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The Salt
2:55 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Is Adding Fiber To Food Really Good For Your Health?

Credit John Rose / NPR
Food products need at least 3 grams of fiber to be labeled as a good source of fiber.

Originally published on Wed February 15, 2012 2:08 pm

I'm standing in the cereal aisle with three items in my basket: a box of sugary kids' cereal, some yogurt and a bottle of apple juice. According to their labels, all three of these foods are good sources of fiber, which, if you think about it, may say as much about us (the shoppers) as it does about the food we buy.

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Health
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Scientists Take Cautious Tack On Bird Flu Research

Credit AFP/Getty Images
A government veterinarian worker sprays anti-bird flu disinfectant over birds and fowls at Medan city market in North Sumatra province. Indonesia reported its second human death from bird flu this year in late January.

Last month, scientists around the world agreed to temporarily halt certain genetic experiments with bird flu viruses. More than three weeks of that 60-day moratorium have already passed. And the scientific community is in the midst of a fierce debate about what needs to happen next.

The suspension of the research came in response to fears that researchers had created dangerous new germs that could cause a devastating pandemic in people if they ever escaped the lab or fell into the wrong hands.

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Asia
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Hopes, Fears Surround China's Transition Of Power

Originally published on Wed February 22, 2012 7:27 pm

First of three parts

China's leader-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, is due to arrive in the U.S. shortly, providing the first glimpse of the next generation to lead the world's second-largest economy. This once-in-a-decade transition of power, which begins this fall, is rife with unpredictability, particularly as an unfolding political scandal grips China.

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Shots - Health Blog
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Health Care In Massachusetts: 'Abject Failure' Or Work In Progress?

Voters are hearing a lot about health care this year. Republicans want to make the 2012 elections a referendum on the health care law that President Obama signed two years ago.

That law was largely based on one that then-governor Mitt Romney signed into law nearly six years ago in Massachusetts.

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All Tech Considered
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Apps For Apnea? New Gadgets Promise To Improve Sleep

Credit Franck Prevel / Getty Images
Jealous? If you have trouble sleeping, several new apps and devices promise to help you figure out why. In this photo from January, Huan Huan, a female giant panda, sleeps in a zoo in Beauval, France.

Originally published on Mon February 13, 2012 8:00 am

Technology is sometimes blamed for keeping us awake at night. The thinking is that devices like laptops, smartphones and tablets may have made entertainment TOO portable, putting games, videos and the Internet close at hand in the bedroom. But a batch of new apps and gadgets tries to push the pendulum the other way, by helping you improve the quality of your sleep.

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Television
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

I'm Just Sayin': There Are Anachronisms In 'Downton'

Movie Interviews
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Brad Pitt: Making 'Moneyball' And Being Billy Beane

Credit Sony Pictures
Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the passionate general manager of the Oakland A's, in the Oscar-nominated sports drama Moneyball.

In the Oscar-nominated film Moneyball, Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a baseball manager obsessed with turning his cash-strapped team into a contender. Pitt says that drive is what attracted him to the role that has earned him a best-actor nod.

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Politics
12:01 am
Mon February 13, 2012

Obama's Budget: Political Tool Or Spending Plan?

Credit Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Copies of of President Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget are readied for shipment Thursday at the Government Printing Office in Washington.

Originally published on Mon February 13, 2012 11:57 am

Deficit reduction takes a back seat to job growth in the federal budget President Obama will unveil Monday. The spending plan forecasts more red ink in the current fiscal year than in 2011. Under the president's plan, budget deficits wouldn't reach a sustainable level until 2018.

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The Two-Way
6:11 pm
Sun February 12, 2012

Greek Parliament Approves Austerity Bill

The Associated Press is reporting that the Greek Parliament has approved a crucial austerity and debt-relief bill to keep the country out of bankruptcy and remain a part of the eurozone.

From the AP:

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Politics
5:34 pm
Sun February 12, 2012

Strong In 2010, Where Is The Tea Party Now?

Credit Win McNamee / Getty Images
Tea Party activist William Temple waits for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to deliver a speech titled, Is America Still an Exceptional Nation? during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

Originally published on Mon February 13, 2012 8:09 am

In 2009, Tea Party rallies raged in cities across the country. The movement put its stamp on the 2010 midterm elections when the Republicans retook the House of Representatives.

So far, throughout the GOP primary contest, every major candidate at some point has tried to frame himself or herself as the Tea Party's standard-bearer, but what's most striking about the movement this election has been its notable absence.

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Author Interviews
3:59 pm
Sun February 12, 2012

When The Bankers Plotted To Overthrow FDR

It was a dangerous time in America: The economy was staggering, unemployment was rampant and a banking crisis threatened the entire monetary system.

The newly elected president pursued an ambitious legislative program aimed at easing some of the troubles. But he faced vitriolic opposition from both sides of the political spectrum.

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Science
3:51 pm
Sun February 12, 2012

Virtual Penguins A Prescription For Pain?

Originally published on Tue February 14, 2012 3:44 pm

For troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, the deepest physical pain often comes much later — weeks, or even months, after the incident. That was the case for Sam Brown, whose story appears in this month's GQ magazine.

Brown graduated from West Point in 2006. In the late summer of 2008, he was deployed to southern Afghanistan to lead a platoon. He did security for base construction and made sure the local villagers had enough food, water, and medicine.

It was hot, often mind-numbingly dull, and dusty.

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Latin America
3:00 pm
Sun February 12, 2012

American's Arrest In Cuba Could Have Impact

A U.S. contractor working to provide Internet service to Cuba's small Jewish community was charged with spying and sentenced to 15 years in a Cuban prison. Alan Gross was reportedly working for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Deceptive Cadence
12:51 pm
Sun February 12, 2012

From Hyperpianos To Harmonious Handel: New Classical Albums

What's the saying — the more things change, the more they stay the same? It seems that's how it goes in the ways we make music. MIT futurologist Tod Machover rethinks traditional instruments, coming up with new things like the hyperpiano; Pianist Michael Chertock gives it a go in an explosive excerpt below.

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Music
8:09 am
Sun February 12, 2012

Whitney Houston, A 'Perfect Instrument,' Dies

Originally published on Sun February 12, 2012 5:52 pm

On the eve of the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the conversation was all about Whitney Houston. The 48-year-old pop diva was discovered dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton Saturday afternoon. The cause of her death was under investigation.

Houston died alone in the same hotel that was the venue for a party she had often entered in triumph: the annual pre-Grammy Awards bash given by her mentor, recording impresario Clive Davis.

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Politics
8:00 am
Sun February 12, 2012

The Contraception Compromise Plays Out Politically

Originally published on Sun February 12, 2012 10:22 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

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Presidential Race
8:00 am
Sun February 12, 2012

Conservative Straw Poll Gives Romney A Nod

Originally published on Sun February 12, 2012 10:22 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Mitt Romney also got an unofficial endorsement from Republican activists yesterday, as the Conservative Political Action Conference came to a close. He won the organization's straw poll with 38 percent of the vote. Former senator Rick Santorum came in second place with 31 percent. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich was third with 15 percent and Ron Paul came in fourth with 12 percent.

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Asia
8:00 am
Sun February 12, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi's Improbable Campaign

The main opposition leader in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, is campaigning for a seat in parliament in her constituency outside Rangoon. It's a scene that seemed impossible only a few months ago, before the military-backed government began a process of change. Host Rachel Martin speaks with NPR's Anthony Kuhn from Rangoon.

Europe
8:00 am
Sun February 12, 2012

Sarkozy's Re-Election On The Backburner

France is holding a presidential election in the spring, and the campaign is in full swing, sort of. The only thing missing is one of the candidates: President Nicolas Sarkozy. As NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, he hasn't yet announced whether he's running for re-election.

Politics
8:00 am
Sun February 12, 2012

Women Get Closer To Combat; Many PracticallyThere

The Pentagon announced last week that the military would now allow women to serve in jobs that would bring them closer to combat. Host Rachel Martin speaks with former Army sergeant Kayla Williams about the ramifications of the change.

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