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11:43 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Can The NFL Keep Fans Excited And Players Safe?

Thousands of former players or their families are filing lawsuits, alleging that the league downplayed the risks for concussions. But the NFL denies wrongdoing. Host Michel Martin speaks with two sports reporters about the NFL's current approach to reducing concussions.

The Torch
10:34 am
Tue August 7, 2012

National Zoo Names Cheetah Cubs After U.S. Sprinters

Credit Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The Cheetahs In Question: Two three-month-old cheetah cubs play during their first week of being on public view at the National Zoo. The animals were named after U.S. track stars Justin Gatlin and Carmelita Jeter. But like even the smallest of felines, there is precious little chance they will ever show even a flicker of recognition upon hearing their name called.

Two cheetah cubs whose cuteness recently landed them on Facebook and Tumblr pages around the Internet have been named after U.S. Olympians competing in London.

Presumably, it was the cheetahs' fabled speed, not cuteness, that inspired officials at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to name them Carmelita and Justin, after sprinters Carmelita Jeter and Justin Gatlin.

The three-month-old felines' namesakes won silver (Jeter) and bronze (Gatlin) medals in the 100-meter sprint at the Summer Games.

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The Torch
10:14 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Gold Medal In Hand, U.S. Vaulter Suhr's 'Hangar Time' Seems Well Spent

Credit Gabriel Bouys / AFP/Getty Images
American gold medalist Jenn Suhr and Cuba's silver medalist Yarisley Silva celebrate after the women's pole vault final at the London 2012 Olympics. Suhr won silver at the 2008 Games.

Originally published on Tue August 7, 2012 11:32 am

U.S. pole vaulter Jenn Suhr had a long-awaited breakthrough Monday evening, when she won the gold medal in her event at the London Olympics, clearing the bar at 15'7. She defeated a field that included two-time gold medalist Elena Isinbaeva of Russia, who has dominated women's pole vaulting in recent years.

Suhr, 30, won the silver medal in the event at the Beijing 2008 Games. In London's Olympic Stadium Monday, the vaulters were challenged by windy conditions that kept them well below world-record heights — and even had them clutching blankets to stay warm between attempts.

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The Two-Way
8:21 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Dozens Sickened By Fumes From Refinery Fire Near San Francisco

Credit Eric Risberg / AP
Smoke poured from the fire at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, Calif. Here, the plume rises behind Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.

"Shelter-in-place" warnings have been lifted for people living downwind from a Chevron refinery in Richmond, Calif., where a large fire that started Monday evening "sent thick black smoke wafting" over areas around San Francisco and Oakland, the Contra Costa Times reports.

According to the newspaper, authorities say the blaze is now contained.

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The Two-Way
7:54 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Psychiatrist Contacted Police About Colo. Shooting Suspect, Media Report

Credit RJ Sangosti / Getty Images
James Holmes, who's accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58.

Originally published on Tue August 7, 2012 12:54 pm

Six weeks before the July 20 mass shooting at an Aurora, Co., movie theater, a psychiatrist who had been treating accused killer James Holmes called the University of Colorado police department about him, according to reports from Denver's ABC7-TV and from ABC News.

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The Two-Way
7:31 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Reports: Man ID'd As Wisconsin Killer Had Previously Been On FBI's Radar

Credit Oak Creek Police
Wade Michael Page, in a photo released by police.

Originally published on Tue August 7, 2012 3:20 pm

  • Dina Temple-Raston talks with Steve Inskeep on 'Morning Edition'
The headline and top of this post were updated at 1:50 p.m. ET.

Wade Michael Page, the 40-year-old man killed by police at the scene of Sunday's shooting rampage at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee who authorities say gunned down six people and wounded three others, was referred to in a report the FBI received about six years ago, NPR's Dina Temple-Raston says.

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Election 2012
3:26 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Older, Tougher — But Will The Tea Party Be Stronger?

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

The 2010 elections were a coming of age for the Tea Party, with big gains in Congress and in statehouses. As 2012 approached, the movement was looking for similar success. Then came this year's GOP presidential primaries, with no surviving Tea Party favorite.

Polls showed public support for the movement falling off significantly after several nasty showdowns in Congress. But the Tea Party remains a force in many states. Its favored candidate for the U.S. Senate won big in Texas last week, sending the strongest signal yet that the movement will be a factor this fall.

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Around the Nation
3:24 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Roosevelt's Badlands Ranch Faces Potential Threat

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota is often called the Walden Pond of the West. But Roosevelt's ranch is now feeling the pressure of an oil boom that is industrializing the local landscape. Critics say a proposed gravel pit and a bridge could destroy the very thing that made such a lasting impression on Roosevelt: the restorative power of wilderness.

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The Salt
3:23 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Presidential Foods And What They Say About Our Leaders

Credit Taji Marie / NPR
Boiling lemon rinds for President Harding's lemon pineapple fruit punch, called a squall.

Originally published on Mon October 15, 2012 11:09 am

President Bill Clinton famously loved doughnuts on the campaign trail, and we've told you about current GOP candidate Mitt Romney's affection for serving the press corps Jimmy John's subs. But what do our past presidents and the presidential wannabes' food choices say about them?

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It's All Politics
5:40 pm
Mon August 6, 2012

For July, Romney Fundraising Outpaces Obama Yet Again

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds this month in Golden, Colo.

Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 6:45 pm

In July, the financial fortunes of the presidential candidates continued along their new trajectories, with Republican Mitt Romney's money-raising efforts outpacing President Obama once again.

Indeed, groups supporting Romney raised one-third more than Obama's re-election effort for the month.

Romney, the all-but-official Republican nominee, actually collected less in July than he had in June, but only slightly. His campaign announced Monday that its overall take for July was $101.3 million.

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