Shots - Health Blog
2:59 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

Birth Control: Latest Collision Between Individual Conscience And Society

Credit Carolyn Kaster / AP
A House committee heard testimony about conscience and religious freedom on Thurs. from (left) Rev. William E. Lori, Roman Catholic Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, President, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, C. Ben Mitchell, Union University, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, Yeshiva University and Craig Mitchell, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

President Obama's controversial decision to require Catholic employers to provide free contraceptives to their employees is still reverberating.

A new New York Times/CBS News poll out this week shows 60 percent of the public supports the president, including 58 percent of all Catholics.

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Middle East
2:59 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

The Woman Behind Egypt's Crackdown On Aid Groups

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images
Egyptian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Faiza Aboul Naga (shown here in April 2011 in Washington, D.C.) has repeatedly warned Egyptians about the alleged danger foreigners pose to their country. She is the driving force behind recent efforts to prosecute 43 people, including American and other foreign democracy activists, for operating illegally in Egypt.

In Egypt, a female Cabinet minister has emerged as the driving force behind a crackdown on U.S.-funded pro-democracy groups.

The attacks of Faiza Aboul Naga — a holdover from the regime of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak — have made her a hero to many Egyptians who believe she is defending their country's honor. But the threat she poses to billions of dollars in U.S. aid and international loans could make her power short-lived.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:31 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

Doctors 'Disgruntled' And Frustrated By Looming Medicare Cuts

Credit iStockphoto.com
A looming 27.4 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements likely won't happen. But next year, any cuts could be greater.

The good news for the nation's doctors — and the millions of Medicare patients they care for — is that assuming everything goes as planned, the 27.4 percent cut in reimbursements that would have taken effect March 1 won't.

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The Two-Way
2:27 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

Halt In 'Colbert Report' Production Reportedly Due To Family Emergency

Provocateur comedian Stephen Colbert is known for many things. Silence has not been among them — until now. An abrupt suspension in his Colbert Report's production schedule sparked rumors online Thursday, after Comedy Central said it would air reruns for three days this week.

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It's All Politics
2:19 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

Santorum Backer Friess Praises Old-School 'Contraceptive': Aspirin

Foster Friess, Rick Santorum's billionaire supporter, drew some attention from his candidate Thursday with a comment about contraception that was, to say the least, unusual and surefire fodder for late-night TV comedians .

MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell asked Friess about the Republican presidential candidate's views on very conservative views on social issues and whether he had any worries that they could be disadvantageous to Santorum in the general election.

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Election 2012
2:18 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

In Arizona, Romney Can't Take Mormons For Granted

Originally published on Thu February 16, 2012 4:41 pm

The wind howls on a blustery Sunday morning in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, as well-dressed families pull into the parking lot of a Mormon church.

Mormon pioneer roots run more than a century deep in this part of the state, an isolated spot between two Indian reservations.

Karen Johnson is among the Mormon faithful, passionate about God and country.

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Election 2012
2:13 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

In One Maine County, Every Caucus Vote May Count

Washington County, Maine, is not a place for unhardy souls.

It's the easternmost county in all of New England, and one of the poorest. And at this time of year, people in Down East Maine do anything they can to eke out a living.

"I get about six months out of it," county resident Hartley Goston said, referring to his lobster boat, The Darian Sue. "I get a few odd jobs here and there to help tie up some loose ends."

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Shots - Health Blog
1:56 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

Doctors Cheer As Feds Delay New Disease Codes, Again

Credit Simone Di Tonno - Annachiara Fig / iStockphoto.com
Dolphin bite? There's a medical code for that.

Poking fun at a complex new system for classification of diseases is surprisingly easy and enjoyable.

Yes, there are codes your doctor will be able to use someday to submit bills for treatment of a dolphin bite (W5601XA), being struck by a dolphin (W5602XA) or "other contact" with a dolphin (W5603XA). And that's just the start.

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Around the Nation
1:41 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

Hold On To Your Tuba: Brass Bandits Hit L.A. Schools

The words "black market" usually summon images of drugs, guns or pirated DVDs — not tubas. Yet authorities in Los Angeles say the instrument is in such high demand that the black market may be what's driving a wave of local tuba thefts.

Ruben Gonzalez is teaching an after-lunch band class at the scene of one recent tuba crime — the music room at South Gate High School outside L.A. He starts with a request only a band teacher would make.

"Make sure we rinse out folks — we don't need any hamburgers or hot chilies coming through those instruments," he says.

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Back Roads Radio
1:10 pm
Thu February 16, 2012

The Sweet Taste of Humble Pie

Credit Photo by Ed Yourdon

Fri. 2/17 8a: What do you do when conflicts seem too large to bear?  How do you make peace with your demons and face those cast as the enemy? 

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