Africa
10:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

At 85, Senegal's Defiant President Seeks A New Term

Credit Gabriela Barnuevo / AP
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, 85, greets supporters during a campaign rally in Dakar last week. He is seeking a third term. Critics say he is violating the constitution and should step down.

The Senegalese are known for campaigning loudly, musically and enthusiastically, yet the country's reputation for democracy and stability in turbulent West Africa has taken a knock as it prepares for elections on Feb. 26.

When Senegal's top court gave its blessing last month to President Abdoulaye Wade's third-term ambitions, his opponents angrily took to the streets to demonstrate their disapproval.

Senegal was tense as police clashed with protesters demanding that the president withdraw his candidacy.

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Asia
10:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

A Pragmatic Princeling Next In Line To Lead China

Second of three parts

In northwestern China's Shaanxi province, a neatly manicured and landscaped memorial park the size of six soccer fields is one sign of the revolutionary lineage of Xi Jinping, the man set to become China's next leader.

Known as a Communist Party princeling, Xi is the 58-year-old son of Xi Zhongxun, a deputy prime minister and revolutionary hero who died in 2002.

The elder Xi was born in Fuping county in Shaanxi, more than 600 miles southwest of Beijing, and is considered a hometown hero.

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The Impact of War
10:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Building Better Houses For Wounded Soldiers

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 9:02 am

All wars bring innovations — in weapons, and also in ways to repair the damage done. Penicillin is one of the more famous examples: It came into use as a treatment for troops in World War II.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought their own breakthroughs, none more dramatic than the prosthetics that come close to giving back what has been lost. And big advances in treating grievous injuries have meant many more troops coming home alive.

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Music Interviews
7:00 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

The Chieftains: For 50 Years, Irish Music For The World

Credit Barry McCall

Originally published on Tue February 14, 2012 6:53 am

Paul McCartney, Madonna, Doc Watson and Luciano Pavarotti have at least one thing in common: They've all collaborated with Irish folk band

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The Conservation Beat
6:01 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Pricey Los Alamos Project on Pause

Under the President’s budget proposal a controversial $6 billion dollar nuclear lab at Los Alamos has been put on hold for at least five years.  KUNM’s Conservation Beat reporter Sidsel Overgaard has more.

The Two-Way
4:55 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

North Dakota Higher Ed Board Will Sue To Drop 'Fighting Sioux' Nickname

Credit Dale Wetzel / AP
Charles Tuttle, a backer of the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname, watches as a woman signs petitions supporting the nickname on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

It's an issue that's been controversial since at least the 1960s and, through the years, the University of North Dakota has vacillated on whether to keep its controversial "Fighting Sioux" nickname for its sports teams.

Today that controversy was extended, yet again, when North Dakota's Higher Education Board decided to go to court to challenge a voter referendum that could have forced the university to adopt the name again.

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It's All Politics
4:16 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

GOP Candidates And The Budget: A Look At Their Plans

It goes without saying that the men who are vying for the Republican presidential nomination found serious flaws with the budget plan President Obama released Monday. But it got us thinking, this might also be a good time to dig into the budget plans offered by the GOP candidates.

All of the candidates want to cut government spending and balance the federal budget. They also want to cut taxes.

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The Two-Way
4:12 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Federal Appeals Court Hears Challenge To California Affirmative Action Ban

U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard a challenge to California's 15-year ban on using affirmative action in public college admissions.

As the AP put it, Proposition 209, as it's known, "barred racial, ethnic or gender preferences in public education, employment and contracting." And over the 15 years since it was approved by California voters, that same court has upheld it.

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Music
4:10 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

The Ballad Of The Tearful: Why Some Songs Make You Cry

Credit Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Adele won the song of the year category at this year's Grammy Awards for her tear-jerker "Someone Like You."

British singer Adele won six Grammy Awards on Sunday night, including one for her aching ballad "Someone Like You." What is it that makes a song like hers such an emotional powder keg?

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CounterSpin
3:57 pm
Mon February 13, 2012

Jon O'Brien on contraception controversy, Richard Rothstein on segregation study

Tue. 2/14 8:30a: Another front has opened up in the long-running battle over the new health care law. 

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