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Energy
1:15 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

White House Unveils New Fracking Regulations

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 3:04 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

The Obama administration today released a new set of rules for oil and gas drilling on public land. As NPR's Elizabeth Shogren reports, the rules are meant to keep companies from polluting water when they use the engineering technique known as fracking.

ELIZABETH SHOGREN, BYLINE: Hydraulic fracturing is what made the current drilling booms possible. Companies force hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals deep underground to open up cracks in the rock and make the oil or natural gas flow faster.

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Religion
1:15 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Five Philly Priests Removed For Sex Abuse Allegations

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 3:04 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

The Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia announced today that he is removing five priests from ministry. Charles Chaput said investigations into other priests accused of abuse will continue.

But as NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports, victims' advocates are not satisfied.

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The Two-Way
1:07 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

'A Factor In A Much Larger Life': Debating Chen Guangcheng's Blindness

Credit Handout / Getty Images
Chen Guangcheng at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. This photo was released by the Embassy's press office.

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 7:55 am

If you've been following the case of Chen Guangcheng, the activist looking to leave China for the U.S., there's one thing you probably know about him.

The fact that he's blind.

But is Chen's blindness central to his story – his political activism and the diplomatic dance he has set off?

"His blindness did not give him any particular bravery or insight," says Stephen Kuusisto, the author of two memoirs about being blind. "It is just a factor in a much larger life,"

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Law
1:04 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Hazing Hard To Prosecute In Fla. Despite Tough Laws

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 4:28 pm

Charges filed this week against 13 people in connection with a hazing death at Florida A&M University have thrust the hazing culture into the spotlight.

Florida has one of the toughest anti-hazing laws in the country, but legal experts say prosecuting the crime can be tricky.

State attorney Lawson Lamar, who is leading the prosecution in the death of drum major Robert Champion, acknowledges the case is complicated.

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Technology
12:45 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Have You Friended Your Favorite Cause?

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 10:45 am

Hours after Facebook put out a call Tuesday for its users to register as organ donors, 6,000 people had already signed up. That's more than 15 times the number of people who normally register each day, according to Donate Life America, which is collaborating with Facebook.

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Economy
12:35 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

'Dejected': Some Unemployed Give Up The Hunt

The unemployment rate slipped a notch to 8.1 percent in April, but not because employers went on a hiring spree.

Instead, the jobless rate appeared to improve because fewer people were applying for positions. Last month, the civilian labor force shrank by 342,000 people.

Economists say many of those workforce dropouts were "discouraged" workers who moved to the sidelines after months, even years, of trying to nail down jobs.

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The Record
12:30 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Adam Yauch, Co-Founder Of The Beastie Boys, Dies

Credit Ebet Roberts / Getty Images
Adam Yauch (left) with the Beastie Boys in 1987. The gruff-voiced rapper known as MCA died Friday after a battle with cancer.

Originally published on Sat May 5, 2012 9:29 am

It's All Politics
12:28 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Surprising No One, Obama, Romney Don't Agree On Meaning Of April Jobs Stats

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 1:57 pm

Justin Wolfers, an economist known for, among other things, his sardonic wit, may have made the best comment of the day on the heels of the April jobs report out Friday. He tweeted:

"The worst part of today's jobs report? It provides just enough inane talking points for both sides of politics."

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The Two-Way
12:13 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

New Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct Surface Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Credit Francois Guillot / AFP/Getty Images
Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the studio of the French TV network TF1.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former chief at the International Monetary Fund, is facing more allegations of sexual misconduct.

Strauss-Kahn was considered a top contender for the French presidency until he was accused of rape by a New York City hotel maid. That case against him was dropped, but it cost him his IMF job and then French investigators implicated Strauss-Kahn in a prostitution probe.

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The Two-Way
10:47 am
Fri May 4, 2012

Reports: Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Has Died

Credit Scott Gries / Getty Images
Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys during a 2001 performance in New York City.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 12:26 pm

Update at 2:30 p.m. ET: The news that Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has died has now been confirmed by the group's public relations firm.

Our original post:

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