National

After The 'Fiscal Cliff,' Businesses Say Some Uncertainty Remains

7:23pm January 08, 2013

by John Ydstie

Even after Congress' action to avert part of the "fiscal cliff," business owners remain cautious about hiring and expanding. Those that are growing cite the underlying economy, but others say uncertainty about government spending is keeping them wary.

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Gun enthusiasts flock to the New Eastcoast Arms Collectors Associates Arms Fair in March 2012 in Saratoga, N.Y. Some local residents would like the next show to be canceled, in light of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings.

National

New York Town Up In Arms As Gun Show Approaches

6:37pm January 08, 2013

by Dale Willman

Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has been host to a popular gun fair for almost 30 years. But in the aftermath of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the town has been sharply divided over whether the next show, opening Friday, should continue as planned.

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Officers transfer confiscated weapons after a news conference to announce the arrests of scores of alleged gang members and associates on federal racketeering and drug-trafficking charges in Lakewood, Calif., in 2009.

Gun Control Advocates Say ATF's Hands Have Been Tied

6:37pm January 08, 2013

by Brian Naylor

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the primary enforcer of the nation's gun laws, but advocates and former ATF officials say agents face legal restrictions that limit their effectiveness. In addition, the agency has been without a permanent director for years.

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Egyptian Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas Nativity Liturgy, the start of Christmas, at the Coptic Orthodox Church of St. George in Brooklyn last January.

Amid Instability In Egypt, Coptic Christians Flee To U.S.

5:38pm January 08, 2013

by Bruce Wallace

Many Coptic Christians will celebrate Christmas on Monday outside their native Egypt. Their future there looks uncertain, and many are resettling in the U.S. Churches around New York, New Jersey and Southern California, the centers of Coptic life here, have seen memberships swell.

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Peace Pilgrim acknowledged that some may have considered her "kooky." But, she once said, "pioneers have always been looked upon as being a bit strange."

National

Peace Pilgrim's 28-Year Walk For 'A Meaningful Way Of Life'

2:19pm January 08, 2013

by Zak Rosen

On Jan. 1, 1953, Mildred Norman gave up her name — and possessions — to become Peace Pilgrim. She walked across the U.S. and Canada for 28 years, subsisting on handouts from strangers to spread her message of peace.

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New Regulations Could Treat Virginia Abortion Clinics Like Hospitals

10:00am January 08, 2013

by Kathy Lohr

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has approved regulations requiring clinics where abortions are performed to meet the same building codes as new hospitals. Abortion-rights groups say the regulations are unnecessary, but abortion-rights opponents say they're the only way to ensure that clinics are safe.

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Lance Armstrong, seen here at a LIVESTRONG Challenge Ride in October 2012, might be willing to confess to doping — in exchange for an easing of his lifetime ban, according to reports.

What Lance Armstrong, And The USADA, Might Gain From A Confession

9:23am January 08, 2013

by Bill Chappell

The news that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong might be willing to confess to the doping charges he spent years denying has reopened interest in his case — and opens the question of whether his lifetime ban from competitive sports could be eased in exchange for Armstrong's cooperation.

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Future Of U.S. Troops Looms Over Afghan Leader's Visit

8:06am January 08, 2013

by Jackie Northam

President Hamid Karzai is in Washington this week for meetings with President Obama and other officials. One of the key issues to be discussed is the number of American troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014, when the bulk of U.S. and NATO forces leave.

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National

Chicago's Gun Ban Fails To Prevent Murders

7:28am January 08, 2013

On Monday, Morning Edition explored crime rates in Chicago and how the murder rate went up in 2012. That was against national trends and even against Chicago's long-range decline in crime. We discussed police focus on "hot spots," and the dissolution of gangs. But listeners asked: What about gun bans?

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Shea Catlin, a nurse practitioner, doses out flu vaccine to give a shot at a CVS Minute Clinic in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 3.

Can You Get A Flu Shot And Still Get The Flu?

6:06am January 08, 2013

by Rob Stein

Vaccination is still the best way to avoid getting sick, but it's not 100 percent protective. Some people may get infected with a strain of flu that isn't covered by this year's vaccine. For others, the shots just don't work.

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