NPR News And Stories From WUNC

Pages

It's All Politics
3:20 am
Sun December 2, 2012

The 3 Unofficial GOP Rules That Are Making A Deficit Deal Even Harder

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
House Speaker John Boehner takes questions during a news conference Friday on Capitol Hill.

Originally published on Sun December 2, 2012 7:40 pm

Making an already head-splittingly difficult deal on the fiscal cliff even harder to resolve is a set of three rules by which the Republicans who run the House play.

These are not official regulations; they're more shibboleths that House GOP leaders have adopted in recent years. And those rules are leaving House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, little room to maneuver as lawmakers try to avoid a set of tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect at the end of the year.

1. "The majority of the majority"

Read more
Europe
3:09 am
Sun December 2, 2012

Ach! No End In Sight For Berlin Airport Woes

Originally published on Sun December 2, 2012 7:54 am

Germans are famous for their efficiency and being on time. But a much-delayed, expensive new airport in the German capital, Berlin, is rapidly destroying that reputation.

Located in the former East Berlin neighborhood of Schoenefeld, the new airport is to replace three others that serviced passengers in the once-divided city. One of those, Tempelhof — made famous by the Allied airlifts of food and supplies during the Soviet blockade of the late 1940s — is already closed.

Read more
Author Interviews
4:52 pm
Sat December 1, 2012

'Cross Roads': A Writing Career Built On Faith

Originally published on Sun December 2, 2012 3:41 pm

Five years ago, Paul Young was working three jobs outside Portland, Ore., when he decided to write a Christian tale of redemption for friends and family. He went down to an Office Depot and printed off 15 copies of the story he called The Shack.

The manuscript was never intended for broad publication, but it eventually caught the attention of two California-based pastors. They took it to 26 different publishers but got rejected each time. So the pastors set up their own publishing company and started a whispering campaign among churches.

Read more
Business
3:41 pm
Sat December 1, 2012

Beauty Pageant Economics: The Sash Isn't Cheap

Originally published on Mon December 3, 2012 10:03 am

Miss America's walk might look effortless, but her road to success probably cost more than you think.

Ten-thousand women will compete in a Miss USA-sponsored pageant this year. That organization is just one of more than 15 small circuits, each with its own local, state and national competitions. It's a big industry. From the organizers, designers and coaches, lots of people make money — except the contestants.

Twenty-four women are in the running to become the latest Miss District of Columbia USA.

Read more
Music Interviews
3:19 pm
Sat December 1, 2012

Ricky Martin's Second Act

Credit Richard Termine
Ricky Martin performs as Ché in the current Broadway run of Evita. Martin will leave the show in January 2013.

Originally published on Sun December 2, 2012 3:41 pm

It's All Politics
12:39 pm
Sat December 1, 2012

Think Congressional Gridlock Is Bad? If Reid Changes Filibuster Rules, Look Out

Credit AP
Jimmy Stewart in a scene from the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Originally published on Mon December 3, 2012 12:44 pm

Sen. Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, was clearly frustrated with the tactics some of his colleagues were using to gum up the legislative process.

The mere threat of a filibuster of a procedural motion to allow the defense authorization bill to be considered on the floor caused the Senate's leadership to balk at scheduling the legislation at all.

Read more
The Two-Way
11:52 am
Sat December 1, 2012

Reports: Kansas City Chiefs Player Shoots, Kills Self

Originally published on Mon December 3, 2012 6:45 am

A Kansas City Chiefs player shot and killed himself at Arrowhead Stadium early Saturday morning after fatally shooting his girlfriend.

Police say linebacker Jovan Belcher, 25, shot the woman at her home, then drove to a training facility at the stadium just east of Kansas City, Mo. When police arrived at the scene, according to reporter Laura Ziegler of member station KCUR, they found Belcher with a pistol to his head, thanking team coaches for everything they had done for him.

Read more
Simon Says
10:41 am
Sat December 1, 2012

'The Onion': So Funny It Makes Us Cry

Credit Ed Jones / AFP/Getty Images
The satirical news source The Onion named North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un 2012's Sexiest Man Alive.

Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 11:09 am

If satire had an Olympics, The Onion might have won a gold medal this week. The satirical news source announced that its Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 is Kim Jong Un, North Korea's Supreme Leader.

Read more
Fresh Air Weekend
9:03 am
Sat December 1, 2012

Fresh Air Weekend: Robert Zemeckis And Ken Tucker

Credit Robert Zuckerman / Paramount Pictures
Acclaimed writer-director-producer Robert Zemeckis has worked on more than 30 films, including the Back to the Future series and Forrest Gump, for which he won an Oscar for best director.

Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 11:49 am

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Read more
Middle East
6:28 am
Sat December 1, 2012

Shutdowns Raise Issue Of Who Controls The Internet

Credit Narciso Contreras / AP
Night falls on a Syrian rebel-controlled area on Thursday, the same day an Internet blackout struck the country. The cause is still unclear, but many claim the Syrian government was responsible.

Originally published on Sat December 1, 2012 4:12 pm

First, it was Egypt. At the height of the protest against the Mubarak regime in 2011, authorities shut the Internet down.

This week, it was Syria. Just as rebel forces there were making big gains, someone pulled the plug on the Internet, and Syria went dark.

Service was restored on Saturday, but Andrew McLaughlin, former White House adviser on technology policy, expects we'll see more of this.

Read more

Pages