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7:03am

Thu May 17, 2012
The Two-Way

As Feared, JPMorgan's Losses Are Growing; Reportedly At $3 Billion

Credit Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images

The word on Monday that JPMorgan Chase's losses from risky trades that went wrong could climb from $2 billion to perhaps as high as $4 billion in coming quarters is being bolstered this morning.

There's this report from The New York Times' Deal Book blog:

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6:58am

Thu May 17, 2012
Around the Nation

Student Discovers Mastodon Tooth In His Backyard

An Oklahoma teacher asked her fifth graders to each bring in a rock. One student brought in a stone that looked like a tooth. It turns out it was a tooth, according to the Muskogee Daily Phoenix. The tooth may up to 40 million years old.

6:58am

Thu May 17, 2012
Around the Nation

Director John Waters Hitches A Ride With Indie Band

The Baltimore legend is known for his pencil-thin mustache, and for movies like Hairspray. He's said in interviews he enjoys hitchhiking. Recently, the band Here We Go Magic tweeted photos of him in their van.

6:58am

Thu May 17, 2012
Business

Skechers To Settle FTC Complaint

The Federal Trade Commission has announced that Skechers will pay more than $40 million to settle charges that the company made unfounded claims about its shape-up shoes. The FTC says the marketing was deceptive.

6:32am

Thu May 17, 2012
Author Interviews

'Patriot Of Persia' Revisits 1953 CIA Coup In Iran

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 6:58 am

Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep talks to journalist Christopher de Bellaigue about his book Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup.

6:31am

Thu May 17, 2012
Middle East

Palestinians Tout Non-Violent Resistance

Originally published on Sun May 20, 2012 8:43 am

This week, Palestinian prisoners ended a mass hunger strike aimed at improving their conditions in Israeli prisons after reaching a deal with Israeli authorities. The success of the collective action in wresting concessions from Israel has some Palestinians calling for a greater emphasis on nonviolence in their opposition to Israeli policies.

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5:12am

Thu May 17, 2012
Television

TV Networks Try To Sell Advertisers On Fall Lineups

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 6:58 am

David Greene talks to reporter Kim Masters about some of the new TV shows coming out of this year's upfront presentations. The upfronts are when the networks present their fall lineups to advertisers and media. Masters is covering the upfronts for The Hollywood Reporter.

4:29am

Thu May 17, 2012
Business

Business

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 6:58 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with some good news for the housing market.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: Home foreclosures in the United States are down for the third straight month, according to the foreclosure listing from RealtyTrack. Nationwide, a new RealtyTrack report finds foreclosure rates in April were down 14 percent over last year, hitting the lowest monthly level in nearly in five years. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

4:29am

Thu May 17, 2012
Business

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 6:58 am

The hot dog is topped with lobster tail, contains safron aioli and is covered in gold dust. Four of the expensive dogs have been sold, and the proceeds donated to charity.

3:31am

Thu May 17, 2012
Europe

'Dire Consequences' If Greece Exits Euro

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 10:46 am

Credit Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP/Getty Images
People walk past the Bank of Greece headquarters in Athens.

Euros are being drained out of Greek banks at a rate of up to $1 billion a day this week. In the wake of the country's election turmoil, depositors are nervous about the heightened possibility of a Greek exit from the euro. If that were to happen, euros left in Greek banks could be worth much less than euros outside the country.

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3:30am

Thu May 17, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Alaska Targets An Old Foe: Tuberculosis

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 8:36 am

Credit Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Dr. Michael Cooper

Dr. Michael Cooper cringes when he thinks about the time he was a family practice doctor working in Kotzebue, Alaska.

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3:29am

Thu May 17, 2012
The Salt

A Farmer Bets Better Fake Chicken Meat Will Be As Good As The Real Thing

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 9:49 pm

Beyond Meat, a new company based in Maryland, has come up with an alternative to chicken meat that it claims is a dead ringer for the real thing. And unlike other meat alternatives on the market, this one aims to be cheap as well as tasty.

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3:24am

Thu May 17, 2012
The Fracking Boom: Missing Answers

Fracking's Methane Trail: A Detective Story

Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 9:36 am

Gaby Petron didn't set out to challenge industry and government assumptions about how much pollution comes from natural gas drilling.

She was just doing what she always does as an air pollution data sleuth for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"I look for a story in the data," says Petron. "You give me a data set, I will study it back and forth and left and right for weeks, and I will find something to tell about it."

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3:15am

Thu May 17, 2012
Afghanistan

Afghan Justice: A Brief Trial, A Lengthy Sentence

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 9:01 am

Credit AFP / Getty Images
Afghanistan is struggling to develop its court system, and public trials are still relatively rare. Here, an Afghan man named Mahmood (standing, right) listens to a court judge during his trial in the western city of Herat on Jan. 24. He had photos of NATO bases in Afghanistan and was sentenced to 16 years for spying for Iran.

Handcuffed and wearing dark blue traditional clothes, the Afghan defendant enters the newly renovated court in the capital of Kunar province, about 5 miles from the border with Pakistan.

Members of the local community are waiting to witness the public trial of Abdul Wali, who is accused of manufacturing alcohol — a crime that carries a lengthy prison sentence in Afghanistan.

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3:14am

Thu May 17, 2012
Europe

Not Your Cold War NATO: Alliance To Examine Itself

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 9:28 am

Credit Musadeq Sadeq / AP
A NATO soldier aims his weapon during a gun battle in Kabul, Afghanistan, in April. NATO is holding a summit in Chicago this weekend, and discussing the future of the alliance is on the agenda.

This weekend, about 60 heads of state and government, and thousands of others will descend on Chicago to attend a NATO summit. The gathering will focus on the alliance's involvement in Afghanistan — and ensuring a long-term commitment to the country.

But the meeting comes at a time of tension within NATO. Discussions will also include the future of NATO itself, and whether it can overcome its shortfalls.

Unilateral Action In Libya

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3:00am

Thu May 17, 2012
Fine Art

A Museum Visit For Art Lovers With Alzheimer's

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 6:58 am

Many art lovers feel completely in the moment when they stroll through the galleries of a museum. That feeling was particularly true on a recent morning at the Kreeger Museum in Washington, D.C. The Kreeger runs a special program for people with Alzheimer's — seniors, their caregivers and middle school students are paired together to enjoy the art and one another's company.

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6:56pm

Wed May 16, 2012
The Record

Go-Go Legend Chuck Brown Dies

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 7:48 pm

6:53pm

Wed May 16, 2012
The Two-Way

'Information' To 'Knowledge Agent': Google Changes The Way It Does Search

Originally published on Thu May 17, 2012 12:52 pm

Credit Google
What a search result may look at on Google now.

Google announced a big change in its approach to search today.

The search giant said the move was the first step in transitioning from an "information agent" to a "knowledge agent."

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6:32pm

Wed May 16, 2012
The Two-Way

Video Helps Acquit Student In First Occupy Wall Street Trial

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Occupy Wall Street protesters march through in an impoverished community in December 2011.

Alexander Arbuckle, the defendant in the first Occupy Wall Street case to go to trial, has been found not guilty after video of the incident he was involved in showed him breaking no laws. The Village Voice reports:

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6:30pm

Wed May 16, 2012
Remembrances

Chuck Brown, 'Go-Go' Funk Pioneer, Dies

Originally published on Wed May 16, 2012 7:34 pm

The man known as the Godfather of Go-Go has died. Chuck Brown pioneered a musical style of percussion-heavy funk that was born in Washington, D.C. Brown died at age 75 after suffering from pneumonia. Robert Siegel has this remembrance.

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