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Sports
6:00 am
Sat March 31, 2012

Final Four Teams Known For Strength, Rivalries

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Time for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPORTS THEME MUSIC)

SIMON: Tonight, the party begins on Bourbon Street. Hey, wait. Do parties on Bourbon Street ever end? Anyway, the NCAA men's basketball tournament is down to its Final Four teams. They're four famous basketball programs and the women's Final Four starts tomorrow night in Denver with another quartet of traditional powerhouses.

NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman Tom joins us. Tom, thanks for being with us.

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Law
6:00 am
Sat March 31, 2012

Supreme Court Review: Justices Take On Health Care

This past week at the Supreme Court, judges heard three days of arguments on President Obama's health care law. The justices asked questions to decide whether the Affordable Care Act overreaches the Constitution. NPR's Nina Totenberg and Julie Rovner review the week's events with host Scott Simon.

Business
6:00 am
Sat March 31, 2012

Quaker Oats Man Sheds Some Pounds

Host Scott Simon notes that the Quaker on the cover of the Quaker Oats box has gotten a makeover.

Politics
2:30 am
Sat March 31, 2012

'Obamacare' Sounds Different When Supporters Say It

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
Supporters of the health care law have recently embraced the term "Obamacare," a word they once recoiled from.

Until recently, "Obamacare" was a word mostly used by opponents of President Obama's health care law. Now, supporters of the law are attempting to claim it as their own.

During the three days of health care hearings, protesters outside of the Supreme Court in favor of the law returned to one chant more than any other: "We love Obamacare."

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Monkey See
10:01 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Snow White Rising: Why This Princess, And Why This Moment?

Originally published on Tue April 3, 2012 12:44 pm

Snow White is having a moment.

The new movie Mirror Mirror stars Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. In June, another Snow White movie opens starring another Oscar winner, Charlize Theron, in the same role. And Disney is working on a new animated film loosely based on Snow White set in 19th-century China. So what makes Snow White so right for right now?

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Middle East
6:20 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

To Keep Protesters Away, Egypt's Police Put Up Walls

Middle East
5:07 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Israel, West Bank Settlers Brace For Showdown

Credit Sebastian Scheiner / AP
Israel's Supreme Court has ruled the West Bank Jewish settlement outpost of Migron must be destroyed by August 2012.

Originally published on Fri May 11, 2012 8:33 pm

Just two months ago, Aviela Deitch was proud to show off what residents had built on the hilltop outpost of Migron, just a few miles away from the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

At that time, the Israeli Supreme Court had already ruled that Migron was sitting on private Palestinian property and had ordered Migron settlers to evacuate.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:49 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Scientific Journals Plan To Publish Contentious Bird Flu Research

A government advisory committee has reconsidered its advice to keep certain details of bird flu experiments secret.

Revised versions of manuscripts that describe two recent studies can be openly published, the committee now says. The decision could help end a contentious debate that has raged within the scientific community for months.

In response, the editors of two journals immediately said they planned to publish the research soon.

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The Salt
3:26 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Is That A Crushed Bug In Your Frothy Starbucks Drink?

Credit Flickr via Wikimedia Commons
The tiny white insects that feed on cactus turn into red cochineal when crushed. Starbucks uses the dye in some of its products.

Call it the tempest in the Frappuccino. Some Starbucks patrons have been distressed to learn that the chain's Strawberry and Creme Frappuccino owes its pink coloring to crushed insects.

The coloring in question, cochineal, is made from a tiny white insect, Dactylopius coccus. When crushed, its body exudes a brilliant red color. Cochineal has been used as a coloring for foods and makeup for centuries.

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The Two-Way
3:18 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Current TV Fires Keith Olbermann

Credit Current TV
Keith Olbermann hosted a commentary show on Current TV.

Less than a year after he was hired, Current TV said it was ending its contract with lead anchor Keith Olbermann. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who had an ill-fated run on CNN, will replace him.

Current announced the move in an open letter to its viewers from Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, Current's founders.

The letter reads in part:

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Jazz
2:56 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Reviving James Booker, The 'Piano Prince Of New Orleans'

Every day in New Orleans, Lily Keber rolls out of bed and walks to a flat, minor office building to meet her muse. Keber makes a cup of coffee with chicory, hooks up her computer and waits for what sounds like a dozen spiders to crawl across a piano.

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Asia
2:50 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Myanmar Hurriedly Prepares For An Election

In Myanmar's capital, Yangon, there's an unremarkable old building that's drawing people from around the world.

It's the headquarters of the National League for Democracy, the political opposition party headed by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. This weekend, she is running for elective office for the first time, and the humble house has become the focus of even greater attention.

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Planet Money
2:49 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

On Tour With Nancy Pelosi, Fundraising Rock Star

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nancy Pelosi has raised $300 million for Democrats.

This story is part of a Planet Money series on money in politics. Also see our story, "Senator By Day, Telemarketer By Night, and listen to us this weekend on This American Life.

Democrats love Nancy Pelosi. Republicans hate Nancy Pelosi.

One key reason for both the love and the hate: Nancy Pelosi is incredibly good at her job. And a huge part of that job is raising money.

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Latin America
2:28 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Venezuelans Tune In For Scoops On Chavez's Health

For nearly a year, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been treated for cancer, but little is known about his health beyond the information he himself provides.

That has led to speculation about his health swirling in the president's oil-rich country, particularly over whether he can withstand a grueling campaign as he seeks a third presidential term.

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Middle East
2:19 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Diplomats Gather, But Syrian Truce Remains Elusive

Credit Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images
Syrian opposition groups gathered in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday, as the factions attempt to form a more unified front. This Sunday, the opposition factions, including the main Syrian National Council, will be joined by diplomats in a meeting of the "Friends of Syria."

U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan says the Syrian government should be the first to enact a cease-fire, but there was no sign of that on Friday. More violence erupted in several Syrian cities as diplomats prepared for Sunday's meeting of the "Friends of Syria" in Istanbul, Turkey.

The gathering comes at a time of growing disaffection with diplomatic efforts and an increase in attacks by Syrian opposition fighters.

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The Two-Way
2:13 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Defending Kentucky's Coach Calipari: Not A Tough Assignment

Credit Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Kentucky coach John Calipari has been criticized as being more of a recruiter than a coach. But that doesn't mean his approach to the game is easy.

The critique of University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari is that he does what it takes to get his players, and they do what they want from there. Sure, this thinking goes, he's yelling at them from the sidelines whenever one — specifically Terrence Jones — puts up a 3-point shot from a step behind the arc. But he's not much of a coach.

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The Two-Way
2:05 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Ivy Leagues Post Record Low Admission Rates

Some Ivy League schools are posting some of the lowest admission rates on record, this year. Harvard for example only accepted 2,032 of the 34,302 students who applied. That's a 5.9 percent acceptance rate, which is a record low for the school.

The New York Times reports:

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Poetry
1:39 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

NewsPoet: Kevin Young Writes The Day In Verse

Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
Poet Kevin Young visits NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Friday as a NewsPoet guest.

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 10:22 am

Today at All Things Considered we continue a project we're calling NewsPoet. Each month we bring in a poet to spend time in the newsroom — and at the end of the day, to compose a poem reflecting on the day's stories.

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The Two-Way
1:35 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

One Of Britain's Most Tenacious Pugilists Returns To Parliament

Credit Andrew Yates / AFP/Getty Images
British politician George Galloway celebrated today after winning the Bradford West by-election in northern England.

Those in Britain who complain that their politicians tend to be mealy-mouthed mediocrities who spend their lives battling over the middle ground are being compelled to think again.

One of the country's most fiesty political brawlers, George Galloway, has once again sprung back into the political ring by unexpectedly securing a return to parliament, long after most pundits had written him off.

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Opinion
12:46 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Lone Star State Of Mind: Could Texas Go It Alone?

It's a popular idea in Texas that the Lone Star State — once an independent republic — could break away and go it alone. A few years ago, Texas Gov. Rick Perry hinted that if Washington didn't stop meddling in his state, independence might be an option. In his brief run for the White House, he insisted that nearly anything the feds do, the states — and Texas in particular — could do better.

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The Two-Way
12:13 pm
Fri March 30, 2012

Tombstone Of Adolf Hitler's Parents Removed From Austrian Cemetery

The tombstone that marked the grave of Adolf Hitler's parents has been removed from an Austrian cemetery.

The BBC reports the decision was made to keep right-wing extremists from using the graves as a pilgrimage site. The AFP reports:

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It's All Politics
11:38 am
Fri March 30, 2012

RNC's 'Doctored' And Panned SCOTUS Ad Gets Noticed Which Was Goal

Credit RNC wed ad screenshot
Shots - Health Blog
11:30 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Take Your Dog To The Office And Stress Less

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 3:17 pm

Any dog owner will tell you that they're a lot less stressed out when they're with their dog. Even at work. And now science agrees.

People who took their dogs to work in an office in Greensboro, N.C., had lower stress levels through the work day, as reported on self-reported test.

The employees who hadn't brought their dogs to work said their stress levels increased through the work day. So did the non-pet owners. But the dog owners said they stayed mellow as the day went on.

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The Salt
11:24 am
Fri March 30, 2012

How Your Grill Brush Could Make You Sick

Credit Stephan Zabel / iStockphoto.com
A radiologist says more research is needed before everyone throws out their grill brush.
The Two-Way
11:20 am
Fri March 30, 2012

MasterCard, Visa Warn Of Credit Card Data Theft

Credit Elaine Thompson / AP
A customer swipes a MasterCard debit card through a machine while checking-out at a shop in Seattle.

MasterCard and Visa have warned banks that a third party processor has experienced a data breach. In statement, both card associations acknowledged the breach and MasterCard said that law enforcement is involved and "is currently the subject of an ongoing forensic review by an independent data security organization."

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Krulwich Wonders...
11:14 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Neuroscientists Battle Furiously Over Jennifer Aniston

Think of Jennifer, or as we like to call her, "Jen." Jen of the dazzling smile, Jen of the gorgeous chin, Jen with her hair down, Jen tousled, Jen as Rachel, Jen with Brad; Jen without Brad, Jen with Vince, Jen at the Oscars, and, of course, Jen as a neuron in the medial part of the temporal lobe.

Maybe you missed that last Jen.

A few years ago, a UCLA neurosurgeon named Itzhak Fried, while operating on patients who suffer from debilitating epileptic seizures, discovered what he now calls the "Jennifer Aniston Neuron."

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The Two-Way
10:55 am
Fri March 30, 2012

How Far Would You Go For A Mega Millions Ticket?

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

With $540 million (wait — it just went up to $640 million!) on the line, it's not surprising that Alabama resident Lance Larka is willing to drive across the state line for a chance to win the record Mega Millions jackpot.

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The Two-Way
10:43 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Court Orders Egyptian Government To Censor Internet Porn

Credit Amro Maraghi / AFP/Getty Images
Supporters of an Egyptian Islamist candidate hold his posters as they drive through Cairo on Friday. If Abu Ismail is elected he plans to apply a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

In the sign of the bigger cultural struggle in a post-Mubarak Egypt, a court has ordered the government to ban pornographic Internet sites.

One of the big questions facing Egypt now that Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule has ended is what kind of role religion will play in the new government. Some of the Islamists who control parliament have expressed that they would like the country ruled by sharia.

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Politics
10:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Co-Author Defends GOP Budget Plan

Republican Congressman Todd Young helped draft Rep. Paul Ryan's 2013 budget that passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Congressman Young speaks with guest host Jacki Lyden about the budget plan and Democrats' opposition to it, including calls that the plan would hurt programs like food stamps and Medicaid.

Politics
10:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Parties Ready To Take Budget To Campaign Trail?

Guest host Jacki Lyden continues the conversation about the passage of Congressman Paul Ryan's budget plan in the House of Representatives. Lyden speaks with NPR Washington Editor S.V. Date about what the vote means and whether the plan's passage may signal long budget battles ahead.

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