Linda Wertheimer

Venezuela, World Leaders Mourn Hugo Chavez

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:50:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Leader from around the world have arrived in Venezuela to pay their final respects to President Hugo Chavez, who used his country's oil wealth to put in place his vision of socialism during 14 years in power. And this larger-than-life leader presumably will continue to inspire his followers. The Venezuelan government plans to embalm his body and keep it on display in a glass coffin.

NPR's Juan Forero is in Caracas following events there. He joins us now. Juan, it sounds like this funeral is an extraordinary event.

Talks On Iran's Nuclear Program To Resume In April

Linda Wertheimer — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:13:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Iran now says compromise on its nuclear program may be possible. Of course, that comes with a number of ifs. Tehran says that's if international negotiators continue to take what it calls a more realistic approach. The big question, Western officials say, is whether Iran is willing to curb its nuclear activities. That is the message, after a two-day meeting between Iran and six world powers. NPR's Peter Kenyon joins us from Almaty, Kazakhstan where the talks just concluded.

Peter, on the surface this sounds like progress.

Is The Call For Universal Pre-Kindergarten Warranted?

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:57:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Providing free preschool education to children across America is a priority for President Obama's second term in office.

(SOUNDBITE OF STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Every dollar we invest in high quality early childhood education can save more than seven dollars later on.

WERTHEIMER: The president made that case in last week's State of the Union message.

(SOUNDBITE OF STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH)

OBAMA: In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up

Politics In The News

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:49:00 +0000

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

And I'm Linda Wertheimer.

President Obama is traveling in Asia this week, reasserting his foreign policy role after months of focus on his re-election bid. But even as the president works to shore up relationships around the world, Republican members of Congress continue to challenge the administration's handling of the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Petraeus To Testify At Closed Congressional Hearings

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:08:00 +0000

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

And I'm Linda Wertheimer.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus is testifying before two congressional committees today. He's been called to discuss the CIA's role in the attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi back in September, an attack that took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. This also happens to be General Petraeus' first public appearance on Capitol Hill since he resigned over an extramarital affair.

China Charges Bo Xilai's Wife In British Man's Killing

Linda Wertheimer — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:23:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

China announced today that it is prosecuting the wife of a disgraced party official for the murder of a British man. It's the latest sensational twist in the country's biggest political scandal in decades. NPR's Louisa Lim joins us now from Beijing. Louisa, could you bring us up to speed on this scandal and what the latest news is?

LOUISA LIM, BYLINE: Yes, Linda. Well, today we had this sudden announcement by the Xinhua news agency that Gu Kailai, the wife of this disgraced official Bo Xilai has recently been prosecuted for intentional homicide.

Dark Doings Among The D.C. Monuments

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 07:03:00 +0000

In Washington, D.C., the glittering marble of public buildings and monuments can conceal the darkest of deeds. And in the crime novels of Mike Lawson, they do.

"When I started writing, the very first decision I made was, I wanted the book set in D.C.," says Lawson, who recently published his seventh Washington-based thriller, House Blood. "That was before I had a character, or anything else."

And he had a reason.

"It's a target-rich environment for a writer," Lawson says.

Physicists Find Evidence Of New Subatomic Particle

Linda Wertheimer — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:08:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. Good morning.

Scientists in Switzerland today say they have made a momentous discovery. They've identified a new sub-atomic particle that helps explain how our universe is put together. It appears to be the long-sought Higgs boson, also called the god particle. The announcement stirred round after round of applause among the gathered scientists, who've been waiting for this moment for decades.

100 Meter Runoff Canceled, Tarmoh Pulls Out Of Race

Linda Wertheimer — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:36:00 +0000

A planned runoff in the 100 meters between Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh was canceled at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., Monday. Tarmoh decided not to race. The two had tied for third place in the women's 100.

European Leaders Grapple With Saving Euro

Linda Wertheimer — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:16:00 +0000

European Union leaders meet in Brussels for their latest summit aimed at saving the eurozone from financial meltdown. The top-level meeting will pit German chancellor Angela Merkel against her increasingly unified partners, France, Italy and Spain, which are determined to win concessions from Europe's economic powerhouse.

Assange Seeks Asylum At Ecuador's London Embassy

Linda Wertheimer — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:08:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, spent the night at the embassy of Ecuador in London. Yesterday, he unexpectedly walked into the embassy and requested political asylum. Assange is seeking to avoid being extradited from Britain to Sweden, where he's wanted for questioning about allegations of sex crimes, including rape. We're joined by NPR's Phil Reeves in London. Phil, why do this now?

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: Because he's reached the end of the road, legally.

College Football Bowl Games Cap 2011 Season

Linda Wertheimer — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:26:00 +0000

College football bowl games began last month but the big games are being played in the new year. There were six games played Monday including the Rose Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. Michigan and Virginia Tech meet Tuesday night in the Sugar Bowl.

Google Searches Are A Window Into Our Culture

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:43:00 +0000

Millions of people are searching for things every day on Google. The people at the giant search engine realized that if they tracked those searches, the patterns can tell us about what's happening with people's lives.

Egyptian Military Raids Foreign-Funded NGO Offices

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:06:00 +0000

The State Department is calling on Egyptian authorities to stop the harassment of non-governmental organizations. Egyptian security forces earlier raided the offices of 17 NGOs. The military claims some of them were operating without permits.

NBA Stars Didn't Disappoint In Season Openers

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:26:00 +0000

Perhaps more than any other major professional sports league in this country, the National Basketball Association is star-driven. A Christmas slate of season-opening games featured the electric play of the league's Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose, the NBA's top scorer Kevin Durant and LeBron James, too.

What's Behind House GOP's Payroll Tax Reversal?

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Three days of intense pressure persuaded House Republicans to give in and approve a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment compensation benefits. Linda Wertheimer talks to NPR's Tamara Keith about the reversal by GOP leaders in the House.

NBA Kicksoff Shortened Season On Christmas Day

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Men's professional basketball was on a long break because of the lockout. But on Christmas Day, the NBA season begins with a five-game package featuring exciting teams and glittering superstars. There's a rematch between defending champion Dallas and everyone's favorite team to hate — the Miam Heat.

U.S. Admits To Some Mistakes In Deadly Pakistan Raid

Linda Wertheimer — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

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The United States has admitted that NATO forces made mistakes that led to the deaths of two dozen Pakistani soldiers. The incident happened along the Afghan-Pakistan border in November. Pakistan had claimed the U.S. purposely attacked its troops and the incident contributed to a spiraling deterioration in relations between the two allies. Now, according to the Pentagon's investigation, the United States admits some responsibility for the deadly raid.

Hundreds Killed In Bloody Month For Syrian Uprising

Linda Wertheimer — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

And I'm Linda Wertheimer. In Syria, this week has been one of the bloodiest reported in months. Activists and groups monitoring Syria say hundreds have been killed as the government moves against villages and towns near the Turkish border. The Syrian government acknowledges the campaign but calls it a fight against terrorists.

In Washington, the White House condemned the rising death toll. The French government called it a massacre.

Politics In the News

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Millions of Americans, who have benefited from a holiday in paying Social Security payroll taxes, cannot count on that being extended beyond the first of the year. House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that the bipartisan deal worked out by the Senate to keep the tax cut going for another couple of months would not pass muster with House Republicans.

5 Years Later: Calderon's War On Cartels

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's declaration of all-out war against drug traffickers in his country. In 2006, he vowed to use all the powers of the state to take down the drug lords. The narco-war has left a stunning toll — more than 40,000 people dead.

23 European Countries Sign On To Fiscal Pact

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

After meeting Friday in Brussels until the early morning hours, most European leaders agreed to a plan to move ahead with more budget discipline. Are world financial markets likely to see the talks as a failure or as progress?

Blasts Across Afghanistan Kill Dozens

Linda Wertheimer — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

And I'm Linda Wertheimer.

There've been multiple bombings in Afghanistan today. In Kabul, a suicide-bomber has killed dozens of people at a procession marking the Muslim Shiite holiday of Ashura. Suicide attacks in Kabul have been sporadic. But today's incident is particularly disturbing because it appears to be a sectarian attack; something that Afghanistan had previously escaped, even amid the terrible violence of recent decades.

Egyptian Protests Continue On Friday

Linda Wertheimer — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Egypt's ruling military council and anti-government protesters are in a standoff. The military council has pledge to hand over power once a newly- elected president and parliament are in place next summer, but protesters have rejected the idea.

A Wary Truce Emerges In Egypt

Linda Wertheimer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:30:32 +0000

In Egypt, intense clashes between protestors and security forces overnight raised the death toll from recent violence to at least 40. But both sides appear to be observing a truce this morning, with protestors who are pouring into the square limiting their actions to chants against Egypt's military rulers. Tens of thousands of Egyptians have been protesting since last Friday, demanding the ruling military council step aside.

Analysis Of GOP Presidential Debate

Linda Wertheimer — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

NPR's Tom Gjelten watched the debate last night to assess the accuracy of the candidates statements, and he's here now to share that fact checking. Good morning, Tom.

TOM GJELTEN, BYLINE: Good morning, Linda.

WERTHEIMER: So, did anything you heard last night jump out as especially in need of having its facts checked?

GJELTEN: There were a bunch of dubious claims, but I'll just highlight one really questionable statement.

Politics In The News

Linda Wertheimer — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

For more on why the work for the supercommittee has been so difficult, let's turn to NPR's Cokie Roberts. She's with us this morning, as she is most Mondays. Good morning, Cokie.

COKIE ROBERTS, BYLINE: Hi, Linda.

WERTHEIMER: We just heard Senator Patty Murray talking about lawmakers being committed to a lobbyist rather than to the people. Sounds like Democratic talking points, no?

ROBERTS: Yes, indeed, and that's what the Democrats are doing.