National

Justices Cast Doubt On Federal Defense Of Marriage Act

8:51am March 28, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

In oral arguments, several Supreme Court justices expressed strong skepticism about DOMA, the law that bars same-sex couples legally married under state law from receiving the same federal benefits as married heterosexual couples.

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Recruits listen to instructions during boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, S.C., on Feb. 27.

National

As Qualified Men Dwindle, Military Looks For A Few Good Women

5:59pm March 27, 2013

by Tom Bowman

Pentagon officials say they're opening ground combat jobs to women as a matter of equality. But the military also needs them because the number of military-age men who qualify for service is declining.

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Dave Newcomb of the Illinois Fire Service Institute demonstrates the use of a grain rescue tube during an agricultural safety conference in Iowa in November.

National

Fines Slashed In Grain Bin Entrapment Deaths

5:58pm March 27, 2013

The persistence of grain bin entrapments and a horrific 2010 incident expose weaknesses in worker safety laws and enforcement. An NPR and Center for Public Integrity analysis has found that among 179 deaths since 1984, fines were reduced 60 percent of the time.

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National

California's Proposition 8 Gets Its Day In The Supreme Court

5:58pm March 27, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

The Supreme Court began a two-day legal test of gay marriage laws on Tuesday, and the questions asked by some of the justices suggested they did not think the California ban on same-sex marriage belonged in their court.

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Proposition 8 Case Has High Political Stakes For Both Parties

5:58pm March 27, 2013

Mara Liasson joins talks to Audie Cornish about the politics of Tuesday's court argument on gay marriage. Public opinion has shifted rapidly in favor on the issue, and the Supreme Court decision this summer on whether states can ban same-sex marriage and whether federal benefits should flow to same sex partners promise to roil the water again.

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Expanded Definition Of Disability Created Million Dollar Opportunity For Lawyers

5:58pm March 27, 2013

by Chana Joffe-Walt

As part of our continuing series on the rapid rise in the number of people receiving federal disability payments, we explore the world of disability lawyers.

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At Arguments, Supreme Court Takes Halting Steps Into Gay Marriage Issue

5:58pm March 27, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

At oral arguments on the constitutionality of California's law banning same-sex marriage, the justices parried over the history of the institution of marriage. They also debated an essential question: Should the case be in the Supreme Court at all?

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A pro-gay-marriage protester stands in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the first of two days of oral arguments on challenges to laws that limit the definition of marriage to unions of a man and a woman.

National

DOMA Challenge Tests Federal Definition Of Marriage

1:15pm March 27, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition and benefits for same-sex couples. The case involves a woman charged a hefty estate tax when her spouse died, which she would not have owed if her spouse had been a man.

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Some insurers prefer to pay for manual breast pumps, but some working moms prefer more expensive, electric models.

Law Says Insurers Should Pay For Breast Pumps, But Which Ones?

9:30am March 27, 2013

by Kristian Foden-Vencil

Health insurers are obligated to cover pumps to help moms breast-feed. But there is a variety of equipment. Some nursing mothers prefer faster, electric models that cost more. Insurers may say a less expensive manual pump would do just fine.

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Stockton Unified School District Police Officer Myra Franco and Chief Jim West patrol 50 schools in California's Central Valley region. One of the campuses was the site of a 1989 shooting massacre.

How To Be The Good Guy With A Gun At School

9:30am March 27, 2013

by Richard Gonzales

In the aftermath of the Newtown school shooting, there's a raging public debate over placing armed guards in schools. Some say it's impractical, but about a third of American schools already have some kind of armed security. One school police officer in Stockton, Calif., finds the job is part protector, part mentor.

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