Business
10:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Employment Background Checks: How Far Is Too Far?

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. For years, employers have used credit checks and criminal histories to vet potential hires. With the growth of social media, hiring managers now turn to websites like Facebook, and some employers go so far as to ask applicants to turn over their passwords.

Facebook warns against this procedure. Two United States senators asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether these employers are violating federal law.

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Around the Nation
10:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Pilots And The Cockpit: What We Don't Understand

Passengers tackled a JetBlue captain yesterday in mid-flight after he acted erratically and talked about a bomb on board. Retired pilot John Cox, of USA Today's Ask the Captain column, explains what we don't understand about relationships between pilots and crew.

Politics
10:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

When Is It Time To End A Political Run?

Though he insists he's not suspending his run, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich announced he's cutting his staff and shifting his campaign strategy. NPR's Ken Rudin and veteran campaign manager Chip Saltsman discuss the decisions candidates face when a win seems unlikely.

Shots - Health Blog
9:36 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Supreme Court Mulls Whether Health Law Can Survive Without Mandate

With the fate of the health law's insurance mandate in doubt, the last day of arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court became even more crucial to the future of the Obama administration's central legislative achievement.

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The Two-Way
9:25 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Hoodie In The House Leads To Shouting In The Capitol

Credit C-SPAN.org
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., during his hooded statement on the House floor.

On the floor of the House this morning, Rep. Bobby Rush's effort to call attention to the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin turned into a contest of wills between the Illinois Democrat and the presiding officer because Rush donned a hoodie while speaking.

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World
9:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

At Arab League Summit, High Stakes For Host Nation

Transcript

JACKI LYDEN, HOST:

I'm Jacki Lyden and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Michel Martin is away this week. Coming up, there are a number of people in the U.S. who continue to insist that President Obama is Muslim, despite his Christian faith. But that begs the question: what does it matter? So what if he were? We'll talk about it what it means to be a Muslim in America in just a bit.

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Music Interviews
9:00 am
Wed March 28, 2012

The Thomashefskys: Stars Of The Yiddish Stage

Originally published on Wed March 28, 2012 7:59 am

The names Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky may not sound familiar today, but at the height of their fame in the 1920s and '30s, the Thomashefskys were one of the most famous couples in New York City's burgeoning Yiddish theater scene.

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The Two-Way
8:58 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Justices Seem OK With Leaving Some Parts Of Healthcare Law Alone

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Members of the anti-abortion group Bound4Life pray outside the U.S. Supreme Court on the third day of oral arguements over the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Update at 12:08 p.m. ET. Everyone Had A Hard Go Of It Today:

NPR's legal correspondent Nina Totenberg tells Ari Shapiro that both sides had a tough go of it today.

During the final day of arguments, Supreme Court justices seemed split on the idea of striking the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, if its the "individual mandate" centerpiece was also found unconstitutional.

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The Two-Way
8:08 am
Wed March 28, 2012

Lorax Statue Stolen From Dr. Seuss' Garden, Family Hopes For Its Return

Credit San Diego Police Department
The Lorax, before he was taken away.

The Grinch returned all those stolen presents.

Now the family of Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) is hoping that the person or persons who took a Lorax statue from the garden of the late, great author's home also has a change of heart.

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Shots - Health Blog
7:30 am
Wed March 28, 2012

A Struggle To Define 'Death' For Organ Donors

A new method of obtaining organs for transplantation is raising a host of ethical questions, including whether the donors are technically "dead."

For decades, organ donation has been guided by something called the "dead donor rule."

"We have this idea that you must be dead first — so before your organs can be removed, we agree that you are dead," said Leslie Whetstine, a bioethicist at Walsh University in Ohio.

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