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4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

States End Extended Benefits Despite Dismal Economic Outlook

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

So far this year, 25 states have ended the Extended Benefits program. That program made sure people out of work for long periods of time continued receiving financial assistance. But there was a catch: if a state's unemployment rate improved, the money would stop flowing. The fact that some states are seeing lower unemployment may seem like a good sign for the economy. It's no comfort to the people who are still out of work.

Susie An from WBEZ in Chicago has that story.

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NPR Story
4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Baltic States Embrace Eurozone

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Here a couple of the more alarming warnings coming out of the eurozone this week. Greece says it could go broke by July. Spain says it probably can't raise money from investors because they're demanding interest rates that are too high.

Despite all these troubles, one country is still eager to join the eurozone: Latvia. In fact, all three Baltic States remain supportive of the euro.

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NPR Story
4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Deadline Nears For Gay Marriage Referendum In Washington

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne. The battle over legalizing gay marriage arrived in Washington state earlier this year, when its legislature did just that - which quickly led to a movement to ban same-sex marriage with the deadline today, to get a ban on this fall's ballot.

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NPR Story
4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And our last word in business this morning is: litigious days.

(SOUNDBITE OF "HAPPY DAYS" THEME SONG)

MONTAGNE: That, of course, is the theme from "Happy Days," the hit sitcom from the 1970s and '80s. These days, not everyone is so happy. Several cast members from the show are battling with CBS and Paramount, for unpaid royalties.

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NPR Story
4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Auto Industry Bailout Remains Political Hot Button Issue

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And the U.S. bailout of General Motors and the auto industry in 2009 has worked its way into the presidential campaign. Republican Mitt Romney says he'd sell the government stock in GM quickly if he wins the White House. A White House spokesman counters that Romney isn't credible on the issue, since he opposed the bailout that rescued the industry.

NPR's Sonari Glinton has the story.

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NPR Story
4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Business News

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with yet another setback for Spain.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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NPR Story
4:23 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Why Does Airline Food Taste So Bad?

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Tiny bags of pretzels followed by some kind of rubber mystery meat - for those who fly, you know exactly what I'm talking about: the joys of airplane food. Well, some airlines are now trying to shake things up. They're showcasing some new cuisine in hopes of luring more passengers. But producing food that actually tastes great at cruising altitude is not easy, as NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports.

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Sweetness And Light
2:57 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Please Sir, I'd Rather Have Another

Credit Al Bello / Getty Images
Triple Crown hopefull I'll Have Another is ridden by exercise rider Jonny Garcia during a morning workout at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

To be perverse, I'd suggest that for the horse-racing industry, it'd be best that I'll Have Another does not — yes, does not — win the Triple Crown this Saturday.

Oh, certainly, absolutely every year you want a horse to win the first two races — the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness — so that suspense builds and a horse has a chance to win the Belmont and take the Triple Crown. But isn't it better to have the potential winner barely get beat so that the losing streak continues, building interest?

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Planet Money
2:56 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Why Does The Mortgage-Interest Tax Deduction Still Exist?

Credit Alex Brandon / AP

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

This is the latest story in our series on money in politics.

If you have a mortgage on your home, you can deduct the interest from your taxes. It's a popular, well-entrenched policy. But according to one policy adviser to a U.S. senator, "the mortgage-interest deduction, from a purely policy perspective ... makes no sense."

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Latin America
2:55 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Female Presidential Candidate Blazes Trail In Mexico

Credit AFP/Getty Images/PAN Press Office
Josefina Vazquez Mota, presidential candidate from the ruling National Action Party, or PAN, delivers a speech during an electoral rally in Jocotepec, in the state of Jalisco, in May.

Originally published on Thu June 14, 2012 12:07 pm

When Mexicans go to the polls on July 1 to choose their next president, a woman will be among the candidates, the first from a major political party. She belongs to the National Action Party — or PAN — the party of current President Felipe Calderon.

On a recent visit to the Mexican border city of Juarez, Josefina Vazquez Mota steps onto a catwalk that juts into the center of a long banquet hall crammed with table after table of women. When she speaks, they cheer.

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