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JazzSet
2:40 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

Chihiro Yamanaka And Jane Bunnett On JazzSet

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 11:32 am

In May, JazzSet host Dee Dee Bridgewater emceed three nights of concerts held at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater as part of the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. Chihiro Yamanaka and Jane Bunnett opened the first night; they come from Japan and Canada, respectively, and each has a compelling story.

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Election 2012
2:27 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

New Target In Voter ID Battle: 1965 Voting Rights Act

Credit J Pat Carter / AP
A voter casts his ballot in a West Miami, Fla., fire station during the Republican primary in January.

Originally published on Fri August 3, 2012 7:49 am

A landmark federal law used to block the adoption of state voter identification cards and other election rules now faces unprecedented legal challenges.

A record five federal lawsuits filed this year challenge the constitutionality of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act. The 1965 statute prevents many state and local governments from enacting new voter ID requirements, redistricting plans and similar proposals on grounds that the changes would disenfranchise minorities.

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The Two-Way
2:22 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

At 'English-Only' Hearing, Rep. Conyers Delivers His Statement In Spanish

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

It was a controversial hearing to begin with. This morning, a House subcommittee was looking into a bill that would make English the official language of the United States and require that government functions like naturalization ceremonies be conducted in English.

Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan was not a fan, so he decided to deliver his opening statement in Spanish.

First he thanked the chairman, then he proceeded to assail the measure.

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Economy
2:01 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

What Can We Do To Fix The Economy?

U.S. employment is stalled, growth is anemic, and the Federal Reserve has decided not to take action for at least another month.

Most economists weren't expecting the Federal Open Markets Committee, which sets the Fed's monetary policy, to announce another round of quantitative easing — a fancy term that basically means the central bank buys bonds to increase the money supply and make borrowing cheaper — at this week's meeting. Still, that's exactly what a number of them think is needed.

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Favorite Sessions
1:50 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

The Gaslight Anthem: A Jersey Rocker Gets Personal

Credit The Current

New Jersey has a proud heritage in rock music, from punk legends like Misfits to the Boss himself. The sonic imprint of the Garden State is unmistakable in the music of The Gaslight Anthem, which carries on in Jersey's proud rock 'n' roll tradition.

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Newport Folk Festival
1:41 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

Gary Clark Jr., Live In Concert: Newport Folk 2012

Credit Erik Jacobs / Erik Jacobs for NPR
Gary Clark Jr. plays the Quad Stage at the Newport Folk Festival.

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 7:58 am

Like many artists performing under the broad umbrella of "folk music" at this year's Newport Folk Festival, Gary Clark Jr. isn't settling inside any genre, let alone folk. Working off a template of bluesy rock, he infuses the gritty songs on his Bright Lights EP with elements of soul, pop and even reggae. Above all, he's a positively ferocious young guitarist, with a reputation as an up-and-comer poised for one of those 30-, 40-, even 50-year careers.

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The Two-Way
1:39 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

Knight Capital Says It Lost $440 Million Because Of Computer Glitch

Remember the computer glitch that caused market turmoil Wednesday morning?

As we told you, it was caused by a computer glitch that accidentally forced Knight Capital Group to buy a great number of stocks.

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The Torch
1:08 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

Soni Wins Gold In 200m Breaststroke; Clary Takes 200m Backstroke

Originally published on Thu August 2, 2012 3:51 pm

Breaking News Update at 3:27 p.m. ET: Phelps Wins Gold For 20th Medal.

Michael Phelps has won the men's 200-meter individual medley at the 2012 Summer Games, winning his 20th Olympic medal — and his first individual gold medal in London.

Phelps led Lochte by .16 of one second at the first turn, in the butterfly. He maintained his lead in the backstroke — the discipline Lochte had just raced in half an hour earlier in the day.

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The Torch
12:55 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

U.S. Gymnast Douglas Wins Gold In Individual All-Around

Originally published on Thu August 2, 2012 9:55 pm

American gymnast Gabby Douglas has won her second Olympic gold medal of the London Summer Games, winning the individual all-around event to match her performance anchoring the U.S. team's first-place performance earlier this week.

Douglas scored 15.500 or higher in her first three rotations, with an emphatic 15.966 on her vault. Her final score was 62.232.

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Music Reviews
12:52 pm
Thu August 2, 2012

Digging Up The 'Newly Discovered Works Of Gil Evans'

Originally published on Thu August 2, 2012 7:47 pm

Gil Evans, born a century ago this year, was a leading jazz arranger and composer starting in the 1940s, when he wrote for big bands. He helped organize Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions, then arranged Davis' celebrated orchestra albums like Sketches of Spain. Evans, who had his own big bands that went electric in the 1970s and '80s, died in 1991, but some of his rare music has been newly recorded.

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