NPR News

Pages

It's All Politics
2:40 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

GOP Platform Anti-Abortion Language Includes No Exceptions For Rape, Incest

Credit Tim Boyles / Getty Images
Republican National Committee officials on Monday unveiled the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention.

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 6:47 pm

In Tampa, Fla., a week ahead of their national convention, Republicans are drawing up their party platform. There are muted disagreements over a few issues, such as immigration and same-sex marriage. But at least within the platform committee, one of the least controversial issues discussed this week is abortion.

With little discussion, the committee on Tuesday adopted the same anti-abortion language it included in GOP platforms in 2004 and 2008. It seeks passage of a constitutional amendment that would extend legal rights to the unborn, essentially banning abortion.

Read more
Afghanistan
2:13 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

In Afghan Bazaar, U.S. Goods At Bargain Prices

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 7:13 pm

"Welcome to the Bush Bazaar," says Zach Warren, an American who has spent years working in Afghanistan. He's giving me a tour of Kabul's shopping districts as we buzz around the city on his rickety motorcycle, slicing through the city's traffic.

It's one of the worst-kept secrets in Kabul that most everything in the Bush Bazaar was pilfered from NATO trucks and bases — except for the counterfeits.

Read more
Around the Nation
2:06 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Saltwater Invades Mississippi River

Credit Adrian Sainz / AP
Water gets churned up at the end of a dredging pipeline connected to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., on Monday. The river has seen water levels from Illinois to Louisiana plummet because of drought conditions in the past three months. When there's less flow coming downstream, saltwater from the Gulf wedges its way in.

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 6:25 pm

All the dry weather means there's less water flowing through the once mighty river into the Gulf of Mexico, and low outflow means saltwater from the Gulf is creeping in.

Some Louisiana cities have already begun purchasing drinking water. Now New Orleans is at risk.

Read more
Around the Nation
2:06 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Vets' Job Hunt May Be Thwarted By Disability Bias

Originally published on Wed August 22, 2012 2:12 pm

When Army veteran Justin Claus, 26, of Racine, Wis., goes to job interviews, he brings along his DD214, a document that serves as proof of military service. Claus is proud of his service and hopes being a veteran will give him an edge.

But the document, which basically sums up a military career, includes the reason it ended. In Claus' case, it reads "disability, permanent." And that little line Claus says, "comes back to get ya."

He says when employers ask why he was discharged, he recounts a parachute accident in 2007 that left him with chronic back and knee pain.

Read more
NPR Story
2:06 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Ethiopia Faces Uncertain Future After Leader's Death

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 5:36 pm

Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, has died. He was 57 years old. Meles was reportedly being treated at a hospital in Belgium. He came to power after leading rebels and overthrowing the country's dictator in 1991. He was a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, but was also increasingly authoritarian.

The Two-Way
2:05 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Jet Lagged: NASA Engineer And His Family Are Living On Mars Time

Credit David Oh
David Oh, wife Bryn and his children Braden, 13, Ashlyn, 10, and Devyn, 8, picnic in Santa Monica beach at about 1 a.m.

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 5:36 pm

Even the tiniest change — from daylight saving time to standard time — can throw your body off.

Imagine jumping into the time zone of an entirely different planet. That's what the family of David Oh, a NASA engineer, has been doing for weeks.

Read more
Participation Nation
2:03 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Skaters Give Back In Los Angeles, Calif.

Credit Courtesy of LADD
Rebecca Ninburg, aka Demolicious, with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Originally published on Thu September 20, 2012 9:54 am

For one day the whir of wheels on a wooden track is suspended as the Los Angeles Derby Dolls open their warehouse venue for the summertime Free Community Health & Job Fair, serving the surrounding Historical Filipinotown community.

The event provides free mammograms, glucose testing, self-defense classes and more courtesy of St. Vincent's Hospital — as well as job recruitment from police and fire departments.

Read more
Music Reviews
1:44 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Janka Nabay: The King Of Bubu Music

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Forced into exile from Sierra Leone, Janka Nabay (left of center) now makes his mysterious, mesmerizing music in Brooklyn.

Originally published on Tue August 21, 2012 5:36 pm

The Two-Way
1:07 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Indian Parliament Adjourned After Row Over 'Coal-Gate'

India's parliament was adjourned briefly today as the opposition called for the resignation of the prime minister, saying he was complicit in what has become known as "coal-gate."

The uproar stems from an official audit issued last week accusing the government of selling coal mining rights for too low a price.

Read more
World Cafe
12:40 pm
Tue August 21, 2012

Sara Watkins On World Cafe

Credit Aaron Redfield
Sara Watkins.

Former Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins is a musical protege, both as a vocalist and as a multi-instrumentalist who plays the guitar, mandolin and ukulele. Watkins enjoyed widespread success in Nickel Creek, which included her older brother Sean and childhood friend Chris Thile.

Read more

Pages