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Monday - Tuesday 5:00a - 8:30a, Wednesday - Friday 5:00a - 8:00a
Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne
Elaine Baumgartel

Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition, bringing the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go.

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Movies
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

'Bully' Examines Students Targeted By Their Peers

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

A documentary that has been stirring up headlines for weeks finally opens today. "Bully," from producer Harvey Weinstein, has made news for its controversial R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Weinstein argues the R rating prevents the movie's intended audience - children - from seeing it, and so he decided to release "Bully" unrated.

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Asia
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Apple, Foxconn To Improve Factory Conditions

Apple and its China-based supplier Foxconn have agreed to limit worker overtime and significantly improve health and safety conditions at the plants that produce, among other products, the iPhone and iPad. The move comes after an investigation by the Fair Labor Association found Foxconn factories violate numerous Chinese work rules.

Movies
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Bullying Movie Is Released With No Rating

The Motion Picture Association of America was going to give Bully an R rating for language, but the movie's producer decided to send it out with no rating. The nation's second-largest cinema chain AMC will show it, but Cinemark, the third-largest chain will not.

Election 2012
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

George H.W. Bush: It's Time To Get Behind Romney

In Houston Thursday, former President George H.W. Bush endorsed Mitt Romney's run for the Republican presidential nomination. Bush's endorsement is one more signal from the Republican establishment for the party to close ranks behind Romney.

Science
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

How Much BPA Exposure Is Dangerous?

The FDA has until Saturday to decide whether to ban the plastic additive BPA from food packaging. Some scientists think BPA poses a risk to consumers because it can act like estrogen in the body. But recent studies by government scientists suggest the risk, if any, is minimal.

Business
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Business News

The decision by Research in Motion follows its failure to break into consumer markets dominated by iPhones and androids. Last quarter, the company lost $125 million. Analysts say BlackBerry's main problem is its trouble running third-party applications.

Business
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Stopgap Bill Keeps Transportation Construction Projects Going

President Obama is expected to sign another stopgap funding bill that avoids a weekend shutdown of thousands of transportation construction projects. The measure gives a 90-day funding extension for road, bridge and rail construction projects.

Business
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Best Buy Rethinks The Big-Box Model

Best Buy is trying to wriggle out of the big box. The electronics retailer has a lot of real estate in its giant blue stores, but it isn't profitable space: In its most recent quarter, the company reported a $1.7 billion loss. So it's shedding stores and workers — and rethinking its big-box concept.

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Business
2:00 am
Fri March 30, 2012

Intrigue For Monday's Show: Mystery Powders

You've heard of mystery meats, how about mystery powders courtesy of the ever-innovative food industry. David Greene and NPR's Allison Aubrey offer up a preview of a potentially stomach-turning mystery.

Movie Interviews
1:19 am
Fri March 30, 2012

James Cameron: Diving Deep, Dredging Up Titanic

Credit Mark Thiessen / AP
The Deepsea Challenger submersible begins its first test dive off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Titanic is back. The 1997 blockbuster featuring star-crossed lovers Jack and Rose is being released in 3-D. Starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic was the highest-grossing movie in history — until Avatar.

Both films were directed by James Cameron, who has just returned from a landmark expedition to the deepest point in the ocean: a spot in the far western Pacific called the Challenger Deep.

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Animals
5:37 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Owner Optimistic Stolen Parrot Will Be Returned

The owner of an African grey parrot says he believes the thieves will soon return the bird that was taken recently in England. It seems Chico loves to squawk a song by Queen. The parrot's owner says the thieves will soon tire of hearing "We are the Champions."

Around the Nation
5:30 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Original Picasso Discovered At Ohio Thrift Store

An Ohio man was strolling through a thrift store when he saw a framed poster with Picasso scribbled on it. He bought it for $14.14. The Columbus Dispatch reports an auction house confirmed it was an original design carved by Picasso making the poster worth $6,000.

Post Mortem: Death Investigation In America
3:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

New Evidence In High-Profile Shaken Baby Case

Originally published on Tue April 17, 2012 2:28 pm

A senior pathologist in the Los Angeles County coroner's office has sharply questioned the forensic evidence used to convict a 51-year-old woman of shaking her 7-week-old grandson to death, identifying a host of flaws in the case.

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Health Care
2:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Supreme Court Justices To Decide Health Care Law's Fate

An unprecedented three days of Supreme Court hearings on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law have concluded. Wednesday's proceedings had sessions in the morning and the afternoon, taking on two separate questions related to the law.

Around the Nation
2:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

The Lobbyist Behind Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law

The murder of Trayvon Martin has shone a spotlight on Florida's law that authorizes the use of deadly force in self-defense. The law has been widely cited as the reason why shooter George Zimmerman has not been arrested. Marion Hammer is one of the most powerful lobbyists in Florida, and has helped to make the law a reality in the state.

Business
2:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

The Last Word In Business

The row over Tebow, comes after his recent trade to the New York Jets. Until the beginning of the month, Reebok was the licensed seller of official NFL gear. But Nike paid more than $1 billion for the rights to the new contract which goes into effect next month. Nike says Reebok should only be allowed to sell the old inventory when Tebow was with the Broncos.

Politics
2:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Wis. Board To Set Date Of Governor's Recall Election

Next week's Republican presidential primary in Wisconsin is being overshadowed by the upcoming recall election of Gov. Scott Walker. On Friday, a state board is expected to order the recall election a couple months from now. If Walker were to lose, he'd be only the third Governor in U.S. history to suffer that fate.

Middle East
2:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Blogger: U.S. Shouldn't Trust Egypt's Government

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

The revolution in Egypt is still a work in progress, but one thing that has not changed is the partnership between the U.S. and Egypt's powerful military. In fact, just last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced she would let $1.3 billion in aid flow to Egypt's military, as usual, this year. Clinton said the country has made significant progress toward democracy.

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Remembrances
2:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Influential Poet Adrienne Rich Dies At 82

The Oxford Anthology of Modern American Poetry described Adrienne Rich as "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century." Rich died Tuesday at her home in Santa Cruz, California, at the age of 82. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and macular degeneration.

Planet Money
1:05 am
Thu March 29, 2012

The $200,000-A-Year Nanny

Credit iStockphoto.com

I met Zenaide Muneton in the offices of the Pavillion Agency in New York, which specializes in hiring house staff for some of the richest folks in the country. Muneton says she knows how to make everything fun for kids, even homework, and that's why she is one of the better paid nannies at the agency. I asked her what that means.

"It means over $150,000 a year," Muneton said.

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The Record
7:40 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Bluegrass Legend Earl Scruggs Has Died

Music News
4:20 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

From London, Rock Hall Inductees 'Looked To America'

Originally published on Wed March 28, 2012 10:01 pm

Today, Morning Edition begins a series of stories profiling the six new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a diverse bunch, including two acts that originated in 1960s London: The Small Faces and Donovan.

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Animals
5:22 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Tiny Pup May Take Crown For World's Smallest Dog

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

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Animals
5:15 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Choking Dog Somehow Dials Phone For Help

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

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Around the Nation
2:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Slain Teen's Parents Appear On Capitol Hill

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Florida state investigators are continuing to look into the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. His family has been part of a widespread campaign calling for the arrest of the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed the 17-year-old high school student. Yesterday, the parents of Trayvon Martin were up on Capitol Hill attending a forum on hate crimes and racial profiling. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports from the Capitol.

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Politics
2:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Bill Maher's Obama SuperPAC Donation Causes Stir

Credit Chris Pizzello / AP
Bill Maher, shown here at a 2011 event in Los Angeles, gave $1 million to the superPAC supporting President Obama's re-election bid.

Comedian Bill Maher's $1 million check to the superPAC supporting President Obama's re-election is the first seven-figure donation to the group since Obama tacitly endorsed the fundraising strategy in early February.

And it has brought new focus to some of Maher's statements about women — specifically Republican women — and led to calls for the White House to disavow the HBO host and his money.

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Business
2:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And our last word in business today is lost and found.

For nearly 60 years, the whereabouts of a painting by Paul Cezanne remained a mystery. Some art experts feared his 19th century painting was lost forever. The watercolor is a study for a famous series of oil paintings Cezanne called "The Card Players."

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Business
2:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

The Good And The Bad Of Kenya's First Oil Strike

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Kenya strikes oil - that was the headline in Nairobi's Daily Nation newspaper this week. It's the first time such a discovery has been made in the East African nation. Kenya's energy minister quickly held a press conference with oil company executives. Holding up a glass bottle of crude oil, he pledged to make sure that oil is a blessing for the people and not a curse.

And we're joined now by the BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi to talk about this discovery. Well, good morning.

WILL ROSS: Good morning.

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Law
2:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Individual Mandate

The nation's capital is focused on the Supreme Court this week, and that includes members of Congress. Wednesday is the third day justices will hear arguments considering the constitutionality of President Obama's health care overhaul.

Law
2:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Justices Hear Arguments Over Heart Of Health Law

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

It's the third and final day for the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the Obama health care overhaul. The justices hear arguments today on what parts could remain in effect if the court rules the individual mandate of the health care law is unconstitutional. After yesterday's arguments, that seemed more likely than most experts had expected.

NPR's legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports.

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