aftermath of Sunday's assault by Macedonian troops on ethnic Albanian rebels. NATO's Secretary General, Lord Robertson, was back in Macedonia today for more crisis talks. He called on all parties to engage in political dialogue.

In part three of our Radio Expedition to Central Africa, NPR's Alex Chadwick follows two field biologists into the forest in search of a large ape-like creature that may be an unknown species of gorilla or large chimpanzee. As they explore, Esteban Sarmiento of the American Museum of Natural History and George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation Society, find a nest that suggests the presence of gorillas and other evidence that lean toward chimps. They also find lion tracks and ape feeding sites in a forest full of vibrant sights and sounds.

From member station WNYC, Beth Fertig reports on the vote this week by parents at five of New York City's most troubled schools over whether to allow a private company to step in and run the schools.

NPR's Guy Raz reports Macedonian security forces ended a 24-hour cease-fire today and launched a new round of attacks against positions held by ethnic Albanian rebels around the city of Tetovo. Soon after the assault began, two Albanian men were shot dead by security forces at a checkpoint. The European Union's Javier Solana was in the capital, Skopje, for the second time this week and expressed hope the crisis will soon be resolved.