NPR News

Pages

The Two-Way
4:28 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

This Year, Weather Service Will Begin Pushing Notifications To Cell Phones

Credit NWS
What the alerts may look like on your phone.

Originally published on Fri June 29, 2012 8:32 am

The National Weather Service says that this year, it will begin pushing text notifications to cellphones that alert users to hazardous weather conditions.

The text notifications will be sent to those people within the location of the severe weather. The Weather Emergency Alerts could also be used for local emergencies that require evacuation, AMBER alerts and presidential alerts "during a national emergency," the Weather Service said.

Read more
Judging The Health Care Law
4:09 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

The Reaction In Florida: From Protesting To Partying

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Just after 10 a.m. on Thursday, a cheer went up at Hispanic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit in Casselberry, Fla., just north of Orlando.

The enthusiasm for the Supreme Court's decision to uphold nearly all of the federal health care law was unmistakable at the nonprofit, which advocates for health care for the local Latino population.

The news took Josephine Mercado, the nonprofit's founder and executive director, by surprise — and changed her plans for Friday.

Read more
Law
4:09 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Law

Credit Dana Verkouteren / AP
This artist's rendering shows Chief Justice John Roberts (center) speaking at the Supreme Court on Thursday. From left are Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan. The court voted 5-4 to uphold President Obama's health care law.

Originally published on Fri June 29, 2012 8:45 am

  • NPR Special Coverage: The Health Care Decision

Shock, dismay, relief, confusion — all those emotions played out Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court announced its 5-to-4 decision to uphold almost all of President Obama's health care overhaul.

The ruling, with shifting majorities on different provisions and multiple dissents, covered close to 200 pages and provoked initial confusion. Both Fox News and CNN got it wrong, reporting at first that the individual mandate had been struck down. But when the dust cleared, the law labeled derisively by Republicans as "Obamacare" was largely intact.

Read more
Around the Nation
4:09 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Cooler Temperatures Mean Better News For Colorado

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

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

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. In Colorado today, some optimism, despite the hundreds of homes that have been destroyed by a wildfire. Since Saturday, the Waldo Canyon fire has scorched an area about four miles wide by seven miles long. Wind and hot, dry weather helped fan the flames and helped them spread quickly.

Now, as NPR's Jeff Brady reports from Colorado Springs, the weather has improved for fire crews.

Read more
The Two-Way
3:30 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

David Beckham Doesn't Make Britain's Olympic Squad

Credit Andrew Yates / AFP/Getty Images
This file photo taken in 2011 shows former Manchester United player David Beckham after a testimonial football match between Manchester United and Juventus for Manchester United's Gary Neville.

The Daily Mail calls it "the darkest day of his illustrious career."

International soccer star David Beckham was told he did not make Britain's Olympic squad. Beckham broke the news when he issued a statement today.

Read more
The Salt
2:34 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

How the Taste Of Tomatoes Went Bad (And Kept On Going)

Credit pocius / Flickr.com
Notice how some of these tomatoes have unripe-looking tops? Those "green shoulders" are actually the keys to flavor.

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

The tomato is the vegetable (or fruit, if you must) that we love to hate. We know how good it can be and how bad it usually is. And everybody just wants to know: How did it get that way?

Read more
World Cafe
2:15 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Latin Roots: The Trajectory Of Tango

Credit STF / Courtesy of AFP/Getty Images
Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla performs in France in July 1986.

Originally published on Mon July 2, 2012 8:24 am

For World Cafe's 13th episode of Latin Roots, Latin-music expert Ernesto Lechner talks tango. Lechner was born and raised in Buenos Aires, which is widely regarded as the genre's birthplace.

Read more
World Cafe
2:15 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

John Lydon On World Cafe

Credit Courtesy of Paul Heartfield
John Lydon (center right) of Public Image Ltd.

Originally published on Thu August 16, 2012 10:09 am

Though John Lydon remains best known as Johnny Rotten, former lead singer of The Sex Pistols, his music career didn't end with the pioneering punk act's split in 1978. Lydon formed Public Image Ltd shortly thereafter and dropped his adopted stage name. Widely considered the first post-punk band, PiL experiments with a wide palette of sounds, including dub, rock and disco.

Read more
Law
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Roberts Sheds Aura Of Predictability With Ruling

Originally published on Thu July 5, 2012 12:32 pm

After Chief Justice John Roberts read the Supreme Court's majority opinion Thursday that upheld the Affordable Care Act, the reaction from conservatives was predictable and strong. But Roberts is far from the first justice to act in unexpected ways.

Justices don't always turn out the way presidents (and commentators) might hope. President Dwight D. Eisenhower famously said his appointment of Chief Justice Earl Warren "was the biggest damn fool thing I ever did."

Read more
NPR Story
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Media Get Health Care Ruling Wrong, At First

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block. On the biggest story of the day, one of the biggest of the year, two leading television news channels got it wrong. CNN and Fox News mistakenly and repeatedly told viewers that the linchpin of the health care law had just been struck down by the Supreme Court. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik breaks down the reporting breakdown.

Read more
NPR Story
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Cheers, Jeers Outside Court After Health Care News

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block. The Supreme Court decision today to uphold the president's health care overhaul law drew strong reaction around the country, including right outside the court where a small sea of supporters and opponents had gathered.

(SOUNDBITE OF CROWD CHANTING)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Unintelligible) Obamacare. (Unintelligible) Obamacare.

Read more
Politics
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

GOP Projection: The Problem With Health Care Ruling

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And now to the deputy whip in the House of Representatives, Republican Peter Roskam, congressman of Illinois. Welcome back to the program.

REPRESENTATIVE PETER ROSKAM: Thank you.

BLOCK: We heard the president today call this a victory for people all over the country, millions of uninsured people gaining insurance. Why not a victory?

Read more
Law
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Justice Roberts Breaks The Tie On Health Care

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

So in the end, it was the chief justice, John Roberts, providing the key fifth swing vote to uphold the health-care law. Roberts, the conservative appointee of George W. Bush, ended up siding with the liberal wing of the court.

To talk about that turn, I'm joined by Jeffrey Rosen, law professor at George Washington University. Welcome back, Jeffrey.

JEFFREY ROSEN: Good to be here.

Read more
Health Care
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

How One Patient's Health Care Outlook Has Changed

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

We want to find out what today's ruling means for someone who's had difficulty with his health-care coverage. So we're turning to Shawn Pollock. He's 30 years old. He said he had excellent benefits until he was laid off from his job at a TV station, in 2009. He couldn't afford insurance, even under COBRA. And then he got viral meningitis and was hospitalized, leading him to be labeled high risk when he applied for insurance.

Shawn Pollock joins me now from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Welcome to the program.

SHAWN POLLACK: Thank you.

Read more
Law
2:13 pm
Thu June 28, 2012

Attorney General Faces Contempt Of Congress Charge

Originally published on Thu June 28, 2012 5:32 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

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

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish.

Read more

Pages