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The Two-Way
7:13 am
Fri April 12, 2013

Book News: DC Comics Introduces First Transgender Character

Credit DC Comics
An image of Batgirl from the cover of "Batgirl 19," in which it is revealed that Batgirl's roommate is transgender.

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

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The Two-Way
7:12 am
Fri April 12, 2013

Kerry Warns North Korea, But Holds Out Hope For Diplomacy

Credit Jacky Chen / Reuters /Landov
A North Korean soldier on the bank of the Yalu River, near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, along the Chinese border.

Originally published on Sat April 13, 2013 1:00 pm

Walking a line meant to show both resolve and willingness to trust in diplomacy, Secretary of State John Kerry warned North Korea on Friday not to engage in more warmongering — but also said the U.S. is willing to talk with that communist state if it's serious about discussing denuclearization.

"No one is going to talk for the sake of talking," Kerry said, but the U.S. does want to see a peaceful resolution of the latest crisis on the Korean peninsula.

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The Two-Way
5:43 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

A Blooming Mistake: Irish James Joyce Coin Misquotes Author

Credit Fran Caffrey / AFP/Getty Images
James Joyce

"A man of genius makes no mistakes," James Joyce wrote in Ulysses. "His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery." Looks like Ireland's Central Bank has taken that message to heart.

The bank announced Wednesday the launch of a limited-edition coin to honor the Irish writer. The coin features a portrait of Joyce and a quotation from Ulysses, arguably his most famous novel. Trouble is Joyce was misquoted.

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The Two-Way
5:39 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

North Korea May Have Know-How To Miniaturize Nuclear Warhead, Says Pentagon

Credit Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
A South Korean soldier stands at a military checkpoint connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge last week in Paju, South Korea.

Originally published on Fri April 12, 2013 7:13 am

The Pentagon's intelligence arm has "moderate confidence" that North Korea may have developed the technology to create nuclear weapons that are small enough to fit on a long-range missile.

NPR's Larry Abramson filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"The Defense Intelligence Agency assessment says such a weapon would probably not be very reliable. This is the first time the U.S. has concluded that Pyongyang's nuclear efforts have reached this point.

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The Two-Way
5:11 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

Report: Democrat Says Liberal Kentucky SuperPAC Behind McConnell Recording

Originally published on Thu April 11, 2013 5:40 pm

A Democrat on the committee of the Jefferson County (Kentucky) Democratic Party says a liberal SuperPAC was responsible for surreptitiously recording a strategy session between Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and some of his campaign aides.

As Mark reported on Tuesday, a McConnell aide is heard saying that actress Ashley Judd, who mulled a run against McConnell, was "emotionally unbalanced."

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The Two-Way
4:11 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

Price Tag On Cyprus Bailout Goes Up

Originally published on Thu April 11, 2013 6:08 pm

It's going to cost more to bail out Cyprus than originally projected, with officials now saying the cost will be $30 billion instead of the original estimate of $23 billion.

"It's a fact the memorandum of November talked about 17.5 billion [euros] in financing needs. And it has emerged this figure has become 23 billion [euros]," government spokesman Christos Stylianides was quoted by the BBC as saying on Thursday.

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The Two-Way
3:20 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

On Cuba Trip, Jay-Z Responds To Washington With Verse

Credit Ramon Espinosa / AP
U.S. singer Beyonce and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, right, tours Old Havana as a body guard, left, and tour guide, right, accompany them in Cuba on Thursday, April 4.

Originally published on Fri April 12, 2013 8:14 am

This week, Washington took on hip-hop royalty, when two Florida representatives went after Jay-Z and Beyonce for their recent trip to Cuba.

"We're saying that no one is above the law, even if you are the diva Beyoncé, and that's wonderful that she's famous and rich, and Jay-Z, everybody loves him, too. Terrific. But no one's above the law," Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen told CNN.

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The Two-Way
3:17 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

'Just Another Provocation,' Says Argentina About Thatcher Funeral Snub

Credit Javier Soriano / AFP/Getty Images
Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez.

Argentina is shrugging off Britain's decision to leave President Cristina Fernandez off the guest list for the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

"What do I care if I'm not invivted somewhere I never intended to go," Argentina's Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman told Radio Del Plata. "It's just another provocation."

But he also added: "The woman has died; let the family mourn her in peace."

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The Two-Way
2:50 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

Mother Of George Zimmerman Accuses Media Of 'False Narrative'

Credit Pool / Getty Images
George Zimmerman at a court hearing in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 5.

The mother of George Zimmerman, who was arrested a year ago in connection with the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has issued a letter proclaiming her son's innocence and decrying the media's "false narrative" about the fatal shooting.

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The Two-Way
2:08 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

'Sandy' Retired From Storm Names; 'Sara' Takes Its Place

Credit Steve Nesius / Reuters /Landov
Oct. 31, 2012: Some of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy in Seaside Heights, N.J.

"Sandy has been retired from the official list of Atlantic Basin tropical cyclone names by the World Meteorological Organization's hurricane committee because of the extreme impacts it caused from Jamaica and Cuba to the Mid-Atlantic United States in October 2012," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration writes.

The storm names are administered by the World Meteorological Organization.

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