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All Things Considered on NPR & Classical Music

Weekday afternoons 4-7 PM
Hosts: Melissa Block, Michele Norris, Robert Siegel &
Thom Kokenge

NPR's afternoon radio newsmagazine brings you breaking news and compelling analysis, insightful commentaries, interviews, and special - sometimes quirky - features. Thom Kokenge also updates you on regional news, and weather forecasts on your drive home.

Visit All Things Considered on NPR.org

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NPR Story
2:16 pm
Tue October 23, 2012

Former CIA Agent Pleads Guilty To Leaking Info

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By editor

Originally published on Wed October 24, 2012 1:18 am

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

A big development today in the Justice Department's crackdown on national security leaks. A former CIA agent pleaded guilty to revealing the name of a covert operative to a reporter. John Kiriakou agreed to spend two and a half years in prison.

NPR's Carrie Johnson was in the courtroom in Virginia for the plea hearing and joins us now to talk about the case. Welcome, Carrie.

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NPR Story
2:16 pm
Tue October 23, 2012

Obama Hits Battleground States In Final Blitz

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By editor

Originally published on Wed October 24, 2012 1:18 am

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

I'm Audie Cornish, and we begin this hour with a sprint. The 2012 presidential debates are now history and today, President Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney begin the two-week race to Election Day. Mr. Obama is widely considered the winner of last night's foreign policy debate, but he didn't spend much time crowing today.

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Middle East
2:02 pm
Tue October 23, 2012

Life And Death And Puppets In Syria

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Credit YouTube
This episode of Top Goon featured the Syrian president on the left, a member of the security forces on the right, and a photo of the former president, Hafez Assad, who is the father of the current leader.
Credit YouTube
Syrians opposed to President Bashar Assad have been posting YouTube videos mocking him. The episodes are called Top Goon, and the Syrian president goes by the name Beeshu. The work is done anonymously because those behind it fear they could face retribution from the Syrian government.
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Originally published on Wed October 24, 2012 7:07 am

"I'm not crazy," the figure says, standing alone in a dark room, as if trying to convince himself.

"I'm not crazy?" almost a question this time.

"I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy!" he yells, finally making up his mind.

And, of course, he sounds crazy.

Meet Beeshu, an avatar of the embattled president of Syria, Bashar Assad, rendered in papier-mache and mounted on someone's finger. He's the star of the show Top Goon and the inspiration for its title.

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Asia
11:24 am
Tue October 23, 2012

Cambodia Vs. Sotheby's In A Battle Over Antiquities

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Credit Courtesy of the U.S. Attorney's Office
The United States and Cambodia are locked in a legal battle with the auction house Sotheby's over this 1,000-year-old statue of the Hindu warrior Duryodhana that may have been looted from the Cambodian temple complex at Koh Ker.
Credit Anthony Kuhn / NPR
King Jayavarman IV built this pyramid-shaped monument at the center of his capital at Koh Ker in northern Cambodia in the 10th century. The ruler of the Khmer empire died two decades later, and the capital was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle.
Credit Anthony Kuhn / NPR
Archaeologist Phin Samnang, 29, surveys the ruins of Prasat Chen temple at Koh Ker. He says that unlike in earlier periods, Cambodia now has the means and duty to reclaim its priceless lost antiquities.
Credit Anthony Kuhn / NPR
Cambodian officials say a kneeling figure now in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art once sat on this pedestal. The statue was one of a group of nine depicting a scene from the Hindu epic the Mahabarata.
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Originally published on Wed October 24, 2012 1:18 am

The governments of Cambodia and the United States are locked in a legal battle with the auction house Sotheby's over a thousand-year-old statue. The two governments say the statue was looted from a temple of the ancient Khmer empire. Sotheby's says this can't be proved, and a court in New York will decide on the matter soon.

The case could affect how collectors and museums acquire artifacts, and how governments recover lost national treasures.

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Animals
10:44 am
Tue October 23, 2012

Baby Beluga, Swim So Wild And Sing For Me

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Credit Current Biology
This image, from an archival video, shows the white whale NOC swimming around and under researchers' boats.
Credit Current Biology
NOC, seen here in an image from an archival video, was recorded in the 1980s making vocalizations that imitated human speech. The findings weren't published until this week.
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Originally published on Wed October 24, 2012 1:18 am

Whales are among the great communicators of the animal world. They produce all sorts of sounds: squeaks, whistles and even epic arias worthy of an opera house.

And one whale in particular has apparently done something that's never been documented before: He imitated human speech.

The beluga, or white whale, is smallish as whales go and very cute, if you're into marine mammals. Belugas are called the "canaries of the sea" because they're very vocal.

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Youth Radio
3:14 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Teen Debaters Parse Candidates' Style And Substance

Credit Jenny Bolario/YouthRadio for NPR
Young debaters at the Bay Area Urban Debate League in Oakland, Calif., say that there are a lot of differences between the way that they debate the issues and what they see the presidential candidates doing on debate nights.
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By Ashley Williams

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 3:25 pm

The high school debaters at the Bay Area Urban Debate League get together every week in downtown Oakland, Calif., to hone their arguments and debating styles. But the young debaters have had a chance during the recent presidential debates to see how it's done on the national stage.

They watch with pen and worksheet, taking notes and analyzing the candidates' debating styles, hoping to glean some lessons from the pros.

There is a lot for these young debaters to observe and compare, but they have also noticed some key differences.

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All Tech Considered
2:50 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

European Union Protests Google's New Privacy Policy

Credit Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images
In this photo illustration, the Google logo is seen through a pair of glasses in Glasgow, Scotland. The European Union says a change in Google's privacy policy is a breach of European privacy law.
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Originally published on Tue October 23, 2012 3:53 pm

Parisian dance professor Charlotte King says she needs Google for her job and life, but she doesn't trust the world's top Web search engine.

"When I'm doing some research, the day after I have some proposition of products, of stores, of places, and it's really espionage. I was spied on. I don't want that. It's unacceptable," King says.

That viewpoint resonates in Europe. The European Union says a recent change in Google's privacy policy that allows it to combine and share data collected from all of its different services is a breach of European privacy law.

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Music Interviews
2:12 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

Kendra Morris: Skateboards And Karaoke Machines

Credit Eric White / Courtesy of the artist
Kendra Morris' debut album is titled Banshee.
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By editor

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 3:25 pm

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Around the Nation
1:24 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

For Many Florida Ex-Cons, Voting Booth Is Off-Limits

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Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Richard Flores, 47, had his civil rights restored at a clemency board hearing on June 28. Convicted of vehicular manslaughter in 1994, he served one year of house arrest. He had been waiting since then to have his right to vote restored.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Timothy McLaughlin, who was convicted of trafficking cocaine, had to wait three years to apply to get his civil rights restored. "I think people with convictions should still be able to vote," he says. "I mean, once their sentence is completed, I think it shouldn't be so hard to get their rights back."
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Former felon Vikki Hankins has been fighting for civil rights for convicts for years. After applying to have her own civil rights restored in 2008, 2009 and 2011, Hankins was recently informed that she will not be eligible to apply again until 2017.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Joseph Clark, 52, traveled from his hometown of Greenbrier, Ark., to Tallahassee this summer to have his civil rights restored after he was convicted of second-degree arson in 1988. After pleading his case, his rights were restored.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Willie Black, 47, was released from jail this year after a 10-year sentence. He will have to wait five to seven years to have his civil rights restored in Florida.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
In the 1980s, Humberto Aguilar was the go-to-guy for large drug cartels to launder money. He spent six years in prison and is now hoping to have his civil rights restored. "Until you have your rights restored — your right to vote, and to go in and choose, the right to compete, the right to have an opinion in the political process — you're not a whole human being," he says.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Reynaldo Diaz, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1968 from the Dominican Republic, had his rights restored at the clemency board hearing on June 28.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, has been convicted seven times on charges ranging from drug possession to aggravated battery. He believes the right to vote is essential for everyone in the U.S. "How much liberty can I have if I don't vote?" he asks. "How much pursuit of happiness can I have if I can't have a say in what goes on in my community?"
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Ministers Anthony Davis (from left), Eddie Walker and James Major stand outside In Lord's Time Tabernacle Church in downtown Orlando. All three are convicted felons now working to get their civil rights restored.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
When the Rev. Dana Jackson's son was arrested five years ago, she began devoting her time to helping people find justice through God. Jackson now hosts a radio show that offers advice on how to navigate the legal system.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Richard Flores, 47, received his civil rights at a Clemency Board hearing in June. Convicted of vehicular manslaughter in 1994, he served one year of house arrest. He's been waiting since then to have his right to vote restored.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Eddie Walker, a pastor at In God's Time Tabernacle Church in Orlando, Fla., was once a crack addict. He says about 60 percent of his small congregation's members have lost their ability to vote.
Credit Michael Ciaglo / News21
Florida Gov. Rick Scott listens to testimony from felons attempting to restore their right to vote at a clemency hearing in Tallahassee, Fla., in June.
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By Andrea Rumbaugh, Michael Ciaglo and Marisa Penaloza

Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 4:44 pm

Across the nation, the number of people who have lost the right to vote because of a felony conviction has grown dramatically in the past three decades. Currently, almost 6 million people don't have that right — and about 1.5 million of them live in Florida.

While some states are making it easier for felons to get their voting rights back, Florida has taken the opposite approach — and the path for former convicts trying to get those rights back is often an arduous one.

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Law
1:24 pm
Mon October 22, 2012

What Happens After Jurors Get It Wrong?

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Credit Carrie Johnson / NPR
Juror Anita Woodruff is haunted by her decision to help convict Santae Tribble of murder.
Credit Carrie Johnson / NPR
Santae Tribble is out of prison — a judge earlier this year threw out his conviction — but he's fighting for a finding of legal innocence. That would help him get compensation for the more than 25 years he spent behind bars.
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Originally published on Mon October 22, 2012 5:16 pm

About 300 people have been wrongfully convicted and exonerated in the U.S. thanks to DNA evidence. But overlooked in those stories are the accounts of jurors who unwittingly played a role in the injustice.

One of those stories is playing out in Washington, D.C., where two jurors who helped convict a teenager of murder in 1981 are now persuaded that they were wrong. They're dealing with their sense of responsibility by leading the fight to declare him legally innocent.

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