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Election 2012
6:00 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Santorum Strikes A Chord With Evangelicals

More than 150 conservative Christian leaders spent the weekend in Texas meeting about the presidential race and the possibility of coalescing around one Republican candidate. In the end, they rallied for Rick Santorum. Host Rachel Martin talks to Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council about the decision.

Around the Nation
6:00 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Righting The Wrong On MLK's Statue

"I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." That sentence is inscribed on a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C. The problem? King never said those words, at least, not exactly. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has given the National Park Service a deadline to correct the inscription. Host Rachel Martin has more.

National Security
6:00 am
Sun January 15, 2012

New System For USS Cole Case At Guantanamo

Originally published on Sun January 15, 2012 5:29 pm

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. This week, the alleged mastermind of the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen will be back in a military courtroom at Guantanamo. Guantanamo just marked a controversial milestone - the 10-year anniversary of its use as a detention center for suspected terrorists. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston is here with us now to talk about this week's hearing, 10 years at Guantanamo and what lies ahead for the prison. Dina, let's start out - tell us a little bit about the hearing that's happening this week.

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Business
6:00 am
Sun January 15, 2012

A GM Designer's First Car? The Cadillac XDS

Credit North American International Auto Show
Detroit Auto Show photographers sometimes mistake car designer Christine Park for a spokesmodel. "It's a very male-dominated field," she says, "so it's something that people don't expect."

Originally published on Sun January 15, 2012 5:29 pm

For a car designer, there's probably no scarier time than the auto show. And there's probably no scarier auto show than the Detroit Auto Show. It's like report-card day for car designers, but there doesn't appear to be much that scares Christine Park, a senior creative designer with Cadillac.

She's very eager to show off the Cadillac XTS. Park led the design of the interior of the XTS — pretty impressive, since she's only 28 and graduated from design school just six years ago.

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Africa
6:00 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Somalian Refugees Sing For Home

The Daadab refugee camp in northeastern Kenya is home to half a million Somalis who have fled the chaos and bloodshed of their homeland. Some are recent arrivals. But many have lived there for decades, including musicians. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton met up with some who have put their hopes and dreams into song.

Around the Nation
5:16 am
Sun January 15, 2012

America's Heartland Awaits Its Candidate

In this election year, an emerging theme coming from voters around the country is frustration with the tone of politics today. NPR's Debbie Elliott set out to revisit Brownstown, Ind., where she first talked with voters during the 1998 congressional elections, another acrimonious time.

Fourteen years ago, Anne Clodfelter was directing the Jackson County Homemakers Extension Chorus as they prepared for an upcoming concert.

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It's All Politics
5:15 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Aiming To Show Strength, Evangelicals May Achieve Opposite

Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum speaks to supporters after announcing that he was endorsed Saturday by the evangelical Christian leaders group.

Originally published on Sun January 15, 2012 3:56 pm

The gathering of more than 100 evangelical Christian leaders and activists in rural Texas this weekend was an 11th-hour effort to unite "movement conservatives" behind a rival to Mitt Romney and demonstrate their own power within the Republican Party.

Instead, it may well be a revelation of their weakness as a force within the GOP. Because if Romney still wins the South Carolina primary next weekend, this final flailing attempt to stop him will make his victory all the more important — and his eventual nomination all the more inevitable.

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Presidential Race
4:11 am
Sun January 15, 2012

In S.C. GOP Forum, Romney Gets Implicit Jabs

Credit Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Newt Gingrich arrives for a GOP presidential candidate forum Saturday in South Carolina. Gingrich had to be reminded of the rules not to mention rivals by name, but was still able to continue criticism of Mitt Romney.

The GOP presidential candidate forum held Saturday in Charleston, S.C., was not exactly a debate. In fact, it was sort of the opposite of a debate.

The event was moderated by Fox News host and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. All the candidates except for Ron Paul attended, but they never actually shared the stage. They were explicitly prohibited from attacking — or even mentioning — each other.

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Latin America
4:00 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Brazil's Falling Birth Rate: A 'New Way Of Thinking'

Brazil has undergone a demographic shift so dramatic that it has astonished social scientists. Over the past 50 years, the fertility rate has tumbled from six children per woman on average to fewer than two — and is now lower than in the United States.

Demographers say the fertility rate is declining because the country is richer and more urban, but they also point to Brazil's hugely popular soap operas and their portrayal of small, glamorous families.

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Africa
3:59 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Just A Few Months Old, S. Sudan Already In Turmoil

South Sudan gained independence just six months ago, but the country is already plagued by ethnic violence at home and ongoing tensions with its previous rulers in Sudan.

Potential humanitarian crises are brewing in both Sudans, and U.S. diplomats are sounding frustrated that the two are not talking to each other enough.

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Around the Nation
3:58 am
Sun January 15, 2012

Montana's Wide-Open Spaces Getting A Bit Crowded

One of the nation's least densely populated states has hit a major milestone. Montana's population crossed over the 1 million person mark around the first of the year. While the governor says that's a good sign for the future, some residents say the state's already too crowded.

Fewer than 2,000 people live in Townsend, Mont., a small farming community surrounded by national forests and just south of the gigantic Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

At Penny's Breakfast Station, cook Amber Burchett fries up hash browns in the early afternoon.

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The Two-Way
3:30 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Assassination Opens New Rifts Between Iran And The West

Credit Meghdad Madadi / AP
People gather around a car as it is removed by a mobile crane in Tehran, Iran. The car was being driven by Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan when it was targeted by a bomb Wednesday. Roshan was killed in the blast.

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 4:29 pm

Earlier this week, 32-year-old nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was killed by a bomb blast on his way to work in Tehran, Iran.

The attack, carried out with a magnetic bomb placed on Roshan's car by a man on a motorcycle, was like something out of a spy novel. In Iran, however, it's very much a reality. Assassins have targeted five Iranian nuclear scientists in the past two years; four of the attacks have succeeded.

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Author Interviews
2:49 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Alan Bennett Defies Expectations With 'Smut'

Originally published on Sat January 14, 2012 5:14 pm

Alan Bennett, author of The History Boys and The Madness of King George, among countless other books, plays and memoirs, is a grand old man of British letters.

"I'm getting on now, and I'm thought of in England as being rather cozy and genteel — certainly in the stories that I write," he tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.

So Bennett decided to give his readers a little rattle with a new book of two short stories called Smut.

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Author Interviews
1:13 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

The Inquisition: Alive And Well After 800 Years

When we talk of inquisition it is usually prefaced with a definite article — as in, The Inquisition. But, as Vanity Fair editor Cullen Murphy points out in his new book, God's Jury, the Inquisition wasn't a single event but rather a decentralized, centuries-long process.

Murphy says the "inquisitorial impulse" is alive and well today — despite its humble origins with the Cathars in France, where it was initially designed to deal with Christian heretics.

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Science
1:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Mega Mirror To Power Massive New Telescope

One upon a time, the largest glass telescope mirror was 100 inches in diameter. Today, scientists are casting a mirror 27 feet in diameter that will be part of one of the most powerful telescopes on Earth. NPR's Joe Palca speaks with weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz from the mirror laboratory, located under the football stadium at the University of Arizona.

World
1:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

'Titanic' Chaos After Italian Cruise Ship Grounds

Transcript

GUY RAZ, HOST:

The captain of the Italian cruise ship which ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last night has been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. The majority of the ship's 4,000 passengers reached land by lifeboat, but three people are confirmed dead. About 30 are reportedly injured and some 50 are still unaccounted for. It is still unclear what caused the ship to come so close to the rocky shore.

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Analysis
1:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Week In News: Corporate Money And The Campaigns

The Citizens United Supreme Court decision has made for a sea change in American politics, but not the change most observers expected. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz and The Atlantic's James Fallows discuss how corporate money has kept more candidates in the presidential race.

Business
1:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Breaking Down Bain Capital

Private equity firms are under the microscope this week as a pro-Gingrich superPAC hounds GOP candidate Mitt Romney for his role as head of Bain Capital. Weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz talks with Dan Primack, senior editor of Fortune Magazine, about how these firms operate and the legitimacy of these attacks.

NPR Story
12:00 pm
Sat January 14, 2012

Italian Cruise Ship Runs Aground

Originally published on Sun January 15, 2012 10:58 am

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News, I'm Scott Simon. An enormous cruise ship is lying on its side in the Mediterranean today. The Italian ship, Costa Concordia, ran aground off Italy's Tuscan coast, killing at least three people. Passengers described scenes reminiscent of the Titanic. Fabio Costa was working in a shop on the cruise liner when he felt a jolt.

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Simon Says
7:15 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Zambia Official Talks the Talk, Jumps the Jump

Credit ITN News via YouTube
Zambia's tourism minister Given Lubinda bungee-jumped off of a bridge at Victoria Falls to invite tourists back.

Given Lubinda jumped off a bridge this week and popped up smiling.

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Around the Nation
6:44 am
Sat January 14, 2012

The Income Gap: Unfair, Or Are We Just Jealous?

The widening gulf between the rich and everyone else is a growing source of tension in America.

A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds the income gap is now seen as a bigger source conflict in the U.S. than race, age or national origin. That's why some believe the issue could matter in the presidential campaign, and others worry it would warp the national debate.

Two out of three Americans now perceive strong social conflicts over the income gap — up sharply from two years ago. Paul Taylor of the Pew Research Center has an idea what's behind the increase.

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The Two-Way
6:28 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Guatemala's Legacy Of Violence Follows New Leader To Power

As Guatemala's new president, Otto Perez Molina, takes office today, the former general carries the burden of a complicated history into a new struggle against violence.

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NPR Story
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Your Letters: Unemployment, American Indians

Originally published on Sat January 14, 2012 12:12 pm

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Now time for your letters.

(SOUNDBITE OF TYPING AND MUSIC)

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SIMON: We got lots of comments on Gloria Hillard's piece on Native Americans who've moved off reservations into major cities. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Urban Relocation Program had encouraged that migration a few decades ago, and Los Angeles County has the country's largest urban Native American population.

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NPR Story
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Candidates Try To Connect With S.C. Voters Over BBQ

The South Carolina primary is one week from Saturday. On Friday night, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum hit an upstate barbecue, vying to emerge as the candidate the state's conservative Republicans can rally behind. NPR's Debbie Elliott was there and has this report.

Europe
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

European Credit Downgraded: What's Next?

Late Friday the U.S. credit rating agency Standard & Poors downgraded nine European countries. S&P suggested Europe's single-minded focus on austerity to solve its sovereign debt problem is just not working. Host Scott Simon speaks with NPR's John Ydstie about the downgrades.

NPR Story
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Haiti Trembles From The 'Aftershocks Of History'

Haiti has long been regarded as a special challenge for international aid organizations. Scott talks with Laurent Dubois, author of the upcoming book Haiti: The Aftershocks of History, about the effect, or lack thereof, of aid money sent to Haiti in the wake of the earthquake two years ago.

Middle East
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

How Will The Muslim Brotherhood Govern?

The Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the big winner in Egypt's parliamentary elections. Long oppressed under the regime of Hosni Mubarak, the Islamist party is now the most important power broker in the country. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports that the question on everyone's lips now is what does the Brotherhood really represent and how will it govern?

Around the Nation
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

An Adirondack Hike, Deep In Winter And Short On Snow

The lack of snow in most of the northeast has extended the hiking season for those willing to brave the cold. Brian Mann takes a winter hike into Roaring Brook Falls in New York's Adirondack Mountains.

Sports
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Sports: Hopefuls Battle For NFL Glory

The NFL playoffs are well under way. Eight teams are still standing, but two will be sent home on Saturday. Howard Bryant of ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine joins host Scott Simon to discuss the latest news in sports.

Business
6:00 am
Sat January 14, 2012

Karaoke Copyrights: Taking Back The Music

Karaoke machine manufacturers and the distributors of karaoke CDs have had an uphill battle fighting copyright infringement cases brought by music publishers. One player in the karaoke business is fighting a joint venture of Sony and the estate of Michael Jackson over a $1.28-billion bill. Host Scott Simon has more.

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