Morning Edition

Just Washed Your Car? Try Speeding To Dry It

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A Canadian man was a bit wilder than his country's reputation. Police say he was driving 112 miles per hour on a highway south of Black Diamond, Alberta. When they got a look at the man, they found he was 67 - possibly old enough to know better. But by the time the suspect got to court, he had his story straight.

The man explained that he had just washed his car; he was simply speeding in order to dry it off. Of course. He was fined anyway. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Banner Misspells College World Series

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:04:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm David Greene with news from the College World Series. No, I didn't get stuck there. It's just this huge banner over the third-base dugout spelled the name of the tournament incorrectly. College had three Ls. Organizers of the tournament were embarrassed, especially because they had to hold off on fixing the problem until there was a break in play. Some had an idea about what that extra L stood for, because both teams who used that third-base dugout lost.

You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Disney World Raises Entrance Price For Magic Kingdom

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Some of the magic at Disney was always that you could pick a theme park - any theme park - and the price for a day pass would be the same. Well, no more.

TV, Movie Streaming Services Want To Grow With Kids

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Netflix offers children's programs which can be screened on computers or TVs. And it says streaming of those programs goes up over the summer, about 30 percent. It's not hard to figure out why - school's out. Screens are on. This month we're focusing on media for kids, and our media critic Eric Deggans says that Netflix - as well as its rival, Prime Instant Video from Amazon - are both trying to capture a big and growing market.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: There's a secret war brewing for the attention of children everywhere.

U.S. To Test The Waters With Iran's New President Rohani

Michele Kelemen — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

When Barack Obama became president and offered his hand to Iran, that country's elites reacted skeptically. Many said he was a new face, but still represented Iran's great enemy. Now, Iran will have a new face, winner of last week's presidential election, Hassan Rohani. He says he wants better relations with the outside world, so it's America's turn to wonder just how much Rohani could really change in Iran's confrontation with the U.S.

Tick Tock: Make The Serve, Pitch, Putt Or Shot

Frank Deford — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:23:00 +0000

In Milwaukee, cartoon characters dressed up like various sausages race at each Brewers' game; in Washington, five of our beloved presidents do their own bratwurst ramble. But the character I want to appear at every baseball game –– and at a couple of other sports, too, is ...

tick-tock,tick-tock

... the crocodile from Peter Pan who swallowed a clock and shadows a terrified Capt. Hook.

Somebody has to scare athletes into playing faster. In baseball, golf and tennis in particular, we are being slowwwwwwly lulled to sleep before every pitch, every shot.

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:21:00 +0000

There is one basic question that keeps being asked about the U.S. auto industry: Is it on the rebound?

"People ask a lot, is the auto industry back?" says Kristin Dziczek, a director at the Center for Automotive Research. "And it depends on what scale you want to look at."

So if we're looking at scales, let's start with productivity. In this case, how many work hours it takes to build a car. Productivity in U.S. plants is 39 percent higher than it was in 2000.

Fashion's Victims: An Artist's Focus On Garment Workers

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:20:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4aR23-1MPo

Is That Gas I Smell, Or Cinnamon?

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:52:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. A special odor is added to natural gas. You know that smell meant to warn you of possible trouble? Last weekend New York officials added an odor to mask the odor. They were fixing a pipeline in Harlem and didn't want a flood of 911 calls over gas leaks that weren't considered dangerous because they were in the open. So they masked the smell by adding cinnamon to the gas. We have no word if area coffee shops sold out of rolls. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Bakery Apparently Mishears Cake Order

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:44:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning, I'm David Greene with congratulations to Laura Gramble. She graduated from Indiana University. To celebrate, mom ordered a cake - Indiana red and white with a photo of Laura's face. And one more request, a graduation cap made of icing. The baker evidently misheard and drew a cat, instead, on Laura's head; pink nose, white whiskers. The Gramble laughed it off and kept the cake from the bakery. Laura says they must have thought she was going to become a veterinarian.

You're listening to MORNING EDITION.

High Court Strikes Down Voting Law In Arizona

Ted Robbins — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:04:00 +0000

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

On a Tuesday, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

When the Supreme Court nears the end of a session, you can feel the drama on a day like yesterday. Some big decisions loomed - cases dealing with affirmative action and gay marriage.

INSKEEP: But on any given day, you do not know which decisions will come down. Yesterday, the court ended the anticipation in Arizona.

Remembering Astronaut Sally Ride's Historic Journey

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:35:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NASA introduced eight new astronauts yesterday. The space agency says they will lay the groundwork for missions to an asteroid and eventually Mars.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

For the first time, half the new astronauts are women whose paths can be traced back to an event that happened 30 years ago today.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED AUDIO)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: T-minus-10, nine, eight, seven, six, we go for main start - we have main engine start - and ignition and liftoff. Liftoff of SES 7 and America's first woman astronaut.

Business News

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:35:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news begins with Ben Bernanke's future.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: OK, President Obama has given the clearest hint yet, that Ben Bernanke's time as chairman of the Federal Reserve may soon be up. In an interview that aired last night on PBS's "Charlie Rose" program, the president said this...

(SOUNDBITE OF "CHARLIE ROSE" SHOW)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I think Ben Bernanke's done an outstanding job.

3-D Printer Brings Dexterity To Children With No Fingers

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:14:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB53-D_N8Uc

Spy Reporter Works Her 'Sources' To Write A Thriller

editor — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:08:00 +0000

Mary Louise Kelly used to cover the national security beat for NPR, but lately she's turned her attention to teaching and writing fiction. Her new novel, Anonymous Sources, follows rookie journalist Alexandra James as she investigates a shady banana shipment and a clandestine nuclear plot.

Libyan Radio Station Promotes Democracy, One Rap At A Time

Leila Fadel — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:07:00 +0000

Many of the militia fighters who rose up and ousted former dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 have refused to lay down their arms and are still challenging the post-revolutionary government.

Yet the militias are facing a challenge of their own. They now come under verbal attack on one of Libya's newest radio stations, Radio Zone.

Bassem Arady, a presenter at the station, says pretty much whatever's on his mind.

Why The FISA Court Is Not What It Used To Be

Nina Totenberg — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:07:00 +0000

The furor over recently exposed government surveillance programs has posed an abundance of political challenges for both President Obama and Congress. Relatively unmentioned in all of this, however, is the role of the courts — specifically, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA court, and how its role has changed since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Obama has said that there are tradeoffs between privacy and security in an age of international terrorism.

Supreme Court Rejects Arizona's Proof Of Citizenship Law

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:03:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

On a Monday, this is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene. We're reporting this morning on a decision just out from the U.S. Supreme Court. The court tossed out an Arizona law that required proof of citizenship for its voters. In a 7-2 decision the justices said the state's voter-approved Proposition 200 interfered with federal law.

For more on this morning's decision on this Arizona law, we're joined in studio by NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson and NPR's senior Washington editor Ron Elving.

Mayoral Races Across Mexico Are Turning Into A Zoo

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:37:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. Mayoral races across Mexico are turning into a zoo. In Xalapa, a cat named Morris is running with the campaign slogan: Tired of voting for rats? Vote for a cat. Candidates in other cities include Chon the Donkey and Tina the Chicken. Now, Morris the cat is in the lead - at least on social media.

He has 115,000 likes on Facebook, more than any of the five human candidates. And to think if he loses, that cat has eight more chances. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Smartphones Help Bridge Gaps In Electronic Medical Records

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:31:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Let's look now at another change in health care, and this one has to do with paperwork. Hospitals and clinics are slowly replacing paper files with sophisticated electronic health records.

Lowes Looks To Acquire Hardware Stores

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:20:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with an acquisition for Lowe's.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: The home-improvement retailer, Lowe's, has reportedly agreed to buy Orchard Supply Hardware Stores. The sale price is expected to top $200 million. Now Orchard is a California-based hardware-and-garden chain.

Putin Denies Stealing Kraft's Super Bowl Ring

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:17:00 +0000

When New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft met with then-Russian President Vladmir Putin in 2005, he showed off his Super Bowl ring. Kraft told a crowd last week Putin put the ring on, and said, "I can kill someone with this ring." He then put it in his pocket, and walked away. The Kremlin says the ring was a gift.

Poor Economy Encourages Scientists To Leave Spain

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:40:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

More than 40,000 scientists in Spain have signed a petition calling on the government to end cuts to their budget. They're blaming austerity for an exodus of the country's best and brightest researchers.

Lauren Frayer has more from Madrid.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Spanish spoken)

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Hundreds of lab-coated scientists delivered their petition to Spain's Economy Ministry.

Long-Term Interest Rates Start Moving Higher

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:10:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

OK, Scott just made clear economic issues have some competition for top billing at the G 8 Summit in Northern Ireland. We do, though, want to drill down into one economic question this morning, and that's why interest rates here at home are going up. The bond market has pushed them to the highest levels in 15 months, and that includes mortgage rates.

Let's turn, as we often do, to David Wessel. He's economics editor of The Wall Street Journal.

The Last Word In Business

editor — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Boring TV is such a hit in the Scandinavian nation of Norway that broadcasters are scrambling to produce even more shows to satisfy the appetites of viewers. One idea being considered is a live show with knitting experts, according to The Wall Street Journal.