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Home Front: Soldiers Learn To Live After War
5:42 am
Sun June 17, 2012

Frontlines Of Fatherhood: Catching Up After War

Originally published on Sun June 17, 2012 7:58 pm

Last year, members of the 182nd National Guard regiment marked Father's Day far away from their loved ones. This year, they're home with their kids after a year in Afghanistan.

Spc. Bryan Tolley, 29, knows the challenges of being both a soldier and a dad. His son, Ryan, is a shy, blond 18-month-old who happily clings to his dad.

"Seeing his face light up when he sees Dada come through his bedroom door instead of Mama — because he's so used to his mother — it's awesome. I love it," says Tolley of Plymouth, Mass.

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Presidential Race
5:41 am
Sun June 17, 2012

Raucus Iowa Convention May Signal What's To Come

Originally published on Mon June 18, 2012 1:10 pm

You know things are going badly when the person at the front of the room has to say, "This is not going well." The fireworks at Iowa's Republican State Convention began even before lunchtime Saturday. At one point during the day, the parliamentarian threatened to kick out the next person who tried to speak out of order.

If Saturday's convention is any indication, Mitt Romney may not be in for smooth sailing at this summer's national convention in Florida.

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Around the Nation
5:30 pm
Sat June 16, 2012

State Of The Unions: Labor And The Middle Class

Credit Mario Tama / Getty Images
Occupy Wall Street protesters joined with unions in New York on May 1, a traditional day of global protests in sympathy with unions and leftist politics.

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 9:05 pm

For many full-time employees in the United States, the five-day work week, paid overtime and holidays are expected benefits. This wasn't always so, and many workers' benefits today are the achievements of labor unions.

Just five decades ago, unions were on the frontline of the fight for the rights and wages of the middle class. But today, unions are on the decline.

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NPR Story
5:12 pm
Sat June 16, 2012

Gauging The Impact Of Obama's Immigration Policy

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 5:24 pm

President Obama announced major changes in the country's immigration policy on Friday. NPR's Mara Liasson talks with weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden about what the changes are and the political impact they may have this election season.

World
5:12 pm
Sat June 16, 2012

Egypt Faces Tense Election For New President

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 5:24 pm

Egyptians began two days of voting to elect the nation's first president since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. The polling comes days after an Egyptian high court dissolved the country's first freely elected parliament and the election now reflects the deep divisions in the country that has been unsettled since its revolution last year.

Arts & Life
4:23 pm
Sat June 16, 2012

Embracing The Quirkiness Of Djuna Barnes

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 7:06 pm

A writer, illustrator and provocateur in the Roaring '20s, Djuna Barnes stood out.

"She was much more interested in embracing the quirky and embracing that idea that became so famous in feminist circles half a century later," Catherine Morris says, "the idea that the personal is political."

Morris is the curator of a new exhibition of Barnes' writings and illustrations called "Newspaper Fictions" at the Brooklyn Museum's Sackler Center for Feminist Art.

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Kee Facts: A Few Things You Didn't Know
12:15 pm
Sat June 16, 2012

Follow The Money: On The Trail Of Watergate Lore

"Follow the money" – a phrase that's now part of our national lexicon — was supposedly whispered to reporter Bob Woodward by Deep Throat as a way to cut through the lies and deceptions and find the truth about the Watergate scandal. The so-called third-rate burglary that happened 40 years ago this weekend ended the presidency of Richard Nixon. But did Mark Felt, the former associate director of the FBI who admitted to being Deep Throat in 2005, ever really say "follow the money"?

He did not.

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Music Interviews
12:03 pm
Sat June 16, 2012

Bonnie Raitt: A Brand-New Model For A Classic Sound

Credit Marina Chavez
Bonnie Raitt's latest album, Slipstream, is the first release on her own Redwing Records label.

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 5:24 pm

This April, roots-rock singer-guitarist Bonnie Raitt released her first album in seven years, Slipstream. It's classic Raitt, mixing bluesy slide-guitar riffs with her soulful voice and a pop-friendly sensibility.

The delivery system, however, is brand-new. After years of working with the majors, Raitt decided to start her own label, Redwing Records. Raitt runs Redwing with the help of a tiny staff; Slipstream is the first release in its catalog.

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The Two-Way
8:58 am
Sat June 16, 2012

As Violence Escalates, U.N. Suspends Monitoring In Syria

Credit Anonymous / AP
A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his weapon during clashes with Syrian troops near Idlib, Syria, on Friday. The U.N. said Saturday it is suspending its mission in Syria because of escalating violence.

Originally published on Mon June 18, 2012 6:37 am

The U.N. said Saturday it was suspending its monitoring operations in Syria because of an "intensification of armed violence" over the past 10 days.

"Innocent civilians — men, women and children — are being killed everyday," Gen. Robert Mood, head of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria, said. "[The violence] also poses a significant risk to my unarmed observers."

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World
8:55 am
Sat June 16, 2012

Suu Kyi Delivers Long-Overdue Nobel Speech

Credit Daniel Sannum Lauten / AP
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi gives her acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday. The Burmese opposition leader was awarded the prize two decades ago.

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 5:24 pm

Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader of Myanmar, also known as Burma, spoke in Norway Saturday, formally accepting the peace prize she was awarded in 1991 while under house arrest. Her supporters portrayed the moment as a belated victory for democracy and human rights.

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The Salt
8:50 am
Sat June 16, 2012

The Art Of The Snack, One Illustration At A Time

The next time you need some help deciding what to pick for a midday munch, try Snack Data, a quirky, illustrated catalogue of foods. Part reference guide, part art project, it's the latest idiosyncratic creation of Los Angeles-based web developer Beau Johnson.

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Sports
8:33 am
Sat June 16, 2012

NBA Finals Are On And No-Hitters Are Hot

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is Weekend Edition from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: The NBA finals are on. Maybe it's just the weather forecast: Thunder, Heat, Heat, Thunder. Also, no-hitters busting out all over. And Bryce Harper scorches the major league circuit. Howard Bryant is back with us, senior writer at ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.

Howard, morning.

HOWARD BRYANT: Good morning, Scott. How are you?

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Middle East
8:33 am
Sat June 16, 2012

Violence Forces U.N. To Halt Mission In Syria

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The United Nations is suspending its observer mission in Syria because of growing violence there. The official announcement came today from the head of the mission, General Robert Mood. The statement released from U.N. headquarters in Damascus cited rising violence over the past 10 days, and charged that both parties - the Syrian military and the armed rebels, known as the Free Syrian Army - are putting civilians lives at risk - and the lives of their monitors. NPR's Deborah Amos is in Damascus. Deborah, thanks for being with us.

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The Two-Way
8:14 am
Sat June 16, 2012

Islamist Faces Member Of The Old Guard In Egypt Election

Credit Thomas Hartwell / AP
A soldier directs a voter inside a polling station on Saturday in Cairo. Egyptians voted Saturday in the country's landmark presidential runoff, choosing between Hosni Mubarak's ex-prime minister and an Islamist candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood after a race that has deeply polarized the nation.

Originally published on Mon June 18, 2012 6:38 am

After some unexpected political drama this week, Egyptians are choosing a president Saturday, and the choice reflects the deep divisions in the country that has been unsettled since its revolution last year.

On the one side is Mohammed Morsi, candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic group that dominated the parliamentary elections back in December and January.

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NPR Story
7:48 am
Sat June 16, 2012

Greece Prepares To Give Elections Another Go

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 7:53 pm

Debt-burdened Greeks go to the polls Sunday to choose between an establishment party, and continuing harsh austerity measures, or a leftist party that vows to replace the current bailout deal with less punishing conditions.

But many Greeks are aware that whatever the outcome, they face years of hardship in a rapidly unraveling society.

A recent TV news report on medicine shortages illustrated the anguish rippling through the country. The piercing screams of a woman in a pharmacy can be heard as she shouts, "Where am I going to find my medication?"

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NPR Story
7:48 am
Sat June 16, 2012

Egyptians Vote President To Succeed Mubarak

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

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NPR Story
7:48 am
Sat June 16, 2012

Greeks Take Over Reporting As Newspapers Go Under

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The austerity measures in Greece have reached into the journalists who would normally cover these elections. Thousands of journalists have lost their jobs. And in any case, many Greeks feel that the mainstream media are biased, and they're not getting news from alternative citizen-run outlets. Joanna Kakissis reports.

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Asia
7:48 am
Sat June 16, 2012

China Mission A Leap Toward Larger Space Goals

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Earlier today, China launched an historic space mission carrying that country's first female astronaut and a couple of male astronauts into space. The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft is on a 13-day trip. The mission is considered an important step toward China's goal of building a space station. We're joined now in our studios by Dean Cheng. He's a research fellow at the Asia Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. Mr. Cheng, thanks for being with us.

DEAN CHENG: Thank you for having me.

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Politics
7:48 am
Sat June 16, 2012

The New Immigration Policy: What's At Stake

Originally published on Sat June 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. President Barack Obama has announced a major change to immigration policy, one that he says could lift the shadow of deportation, as he called it, from hundreds of thousands of young people.

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Politics
7:48 am
Sat June 16, 2012

McConnell Argues Against Requiring Donor Disclosure

Friday Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said it's time to roll back the Watergate-era requirement for public disclosure of campaign donors. He accused President Obama and liberals of trying to stifle the First Amendment rights of conservative donors.

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