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Around the Nation
2:29 pm
Thu September 27, 2012

Despite Record Drought, Farmers Expect Banner Year

Originally published on Fri September 28, 2012 9:39 am

After one of the driest summers on record, recent rains have helped in some parts of the country. But overall, the drought has still intensified. The latest tracking classifies more than a fifth of the contiguous United States in "extreme or exceptional" drought, the worst ratings.

In some parts of the Lower Midwest, water-starved crops have collapsed, but the farmers have not. Farmers across the country are surviving, and many are even thriving. This year, despite the dismal season, farmers stand to make exceptionally good money, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Africa
1:54 pm
Thu September 27, 2012

Questions Still Linger After U.S. Consulate Attack

Originally published on Thu September 27, 2012 2:50 pm

Two weeks after the attacks that killed the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, there is still confusion about what exactly happened and whether the United States might have prevented the tragedy. Critics of the Obama administration accuse the White House of dissembling about the attack. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston talks to Melissa Block.

The Salt
1:26 pm
Thu September 27, 2012

Health Benefits Of Tea — Milking It Or Not

Credit Courtesy of Park Hyatt
The Emperor's Himalayan lavender tea is popular at Washington, D.C.'s Park Hyatt Tea Room, but please don't put milk in it.

Originally published on Thu September 27, 2012 2:50 pm

The idea that milk may diminish the potential heart-health benefits of tea has been a topic of some debate. Lots of us can't imagine black tea without a little dairy to cut the bitterness. But, according to this research going back to 2007, we might want to at least consider trying, say, a nice cup of green tea sans sugar or cream.

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Business
1:24 pm
Thu September 27, 2012

American Airlines Fliers Fed Up As Labor Clash Rages

Credit Joe Raedle / Getty Images
American Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at Miami International Airport this month. Reports indicate that American Airlines has canceled somewhere between 2 and 5 percent of flights in recent days, reportedly blaming a surge in pilot sick days and maintenance write-ups by pilots.

Originally published on Fri September 28, 2012 9:37 am

Pat Henneberry is an airline's dream customer. She flies all week, every week, and buying an $800 ticket so that she can have full flexibility is standard operating procedure. She's an American Airlines platinum customer. But she is fed up with the endless delays and cancellations.

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The Two-Way
12:31 pm
Thu September 27, 2012

Streams Of Water Once Flowed On Mars; NASA Says Photos Prove It

Originally published on Thu September 27, 2012 6:31 pm

NASA's Curiosity rover has found definitive proof that water once ran across the surface of Mars, the agency announced today. NASA scientists say new photos from the rover show rocks that were smoothed and rounded by water. The rocks are in a large canyon and nearby channels that were cut by flowing water, making up an alluvial fan.

"You had water transporting these gravels to the downslope of the fan," NASA researchers say. The gravel then formed into a conglomerate rock, which was in turn likely covered before being exposed again.

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The Two-Way
8:55 am
Thu September 27, 2012

Is This An Early 'Mona Lisa?'

Originally published on Fri September 28, 2012 11:41 am

  • Listen to Elizabeth Blair's report
It's All Politics
2:54 pm
Wed September 26, 2012

Another Iowa Judge Faces Ballot Box Battle Due To Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Originally published on Wed September 26, 2012 3:27 pm

A battle is under way in Iowa over whether a state Supreme Court justice can keep his job.

Critics have launched an all-out campaign to throw him off the bench because of his ruling three years ago clearing the way for same-sex marriage. The judge's supporters are fighting back, but they may need to get over their reluctance to mix politics and the judiciary.

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Around the Nation
2:54 pm
Wed September 26, 2012

'Wanna Go To The Dance?' Is SO Passe. Try YouTube

Credit Gigi Douban for NPR
Andrew Forsyth, a high school junior, devised an elaborate scheme to ask his girlfriend, Maddy Powell, to their high school's homecoming dance.

She doesn't know what's about to happen, but this is a moment high school junior Maddy Powell has been waiting for.

She's sitting in her Advanced Placement biology class, and her boyfriend, Andrew Forsyth, is finally going to pop the question.

Don't worry — he's not asking for Maddy's hand in marriage. But what Andrew has planned is perhaps as elaborate as a marriage proposal.

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It's All Politics
1:45 pm
Wed September 26, 2012

New Groups Make A Conservative Argument On Climate Change

Credit / Energy and Enterprise Initiative
Former South Carolina Republican Rep. Bob Inglis now runs the Energy and Enterprise Initiative.

Originally published on Thu September 27, 2012 7:22 am

One topic you don't hear much about from Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is climate change. Like so much else, it's become politically divisive, with polls showing Republicans far less likely to believe in it or support policies to address it.

But two new groups aim to work from within, using conservative arguments to win over skeptics.

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Around the Nation
1:17 pm
Wed September 26, 2012

Young Illegal Immigrants Seek Work Permits

Credit Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star
Carlos Martinez, 30, shows off his new work permit, which he received after applying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Originally published on Wed September 26, 2012 2:54 pm

It's been more than a month since the government began accepting requests for its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the Obama administration's policy for young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Hundreds of thousands of people are eligible for the program. So far, only 82,000 have applied.

Carlos Martinez is one of the 29 people who have actually gotten deferrals. It means that he won't be deported, and that he can get a work permit. Martinez applied for the deferred action program the first day.

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