National

With Government Shutdown Looming, All Eyes Turn To House GOP

3:21pm September 28, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

The Senate passed a bill Friday to keep the government open without stripping any funding from the president's health care law. Now the action returns to the House, where Republicans are tying the measure to defunding the Affordable Care Act.

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President Obama speaks about the Affordable Care Act on Thursday in Largo, Md. In the latest fiscal fight with Republicans, the president is lacking a partner to make a deal with â or even to vilify.

In Washington's Fiscal Tango, Obama's Lacking A Dance Partner

11:16am September 28, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

The division in the Republican Party means there's no one leader on the other side that President Obama can cut a deal with — or even high-profile adversary to vilify. That's a stark contrast from other recent fiscal standoffs.

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BP Oil Spill Trial To Begin Second Phase

11:16am September 28, 2013

The months-long federal trial is examining how much fault should be placed on BP and its contractors for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion. The accident killed 11 rig workers and released almost 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Host Scott Simon speaks with NPR's Debbie Elliott to preview the civil trial.

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Law professor Lawrence Lessig, shown here in 2009, is suing an Australian record label for threatening to sue him over an alleged YouTube copyright violation.

Record Label Picks Copyright Fight — With The Wrong Guy

5:32pm September 27, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Lawrence Lessig was not pleased when Liberation Music persuaded YouTube to take down one of his online lectures because of an alleged copyright violation. So Lessig, one of the most famous copyright attorneys in the world, decided to take a stand against broad, intimidating takedown notices.

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Is The Fed Chair Succession Too Politicized?

5:17pm September 27, 2013

by John Ydstie

Federal Reserve chairmen used to be named without much fanfare. Not this time. A very public competition between former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and the current vice chairman of the Fed Janet Yellen has made headlines and pitted the White House against liberal Democrats in Congress. It raises the question of whether the Fed succession has become too politicized — and whether it could ultimately hurt the economy.

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States Face Language Barriers To Health Exchange Sign Up

5:17pm September 27, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

Polling shows that many Americans aren't quite sure how the Affordable Care Act will affect them, and it may be even more confusing for immigrants and people who don't speak English as their first language. Illinois has a large immigrant population, and the state has been working to resolve language barriers as it gets ready to launch its insurance marketplace.

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National

Dear Lawyers: Order In The &*%# Court!

1:33pm September 27, 2013

by Tanya Ballard Brown

Some attorneys have gotten nasty and others want it to stop. In New York, a group has decided to tackle the decrease in civility through song.

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How Recycling Bias Affects What You Toss Where

6:07am September 27, 2013

by NPR Staff

People tend to throw whole pieces of paper in the recycling bin — and fragments of paper in the trash. Research on the trend finds that we may be acting on unconscious prejudice about what is worth recycling.

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College Board 'Concerned' About Low SAT Scores

7:19pm September 26, 2013

by Claudio Sanchez

Roughly 6 in 10 college-bound high school students who took the SAT in 2013 performed poorly. The sponsor of the test wants to work with schools to help students do better, but some say the group is really concerned with trying to keep the test relevant.

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National

Putting Good Deeds In Headlines May Not Be So Good

7:19pm September 26, 2013

by Tovia Smith

Good Samaritans are celebrated in the press for doing the right thing all the time, but does all that attention lower expectations for everyday behavior?

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