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The Two-Way
8:00 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Killing Of Fla. Teen Trayvon Martin Becomes National Story About Race

Credit Change.org
An undated family photo of Trayvon Martin.

Now that 911 recordings show how a white Florida man continued to follow a 17-year-old black boy even after police advised him not to — and captured the sound of the man killing the unarmed youth with a shot to the chest — Trayvon Martin's family wants the FBI to take over the investigation into his killing.

The gunman says it was an act of self defense during a Neighborhood Watch patrol.

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The Two-Way
7:15 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Killings At School In France Follow Earlier Murders Of Soldiers

Credit Remy Gabalda / AFP/Getty Images
Young people walk away from the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school, on Monday in Toulouse, southwestern France, where at least four people (three of them children) were killed and one seriously wounded when a gunman opened fire. It was the third gun attack in a week by a man who fled on a motorbike.

There are fears in France today that the killings of at least four people outside a Jewish school in the city of Toulouse are linked to earlier murders of three soldiers and that the victims were targeted because they belonged to ethnic or religious minorities.

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Media
6:00 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Do Digital Gadgets Increase Our Appetite For News?

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
More tablets and smartphones mean more ways to consume news, a Pew study found. Last week the new iPad went on sale at the flagship Apple Store in New York City.

Originally published on Mon March 19, 2012 10:24 am

One in every four Americans receives their news digitally from mobile devices, which are helping to expand the consumption of journalism across multiple sources, according to a new report released Monday.

The 2012 State of the News Media Report, conducted by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, provides an in-depth examination of how Americans read news as their consumption habits transition from the printed form to the digital.

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Music
5:14 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Tanlines: Grown-Up Problems, With A Beat

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm of Tanlines.

Four years since they first began making music together, the Brooklyn-based duo Tanlines is finally releasing an album: Mixed Emotions, out tomorrow. The band is Eric Emm, who sings and plays guitar, and Jesse Cohen, who plays drums, keyboards and an assortment of electronic instruments. Cohen is also the chattier of the two.

"We use a lot of different drum kits that are in a computer," Cohen explains. "We also play a lot of stuff live, and a lot of time you can't really tell which is real and which is fake. That's sort of a thing that we like to play with."

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Law
5:12 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Florida Challenges Medicaid Spending 'By Force'

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Florida's Gov. Rick Scott, seen here speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington last month, says of Medicaid, "It is absolutely not sustainable. If we do nothing, this line will bankrupt our state."

When the Supreme Court hears arguments over President Obama's health care law next week, one item on the table will be a program that has been in place for nearly 50 years.

Medicaid, a joint federal-state program that provides health care for the poor, was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson. Under the Affordable Care Act, it will be greatly expanded and provide coverage for millions of uninsured, including low-income adults without children.

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Economy
5:00 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Startup Converts Plastic To Oil, And Finds A Niche

Originally published on Mon March 19, 2012 9:58 am

Only 7 percent of plastic waste in the United States is recycled each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A startup company in Niagara Falls says it can increase that amount and reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil at the same time.

It all starts with a machine known as the Plastic-Eating Monster. Thousands of pounds of shredded milk jugs, water bottles and grocery bags tumble into a large tank, where they're melted together and vaporized. This waste comes from landfills and dumps from all over the United States.

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Author Interviews
4:59 am
Mon March 19, 2012

'Damn Good Advice' From One Of The Real 'Mad Men'

Originally published on Mon March 19, 2012 10:20 am

Don Draper, the main character on the hit TV show Mad Men, is said to have been inspired by a real Madison Avenue ad man: George Lois. Lois was a leader in the "Creative Revolution" in advertising during the 1950s, and became one of the most influential art directors in advertising history. His work helped make brands like Xerox, Lean Cuisine and Jiffy Lube famous. Lois is perhaps best known for creating iconic Esquire magazine covers, many of which now reside in the Museum of Modern Art.

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Election 2012
4:57 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Jesse Jackson Jr. Makes Final Push To Win Primary

Originally published on Mon March 19, 2012 9:06 am

The next primary election takes place in President Obama's home state of Illinois on Tuesday. While Republicans are looking to capture delegates in the presidential race, there are several House races on the ballot — mostly due to redistricting.

In one of the most closely watched of those races, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is facing a challenge from fellow Democrat and former Rep. Debbie Halvorson.

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Europe
4:29 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Greek Bailout Fuels Rise Of Extreme Politics

Credit Aris Messinis / AFP/Getty Images
Policemen shout slogans during a demonstration of Greek security forces against the new austerity measures in Athens.

With Greece entering its fifth year of recession and dealing with harsh austerity measures imposed as part of a eurozone bailout deal to save it from default, its society is in upheaval. Opinion polls suggest the old political system is collapsing, and extremist parties are gaining popularity ahead of spring elections.

At a recent protest in Athens, a large bronze bell tolled as thousands of policemen in full uniform marched solemnly through the streets. They ominously waved their handcuffs at Parliament, shouting, "Take your bailout plan and get out of here."

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Shots - Health Blog
4:14 am
Mon March 19, 2012

Prone To Failure, Some All-Metal Hip Implants Need To Be Removed Early

Credit Richard Knox / NPR
Young-min Kwon of Massachusetts General Hospital holds the metal-alloy ball of Susy Mansfield's faulty artificial hip joint. The yellowish tissue on top is dead muscle caused by a reaction to the metal debris produced by the defective hip implant.

When Susy Mansfield needed a hip replacement in 2009, her orthopedic surgeon chose a relatively new and untested kind of artificial hip made entirely of metal.

"He said, 'You're young. Metal is good for younger people. It's going to last a lot longer,' " says Mansfield, who was 57 at the time.

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