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1:31pm

Mon February 27, 2012
The Salt

Judge Dismisses Organic Farmers' Case Against Monsanto

Originally published on Tue February 28, 2012 11:37 am

Credit Daniel Acker / Landov
Farmer Alan Madison fills a seed hopper with Monsanto hybrid seed corn near Arlington, Illinois, U.S. A group of organic and other growers say they're concerned they'll be sued by Monsanto if pollen from seeds like these drift onto their fields.

A New York federal court today dismissed a lawsuit against agribusiness giant Monsanto brought by thousands of certified organic farmers. The farmers hoped the suit would protect them against infringing on the company's crop patents in the future.

The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association and several other growers and organizations do not use Monsanto seeds. But they were betting that the judge would agree that Monsanto should not be allowed to sue them if pollen from the company's patented crops happened to drift into their fields.

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1:18pm

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

TransCanada To Begin Work On One Portion Of Keystone Pipeline

After a proposal to build an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas was denied by the Obama administration, TransCanada says it will start building the Oklahoma-to-Texas portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

If you remember back in January, the administration told TransCanada to reapply for a permit on the 1,700 mile pipeline when it had plans to avoid the environmentally sensitive Sandhills of Nebraska.

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12:28pm

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

Costa Allegra, Concordia's Sister Ship, Adrift In Indian Ocean

After an engine room fire, the Costa Allegra is adrift in the Indian ocean. The Allegra is owned by Costa Concordia, the same company that owns the cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Italy and killed 25 people and left seven missing.

The AP reports the Costa Allegra is adrift in the area of the Indian Ocean where Somali pirates have been active.

The Guardian reports:

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12:20pm

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

Gay Marine's Homecoming Kiss Is Lighting Up The Web

Credit Gay Marines on Facebook
The kiss. That's Sgt. Brandon Morgan on the right. Dalan Wells on the left.

12:16pm

Mon February 27, 2012
Book Reviews

China On The Court: NBA Meets The 'Brave Dragons'

"Linsanity" is the magical byword of this basketball season. As anyone who is even semi-conscious knows, Jeremy Lin, the NBA's first Taiwanese-American player by way of Harvard, was passed over for college athletic scholarships and ignored in NBA drafts. Then, he landed with the New York Knicks and has since proved to everybody that athletic prejudice against Asians is Lincredibly stupid. Except, as journalist Jim Yardley points out in his new book on basketball fever in China, Chinese players and coaches happen to endorse that prejudice.

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11:00am

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

Chechens Allegedly Planned To Attack Putin's Motorcade With Mines

Credit Alexey Nikolsky / AFP/Getty Images
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Chechens who allegedly were hoping to kill Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin planned to hide landmines along a route his motorcade often uses in Moscow, according to Russian TV, the BBC reports.

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9:35am

Mon February 27, 2012

9:30am

Mon February 27, 2012
World Cafe

World Cafe Looks Back: '90s Alternative

Credit Courtesy of the artist

Liz Phair.

This episode of World Cafe honors the alternative rock movement of the 1990s, with six artists who rose to mainstream success: Kristin Hersh, Belly, Liz Phair, Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield, and Matt

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9:20am

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

Developing: Shooting At High School In Chardon, Ohio

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 2:14 pm

The latest on today's shooting at a high school in Chardon, Ohio, where five students were shot; at least one fatally:

Update at 2:15 p.m. ET. Student Who Died Identified:

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9:11am

Mon February 27, 2012
It's All Politics

Monday's Political Grab Bag: Romney, Santorum Tied In Michigan?

On the eve of Tuesday primaries in Michigan and Arizona, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum appeared to be tied in the Great Lakes state though the former Massachusetts governor likely had the momentum and looked to be significantly ahead in the southwestern border state.

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8:50am

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

Santorum Defends Saying JFK Speech On Religion Makes Him Sick

Credit Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, center, and supporters as they prayed earlier this month in McKinney, Texas.

There was no shift over the weekend by Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum when he was asked about his comment last year that then-presidential candidate John Kennedy's famous 1960 speech about religion and the separation of church and state makes him want to throw up.

The Boston Globe writes that on Sunday:

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8:49am

Mon February 27, 2012
Your Money

Warm Winter Is Helping Consumers Cope

Originally published on Mon February 27, 2012 2:14 pm

Credit Mario Tama / Getty Images
A woman takes in the sunshine while reading in Central Park on Feb. 1 in New York City, where temperatures topped 60 degrees.

The rapidly rising price of gasoline has not stalled the economic recovery — at least not yet. And one reason for that may be found in fields of daffodils.

This year's unusually warm winter has held down heating costs, helping consumers spend less on their monthly utility bills.

"Weather plays a big role" in determining what's left in your checking account as winter wraps up, said Jonathan Cogan, a spokesman for the Energy Information Administration.

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8:08am

Mon February 27, 2012
Author Interviews

'Tinderbox': How The West Fueled The AIDS Epidemic

Credit Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post
Craig Timberg is the former Johannesburg bureau chief of The Washington Post. He is current the deputy national security editor at the Post.

HIV is a slow-moving time bomb.

Unlike Ebola, which infects and kills people quickly — and then disappears just as quickly — the HIV epidemic has become so good at killing people in part because it moves so very slowly, says journalist Craig Timberg.

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8:00am

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

WikiLeaks Starts Posting Millions Of Security Firm Stratfor's Emails

Credit WikiLeaks.org

"The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks began publishing on Monday more than five million emails from a U.S.-based global security analysis company that has been likened to a shadow CIA," Reuters writes.

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7:30am

Mon February 27, 2012
The Two-Way

Will Killings Over Quran Burnings Lead To Faster Pullout From Afghanistan?

Credit Aref Karimi / AFP/Getty Images
In Herat, Afghanistan, on Friday: Demonstrators shouted anti-American slogans.

The news from Afghanistan remains grim as protests and attacks continue over the recent burning of some Qurans and other Islamic materials at an airbase controlled by international forces. The violence and unrest has also, The Washington Post writes, "exposed a crippling weakness in the American strategy to wind down the war."

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7:19am

Mon February 27, 2012
Around the Nation

TSA Screeners Leave Metal Detector Unattended

Travelers in Sacramento, Calif., got a surprise when they approached airport security and no one was at the metal detector. Five passengers went on through without any screening. Finally, officials noticed the unattended metal detector and shut down the terminal until the passengers were found and screened.

7:14am

Mon February 27, 2012
Around the Nation

Man Fends Off Bugler With Coffee Mug

A man in Washington, Pa., was at home when a burglar broke in. The Observer-Reporter newspaper says the thief pulled a knife. So the homeowner pulled out a ceramic coffee mug and smacked him on the head.

6:52am

Mon February 27, 2012
Movies

Silence Is Golden For 'The Artist'

The Artist became the first silent film to triumph at Hollywood's highest honors since the original Oscar ceremony 83 years ago. The film's lead actor, Jean Dujardin, also took home an Academy award for best actor while Michel Hazanavicius, the film's director, also won.

6:45am

Mon February 27, 2012
Election 2012

Paul Campaign Could Gain Traction In Michigan

As Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum battle for first place in the Michigan GOP presidential primary, rival Ron Paul is not expected to come in first or second. Paul doesn't really stand a chance at winning the nomination, but he can impact the party's platform

6:40am

Mon February 27, 2012
Election 2012

Romney, Santorum Battle For Michigan Votes

Along with Arizona, Michigan holds its Republican presidential primary Tuesday. If Rick Santorum beats native son Mitt Romney in Michigan, it could throw the race into turmoil.

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