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Shots - Health News
8:35 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was chosen by House Republican leaders to manage a bill that would ban many abortions.

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 8:43 pm

The House has passed one of the most far-reaching abortion bills in decades. But it's unlikely to ever become law.

By a mostly party-line vote Tuesday of 228-196, lawmakers passed the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which would ban nearly all abortions starting 20 weeks after fertilization.

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Code Switch
8:04 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

How The Civil Rights Movement Was Covered In Birmingham

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 10:32 pm

As the Civil Rights Movement was unfolding across the US in 1963, the entire nation had its eyes on climactic events taking place in Southern cities like Birmingham, Ala., and Jackson, Miss. But there's a stark difference between how the national press covered the events in Birmingham and how Birmingham's papers covered their own city.

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The Two-Way
7:13 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Google Files First-Amendment Request With FISA Court

Google has filed a legal motion asserting its "First Amendment right to publish aggregate information about FISA orders," asking the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to remove the gag order that keeps the company from issuing that information. Google and other big U.S. tech companies have been under fire after it was reported that they allowed the National Security Agency to mine customer data, in a government program called PRISM.

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The Two-Way
6:21 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

A Field Guide To Jimmy Hoffa Searches

Credit Carlos Osorio / AP
Law enforcement officials search an area in Oakland Township, Mich., on Tuesday for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa. The former Teamsters president was last seen at a Detroit-area restaurant in 1975.

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:32 pm

The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa's final resting place was opened yet again Monday, when the FBI began digging up a field near Detroit in the hopes of finding the former Teamsters president, who was last seen on July 30, 1975.

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Education
6:19 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Home-Schooled Students Fight To Play On Public School Teams

Credit Stephen Brashear / AP
Advocates of allowing home-schooled students to play on public school teams have dubbed legislation allowing it "Tim Tebow bills," after the former NFL quarterback who was home-schooled in Florida.

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:42 pm

Legislative battles are being fought around the country over whether or not to let home-schooled students play on public high school teams.

Roughly half of U.S. states have passed laws making them eligible to play on the teams. Advocates have dubbed them "Tim Tebow bills," after the NFL quarterback who was home-schooled when he played on a high school team.

But an attempt by Indiana to find a middle ground may not have solved the problem in that state.

Somewhere In The Middle

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Architecture
6:18 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Change Is On The Horizon For London's Famous Skyline

Credit Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images
London's 122 Leadenhall Street (nicknamed the "Cheese-Grater") is shown under construction on March 5. Once complete it will be London's second-tallest building. The recent construction of numerous skyscrapers has sparked concern that views of historic landmark buildings, such as St Paul's Cathedral, are being obscured.

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:32 pm

Cities are defined by their skylines — while Paris is composed mostly of low-rise apartment buildings, New York is a city of tall office towers. But London is a city in transition. On Tuesday, Boris Johnson, the mayor of the British capital, attends a "topping out" ceremony for one of London's latest skyscrapers in a city where tall buildings cause a lot of controversy.

Until recently, London has been a low-rise city.
 Even now, a 12-story building is considered rather tall.
 But a spate of new skyscrapers is raising questions about the kind of city London should be.

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History
6:18 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

A Look Back At How Newspapers Covered The Civil Rights Movement

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

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The Two-Way
6:13 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

'We Were Told To Lie,' Say Bank Of America Employees

Credit Chuck Burton / AP
Employees say Bank of America encouraged them to lie and falsify records to push more accounts into foreclosure.

Six former employees and one contractor say Bank of America's mortgage servicing unit consistently lied to homeowners, fraudulently denied loan modifications and offered bonuses to staff for intentionally pushing people into foreclosure, according to a Salon.com report.

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The Two-Way
5:34 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Perk Backlash: Do Surprise Upgrades Make Us Uneasy?

Credit iStockphoto.com
A new study finds that while "receiving unearned preferential treatment does generate positive reactions, it is not always an entirely pleasurable experience." Examples include getting a free upgrade on a hotel room.

Whether it's a free upgrade on a hotel room or skipping ahead in the check-in line, many businesses give preferential treatment to some customers, hoping to make them more loyal. The practice often works — but a new study suggests that when we get perks we didn't earn, negative feelings can result. And they can make a surprise deal a little less sweet.

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Shots - Health News
5:06 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Patients Lead The Way As Medicine Grapples With Apps

Credit Heather Rousseau / NPR
How many calories in that bite? My Fitness Pal and other fitness and nutrition apps can help find the answer.

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 10:39 pm

Christine Porter is hooked on the MyFitnessPal app. In October, after deciding to lose 50 pounds, Porter started typing in everything she eats, drinks and any exercise she gets.

"This is my main page here," says Porter. "It's telling me I have about 1,200 calories remaining for the day. When I want to record something I just click the 'add to diary' button. I'm on it all day either through my phone or through the computer."

She says she's lost 42 pounds in nine months.

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The Two-Way
5:05 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

The 'Standing Man' Of Turkey: Act Of Quiet Protest Goes Viral

Credit Petr David Josek / AP
Erdem Gunduz (center) stands in Instanbul's Taksim Square early Tuesday. After weeks of clashes with police, many Turkish protesters were inspired to emulate Gunduz, and stand silently.

As protests against the Turkish government enter their third week, activists are taking increasingly creative measures to maintain their momentum.

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NPR Story
4:55 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Letters: Mozart's Violin And The Price Of Potatoes

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:18 pm

Robert Siegel and Melissa Block read emails from listeners about Mozart's violin and the price of potatoes.

The Two-Way
4:22 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

'Days Of Rambo Are Over': Pentagon Details Women's Move To Combat

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
Women in the U.S. military will be integrated into front-line combat units by 2016, the Pentagon says. Here, female Marine recruits stand in formation during pugil stick training in boot camp earlier this year at Parris Island, S.C.

Women in America's armed services will have new options for what units they can join in coming years, the Pentagon says. The military said in January that it will end its combat exclusion that set a minimum size for units in which women could be deployed; the limit kept many women away from front-line combat units. The shift means women could join elite forces such as the Army Rangers and Navy SEALs.

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The Salt
4:06 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

The Mystery Of the Ridiculously Pricey Bag Of Potatoes

Credit iStockphoto.com
How much for that bag of potatoes?

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 5:39 pm

On Monday we told you about allegations that America's potato growers had banded together in a price-fixing Potato Cartel.

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All Tech Considered
3:52 pm
Tue June 18, 2013

Mexico's Tech Startups Look To Overcome Barriers To Growth

Credit Mónica Ortiz Uribe for NPR
Enrique Lima is a co-founder of Publish 88, a Mexican startup that develops software for publishing companies.

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 6:18 pm

In the past decade, Mexico's tech industry has flourished, growing three times faster than the global average. Most of that growth has been fueled by demand from the United States. But as Mexico's startups strive to make it in foreign markets, they say they need more engineers and ways to finance their growth.

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