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The Two-Way
1:25 pm
Fri November 16, 2012

FHA Announces Moves Designed To Avoid Taxpayer Bailout

Credit Win McNamee / Getty Images
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan in May of 2012.

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 2:40 pm

The Federal Housing Administration is on track to run out of money next September and may need a taxpayer bailout, an audit released today found.

Responding to the audit, however, the Obama administration announced a series of measures that they hope will raise enough revenue to keep the agency from seeking government help.

The Wall Street Journal explains:

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The Salt
12:24 pm
Fri November 16, 2012

Twinkies' Hostess Brand May Die, But The Iconic Snack Cakes Never Will

The Hostess brand, home of the Twinkie, Sno Ball, Ding Dong, and those fun cupcakes with the swirly lines on top and filling in the middle, is shutting down, as our colleagues over at The Two-Way blog report. The purveyor of iconic calorie-rich but nutrient-poor snacks says a labor dispute has forced it to go out of business.

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NPR Story
12:01 pm
Fri November 16, 2012

Looking Back On 2012 Election Technology

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 3:02 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. If you're a political junkie, I'm guessing a couple of words will make your skin crawl: hanging chads. Or you might like pregnant chads or whatever - we didn't know what a chad was before then. After the problems counting ballots in the 2000 election in Florida, municipalities around the country moved to adopt electronic voting systems with the thought that they would be easier to use, more straightforward to count.

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Faith Matters
11:00 am
Fri November 16, 2012

Rockaway Church Is Port In A Storm

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 4:31 pm

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, the Latin Grammy Awards were held last night in Las Vegas. We'll check in with the hosts from NPR Music's ALT.LATINO podcast to hear about some of the artists who made an impression.

But, first, it's time for Faith Matters. That's the part of the program where we talk about matters of faith and spirituality and today we are talking about the role that faith institutions can play during a crisis.

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Planet Money
10:57 am
Fri November 16, 2012

Hidden Housing Subsidy May Soon Come Out Of Hiding

Credit Lam Thuy Vo / NPR

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 2:47 pm

The federal government has all these ways of paying people to buy houses without actually, you know, paying people to buy houses.

We've talked a lot about two examples of this:

1. The mortgage-interest tax deduction is effectively a government payment to people who are paying a mortgage.

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The Two-Way
10:41 am
Fri November 16, 2012

Fiscal Cliff Talks Get Started

Credit Larry Downing / Reuters /Landov
Getting started: President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, at the start of today's meeting.

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 12:13 pm

President Obama and congressional leaders from both major parties met at the White House this morning for the first of what will likely be many negotiations aimed at averting a plunge over the so-called fiscal cliff.

We watched for news from the key players — who include House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio — and updated with highlights.

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It's All Politics
8:46 am
Fri November 16, 2012

Can A Lame-Duck Congress Save The Day?

Originally published on Tue December 4, 2012 7:23 pm

As the lame ducks waddle up to Capitol Hill for the final few weeks of this Congress, some political observers are hoping they will bring the "Spirit of 2010" with them.

Despite all the partisan bickering, the lame-duck session two years ago — bolstered by a bevy of outgoing Democrats with nothing to lose — actually got big things done, including the $850 billion stimulus and tax cut deal, a measure setting in motion the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," passage of the defense authorization bill and an arms treaty.

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The Two-Way
8:25 am
Fri November 16, 2012

Petraeus Facing Questions About Benghazi Attack

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 11: The U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was aflame after coming under attack.

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 12:44 pm

  • Dina Temple-Raston on 'Morning Edition'
(We added a new top to this post at 12:40 p.m. ET to round up the latest developments.)

The White House did not insert politics into the process of determining what could be said about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in the days immediately afterward, former CIA Director David Petraeus told Congress this morning, according to lawmakers who were inside closed briefings today.

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It's All Politics
3:26 am
Fri November 16, 2012

In California, 'Republican' Is Becoming A Toxic Label

Credit Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images
Citizens vote in Los Angeles County on Nov. 6.

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 10:35 pm

Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
3:25 am
Fri November 16, 2012

Want To Help Sandy Victims? Send Cash, Not Clothes

Credit Pam Fessler / NPR
Volunteers sort through donated clothes in Sea Bright, N.J.

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 4:47 am

Whenever there's a disaster, people want to give, and Hurricane Sandy is no exception. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, U.S. charities collected more than $174 million in donations as of Nov. 9 to help respond to the storm.

But it's not only money that has been pouring in. Relief programs have also received mountains of clothes, food and other supplies, not all of which are needed.

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