National and World News from NPR

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Afghanistan
12:33 am
Wed May 30, 2012

For U.S. Troops, One More Big Push In Afghanistan

Originally published on Thu May 31, 2012 2:48 pm

Several thousand soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division are taking part in what is being called the last major combat offensive of the Afghan War.

Their task is to clear Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan, a Taliban stronghold and a key prize because it straddles the major roads to Kabul and the insurgent supply routes into Pakistan.

But the American troops are challenged by a stubborn enemy and a short time to finish the job.

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London 2012: The Summer Olympics
12:30 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Swimmer Vies To Bring Olympic Joy Home To Greece

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 2:17 am

Swimmer Spyros Gianniotis was born in Liverpool, England, but he will represent Greece in the upcoming London Olympics. At 32, he is the 10-kilometer open-water world champion, and one of Greece's best hopes for a medal in London. He's on a team of Olympians whose training budget has been drastically reduced by austerity measures and the economic crisis.

On a recent morning, Gianniotis' training included three hours of laps in an outdoor Olympic-sized pool in central Athens. The lean, freckled marathon swimmer glides to the end of the pool.

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The Salt
12:28 am
Wed May 30, 2012

From An Israeli Kibbutz, A High-Priced Caviar Prized By Top Chefs

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 5:29 am

A kibbutz in the mountains of northern Israel might seem an unlikely source for some of the world's most expensive gourmet food. But a small farming collective has built itself a lucrative business, supplying some of America's top chefs with caviar that customers pay hundreds of dollars to sample.

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It's All Politics
12:18 am
Wed May 30, 2012

GOP Michigan Congressman To Run Write-In Campaign

Credit Charlie Neibergall / AP
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 9:55 am

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., is facing the daunting prospect of running a write-in campaign to get re-elected this year, as his campaign fell far short of the number of petition signatures he needs to qualify for the August primary ballot.

Compounding McCotter's troubles: It appears election fraud may have played a part in the failure.

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Architecture
12:17 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Forget Big-Box Stores. How About A Big-Box House?

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 2:17 am

When it comes to architecture, sustainability and affordability can mean many things: Salvaged wood becomes new flooring, old newspapers are shredded into insulation.

But a few architects are taking green building one step further: creating entire homes and businesses out of discarded shipping containers — an approach some have dubbed "cargotecture."

Approximately a quarter-million shipping containers pass through Oregon's Port of Portland each year. These are big boxes — 40 feet long and weighing thousands of pounds.

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The Salt
9:45 pm
Tue May 29, 2012

Nuclear Tuna Is Hot News, But Not Because It's Going To Make You Sick

Credit Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP/Getty Images
A Tokyo sushi restaurant displays blocks of fat meat tuna cut out from a 269kg bluefin tuna.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 2:17 am

What snarky headline writer could resist a story about "hot tuna?" Or how about "tuna meltdown?"

Really, it seems just plain daffy to ignore a new study that says some Pacific bluefin tuna picked up traces of radioactive material from the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year and brought it across the Pacific Ocean.

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Sweetness And Light
7:02 pm
Tue May 29, 2012

In Europe's High Season For Sports, Soccer Rules

Credit Sergei Supinsky / AFP/Getty Images
Larger Than Life: Tourists pose in front of a UEFA Euro 2012 Cup placard on Kiev's Independence Square in Ukraine. Europe is entering a packed sports schedule — but soccer still reigns supreme, says Frank Deford.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 5:04 am

It's a prime irony that while Europe is suffering a great financial crisis, in counterpoint, the Continent is starting to spend the summer awash in a veritable plethora of joyous sporting events, a rolling athletic circus to divert Europeans from Angela Merkel telling them to get serious and tighten their belts.

Now, as is the case every summer, there are two Grand Slam tennis championships — the French Open, which is already under way, and Wimbledon. Then the Tour de France and British Open golf.

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The Record
5:30 pm
Tue May 29, 2012

Doc Watson, Folk Music Icon, Dies At 89

Credit John Cohen / Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson in the 1960s.

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 4:45 pm

A mountain-born treasure of American folk music, Doc Watson, died Tuesday in North Carolina at age 89.

His manager said in a statement that Watson died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, after abdominal surgery last week.

Watson was born in Deep Gap, N.C., in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in a three-room house he shared with eight brothers and sisters. He revolutionized not just how people play guitar but the way people around the world think about mountain music.

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Shots - Health Blog
4:29 pm
Tue May 29, 2012

Counterfeiters Exploit Shortage To Market Fake Adderall Pills

Credit FDA/Flickr
If the label of ingredients on the Adderall pack says "singel entity," that's a tip-off for trouble.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 5:48 am

A shortage of Adderall began last year, sending millions of people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy on perpetual wild goose chases to find drugstores with the pills they need to stay alert and focused.

So it's not surprising that Adderall counterfeiters have seized a big marketing opportunity. What is surprising is their clumsiness.

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The Two-Way
4:27 pm
Tue May 29, 2012

VIDEO: Wolf Blitzer Battles Donald Trump Over 'Birther' Issue

In an interview with CNN, The Donald did not back down from his opinion that President Obama was not born in the United States.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer presented him with the overwhelming evidence that Obama was indeed born in Hawaii, but Donald Trump just raised his voice as he and Blitzer accused each other of sounding "ridiculous."

CNN calls it a "smackdown," and, indeed, it was a pretty contentious interview. Take a look:

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