U.S.

House Pulls 'Plan B' Tax Measure From The Floor

10:18pm December 20, 2012

House Speaker John Boehner's alternative plan to the automatic tax hikes set to take effect at year's end fell short of enough votes to pass. The bill would have placed a higher tax rate on income over $1 million a year.

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Charlotte Douglas International Airport has deployed an army of 1.9 million worms to eat through its organic waste. The airport has reduced the trash it sends to the landfill by 70 percent.

National

One Airport's Trash Is 2 Million Worms' Treasure

3:16pm December 20, 2012

by Julie Rose

Many airports send their discarded french fries, burgers and Cinnabons to the landfill. But Charlotte Douglas International plans to transform that garbage into fertilizer for flower beds. All it needed was a couple of million red wiggler worms.

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National

Mich. Governor Vetoes Bill Allowing Concealed Weapons In Schools

3:16pm December 20, 2012

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have allowed people with concealed pistol permits to carry guns in schools. He was under widespread pressure to veto it after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., last week. Robert Siegel talks to Rick Pluta of Michigan Public Radio.

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According to Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center, more people in the United States die every year from gun-related incidents than have been killed in all terrorist attacks worldwide since the 1960s.

Assault-Style Weapons In The Civilian Market

2:10pm December 20, 2012

Senior analyst for the Violence Policy Center Tom Diaz says one of the weapons found at the site of the Newtown, Conn., shooting was a variant of a type of gun developed for troops in Vietnam.

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A visitor handles a revolver at a Smith & Wesson display during the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits on April 14 at America's Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Single-Issue Solidarity Behind NRA's Clout

5:44am December 20, 2012

by Peter Overby

The National Rifle Association ranks among the most effective advocacy groups in America. It reaches its members almost every way imaginable — and it gets them to volunteer for campaigns and educates them on how to vote.

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Robert Bork, nominated by President Reagan to the Supreme Court, is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee at his confirmation hearing, Sept. 15, 1987.

Robert Bork's Supreme Court Nomination 'Changed Everything, Maybe Forever'

8:31pm December 19, 2012

by Nina Totenberg

Known as a charming and witty man in private, Bork, who died Wednesday, was dour and humorless in his Senate confirmation hearings, and his answers seemed to play into the stereotype liberals painted of a man who cared little for the public. His Senate rejection changed the way future nominees have testified.

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The contents of a box of some of the new foods containing caffeine collected by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Not Just For Coffee Anymore: The Rise Of Caffeinated Foods

8:45am December 19, 2012

by Allison Aubrey

Are we getting "Jack'd"? A surge in new caffeine-containing foods leads to new questions about just how much caffeine we're getting in our daily lives. Some advocates are calling for labeling, and they raise concerns about children's and teens' consumption.

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Flowers, candles and stuffed animals make up a makeshift memorial in Newtown, Conn., on Monday. Much of the initial news coverage of Friday's events was later found to be inaccurate.

National

Coverage Rapid, And Often Wrong, In Tragedy's Early Hours

2:09pm December 18, 2012

by David Folkenflik

Much of what Americans learned from the news media Friday about the events in Newtown was wrong. Journalists know early accounts of crisis events are often misleading and incomplete, but often are compelled to pursue them without waiting for authoritative confirmation.

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Cyndy Aafedt (left) owns the El Rancho hotel in Williston, N.D. Jobs in town have been hard to fill. Her employee, Mary Joy Hardt (right), who is from the Philippines, is one of many people with J-1 visas helping to fill retail, hotel and restaurant job o

The Downsides Of Living In An Oil Boomtown

11:18am December 18, 2012

by Meg Luther Lindholm

The population explosion in Williston, N.D., has been a blessing and a curse for many local businesses. Stores and restaurants are struggling to find workers because they can't compete with what most oil jobs pay. Plus, there's now a day care shortage, and housing costs have skyrocketed.

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Hasbro's pink Easy-Bake Oven is under fire for reinforcing gender stereotypes.

National

Girls, Boys And Toys: Rethinking Stereotypes In What Kids Play With

6:50am December 18, 2012

by Heidi Glenn

A New Jersey teenager who launched a campaign to get Hasbro to make a gender-neutral Easy-Bake Oven is expected to meet with the toy company Monday afternoon. Her campaign seems to be part of heightened gender messaging awareness in toys this holiday season.

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