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Sports
8:03 am
Sun June 3, 2012

Sports Reporter Stands Out From The Sidelines

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 2:50 pm

On Saturday night, the NBA semifinals notched yet another thriller as the Oklahoma City Thunder resisted a late push by the San Antonio Spurs. The series is now even at 2-2.

Thunder star Kevin Durant's fourth-quarter heroics were a spectacle — but just as mesmerizing was the man patrolling the sidelines in a pearly white jacket, blue shirt and fire-truck red pants.

That would be Craig Sager, TNT's go-to sideline reporter for NBA games. His outlandish outfits have made him an iconic part of the NBA on TV.

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Politics
8:03 am
Sun June 3, 2012

Enthusiasm To Recall Wis. Governor May Be Waning

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 10:37 am

On Tuesday, Wisconsin voters will decide whether Republican Scott Walker becomes just the third governor recalled from office in U.S. history. But as NPR's David Schaper reports, some now wonder whether the intensity of the left has been eclipsed by the resolve of the right.

Europe
8:03 am
Sun June 3, 2012

'Theater' On The Thames Marks Queen's 60 Years

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 10:37 am

The queen of England this year marks 60 years on the throne, and Buckingham Palace is coordinating a week of events, including a concert at the palace and a 1,000-boat flotilla along the River Thames. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Economy
8:03 am
Sun June 3, 2012

The Economy From The People's Perspective

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 10:37 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

Disappointing. Dismal. Bleak. These are just a few of the words used to describe the latest employment report. It showed that the U.S. economy added just 69,000 jobs in May. That's less than half of what economists had expected. And this was the third consecutive month of weak results, which raises new concerns about the sputtering economic recovery.

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Economy
8:03 am
Sun June 3, 2012

We Got The Jobs Report, Now What?

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 10:37 am

Friday's disappointing jobs report added to worries the recovery is in trouble. Only 69,000 new jobs were added to payrolls, and the unemployment rate moved higher, to 8.2 percent. Suddenly there is more talk about the Fed and what it might do to get the economy moving again. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Art & Design
6:17 am
Sun June 3, 2012

Blacksmiths Forge A New Kind Of Artisanal Future

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 7:37 pm

Adam's Forge is a dark, high-ceilinged warehouse space in Los Angeles. It's set up with anvils, medieval-looking tools and black ovens that breathe fire.

Recently, about a dozen people gathered for an advanced class taught by master blacksmith Mark Aspery.

Blacksmithing is an ancient trade that, like other crafts, saw a downturn during the Industrial Revolution, when machines took over jobs that humans once did. Now, blacksmithing is having a small revival as smiths build new ways of connecting with customers.

'This Is My Craft'

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It's All Politics
6:16 am
Sun June 3, 2012

Congress May Not Be As Bad As All That

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 5:24 pm

Washington isn't working. With control of the government divided between the parties and every political incentive working against bipartisan cooperation, Congress can barely pass the minimum amount of legislation needed to avoid a government shutdown, let alone address the most pressing issues of the day.

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Middle East
5:05 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

Life Sentence For Ex-Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 6:49 pm

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison Saturday for his role in killing protesters during the revolution that ousted him from power.

A hushed courtroom listened as the head judge read the verdict: guilty of accessory to murder and attempted murder. Mubarak lay motionless on a hospital gurney inside a courtroom cage, his only noticeable emotion being the slight quivering of his lips.

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Remembrances
5:05 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

A Life's Promise, Tragically Broken

Credit AP
Marina Keegan, 22, graduated from Yale University just days before she died in a car crash.

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 6:59 pm

Marina Keegan had just graduated from Yale University with a degree in English and was headed off to a job at The New Yorker. On May 26, she died in a car crash near her family's summer home in Massachusetts.

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Music Interviews
5:05 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

The Beach Boys: The Harmony Is Endless After All

Credit Guy Webster / Courtesy of the artist
The Beach Boys' new album — the first collaboration in decades between founding members Brian Wilson (third from left) and Mike Love (second from right) — is called That's Why God Made the Radio.

The Beach Boys are in harmony again. The group is recording and performing together, after years of disputes and estrangement.

Brian Wilson and Mike Love tell Guy Raz, host of weekends on All Things Considered, that they're not surprised at the reunion.

"We've had 50 years' practice," Wilson says, "not just in music but in being guys."

Love says once they got back in the studio and started writing again, it felt like they had never left.

"It was nuts," Wilson says. "It was a nutbuster."

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NPR Story
4:44 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

Should The West Intervene In Syria?

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 5:05 pm

With violence escalating and journalists barred from the country, it's becoming harder to know how far and fast Syria is slipping into chaos. Host Guy Raz speaks with Paul Wood, world affairs correspondent for the BBC and one of few western journalists to have visited in the country in recent weeks. Then Raz speaks with Marwa Daoudy, visiting professor at Princeton from Oxford University, and Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center, about the stakes of Western intervention to halt the violence.

NPR Story
4:44 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

Week In News: Job And The Campaign Trail

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 6:31 pm

With the unemployment rate climbing to 8.2 percent, the Mitt Romney presidential campaign can focus on the economy as issue No. 1 this November. Host Guy Raz speaks with news analyst James Fallows of The Atlantic about the economic malaise and how it may affect the election.

NPR Story
4:44 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

New Jobs Can't Keep Up With Population Growth

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 5:05 pm

Among the more than 12 million Americans out of work, almost half have been out of work for more than six months. In its latest issue, Bloomberg Businessweek magazine profiles 12 people among these long-term unemployed who have managed to get back into the workforce. Host Guy Raz talks with Josh Green, senior national correspondent with Bloomberg Businessweek.

It's All Politics
3:32 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

Battles Over Voter ID Laws Intensify

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Attorney General Eric Holder addresses the Congressional Black Caucus Faith Leaders Summit and National Black Churches Annual Consultation on Wednesday in Washington.

As both parties turn to the general election, and the potentially pivotal role of minority voters, battles over voter identification and other new state election laws are intensifying.

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Simon Says
8:35 am
Sat June 2, 2012

Just Deserts Follow Attempted Pastie Tax

Credit Justin Tallis / AFP/Getty Images
Protesters gather outside Downing Street in London to deliver a petition against the so-called "pasty tax," a government bid to levy 20 percent tax on hot takeaway food.

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 2:39 pm

Sometimes, politicians eat their words. This week, the British government reversed course on a plan to place a 20 percent tax on all foods sold hot — with no exemption for pasties.

Pasties are hand food, baked for Cornish miners to eat when they could put aside their pickaxes. People eat pasties today as they sit on a bench for a few minutes' respite or walk along the street between chores. They have become comfort, convenience, pub-crawling and football-watching food.

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Middle East
7:55 am
Sat June 2, 2012

As Killings Continue In Syria, A Look At UN's Role

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 11:01 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Last night in Syria, the third massacre in a week. This time a dozen workers were found shot to death, their bodies dumped in a field. The United Nations has called for an investigation into the mass killings last weekend in Houla of more than 100 people, many of them women and children. We're joined now from the United Nations in New York by Kieran Dwyer. He's the chief spokesman for the U.N. Peacekeeping Department. Mr. Dwyer, thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

KIERAN DWYER: Hello.

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Middle East
7:55 am
Sat June 2, 2012

A Case For Military Intervention In Syria

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 11:01 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

For more on possible options in Syria, we're joined by Thomas P.M. Barnett. He is a former Pentagon analyst who's written in support of military intervention in Syria on Time magazine's Battleland blog. Mr. Barnett's also chief analyst at Wikistrat, a consultancy firm on geopolitical analysis. He joins us from his office in Indianapolis. Mr. Barnett, thanks for being with us.

THOMAS P.M. BARNETT: Thanks for having me on.

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Business
7:55 am
Sat June 2, 2012

Implications Of The Facebook Let-Down

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 11:01 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

You know, if Facebook were a Broadway show, they'd be firing the director and rewriting the script. Facebook share price closed this week at $27.72. That's more than a 25 percent drop from its initial public offering price. The social networks debut as a publically traded company last month has been panned, questioned and trouble by a Securities and Exchange Commission probe and shareholder lawsuits.

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Economy
7:55 am
Sat June 2, 2012

Europe's Debt Weighs On U.S. Employers

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 11:01 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

So, why is job growth slowing? Well, part of the problem, as we just heard, appears to be in Europe. The economic turmoil there is looking worse, and that has ripped into the U.S. economy and slowing down hiring. NPR's Chris Arnold has more from Boston.

CHRIS ARNOLD, BYLINE: The weather this week was beautiful in Boston, so it's perfect for tourists having lunch outside by the harbor or taking a trolley bus around to do some sightseeing.

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Religion
7:55 am
Sat June 2, 2012

Nuns Fight Back Against Vatican Report

Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 11:01 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. There's a showdown between American sisters and the Vatican. The Vatican is cracking down on the largest organization for U.S. sisters, called the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Pope Benedict has appointed an archbishop to oversee and reform the organization, accusing it of what amounts to doctrinal dissidence. Now, the sisters are fighting back - at least verbally. We're joined by NPR's religion correspondent, Barbara Bradley Hagerty. Barbara, thanks for being with us.

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