Around the Nation

Stink Bug's Resurfacing May Squash Farmers' Hopes For A Strong 2013

5:14pm January 18, 2013

by Sabri Ben-Anchour

Last year, farmers caught a break from the stink bug, an invasive pest that can cause significant crop damage. The population dropped sharply in 2011, but experts say the insect could come back bigger than ever this year.

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National

N.Y. Governor Flexes Political Muscle To Pass Tough Gun Law

5:09pm January 18, 2013

by Karen DeWitt

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a new gun control bill into law Tuesday, just days after delivering an impassioned speech on the need to pass the legislation. The popular governor has managed to translate his high approval ratings into a number of political victories. But some say Cuomo is just padding his resume for a future presidential bid.

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For editorial cartoonists, Obama's ears are his signature. In some depictions, they've grown throughout the years, but Matt Wuerker says cartoonists have gotten lazy. "We did the same thing to George W. Bush. By the end of his administration he was just D

For Cartoonists Who Cover Obama: Four More Ears

5:09pm January 18, 2013

by Alison MacAdam

Four years ago, when the nation's first African-American president was inaugurated, even conservative editorial cartoonists marked the moment with reverence. Now, not so much. Political cartoonists Scott Stantis of the Chicago Tribune and Matt Wuerker of Politico weigh in on the evolution of a president's image.

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Sports

The Manti Te'o Story: Why The News Media Let Its Guard Down

10:05am January 18, 2013

by David Folkenflik

The media lionized the football star amid stories of his perseverance after the death of his girlfriend. Now the girlfriend's existence has been called into question, casting an unflattering light on the practices of the media.

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Bernard Holyfield (right) shares a childhood story with his friend Charles Barlow, about growing up in a racially charged Alabama during the early 1960s.

National

The Moment Race Mattered: A Haunting Childhood Memory

9:11am January 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

Bernard Holyfield was 5 years old when he learned that skin color made a big difference. He recalls an incident in the early 1960s in Alabama in which a drunken white man approached him and his brother while they were playing on their front lawn.

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Politics & Government

Does Obama's Second-Term Agenda Need Beefing Up?

9:11am January 18, 2013

by Mara Liasson

President Obama is sworn in for a second term in office next week. He has an ambitious agenda for the next for years, but is it ambitious enough?

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Economy

CEO Marchionne Drives Chrysler's Dramatic Turnaround

9:11am January 18, 2013

With the global auto industry gathered in Detroit this week for the city's renowned auto show, Renee Montagne talks to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne about his company's stunning turnaround, manufacturing overseas and a Chrysler IPO.

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Dear Mr. President: Tell Obama Your Priority For His Second Term

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Becky Lettenberger

In anticipation of Inauguration Day, NPR photographer Becky Lettenberger and producer Justine Kenin visited 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to ask Americans: "What do you want President Obama to remember in his second term?"

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Vegetation like the kind growing here at Michigan State University's Kellogg Biological Station could one day be used to feed small biofuel refineries spread throughout the Midwest.

Could Some Midwest Land Support New Biofuel Refineries?

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Richard Harris

Land that isn't in good enough condition to grow crops could be used to produce substantial amounts of liquid biofuels, a new study claims. But there are many concerns about the study, and about the future of advanced biofuels in the U.S. and abroad.

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Homebuilding Is Booming, But Skilled Workers Are Scarce

6:29pm January 17, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

More than 2 million construction jobs disappeared during the economic downturn. But now that there are indications the sector is rebounding, the industry is actually experiencing a labor shortage in many parts of the country.

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