U.S. News and National Top Stories : NPR

Tax Woes Likely Won't Derail Daschle Confirmation

January 31, 2009 • The president's pick for health secretary said he deeply regrets tax mistakes and amended returns to report more than $128,000 in back taxes and nearly $12,000 in interest for 2005 to 2007.

Sports

Autograph Stalkers Make Hundreds Off Athletes

January 31, 2009 • Autograph hunter Nick Novinski is going to the Super Bowl, but he isn't going for the game. He and flocks of other professional autograph dealers make their livings following big-time athletes.

Autograph Stalkers Make Hundreds Off Athletes

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World

U.S. In Long-Running Trade Dispute With E.U.

January 31, 2009 • One of the Bush administration's last acts was to levy punitive tariffs on a wide range of luxury foods from Europe — including fancy mineral water, exquisite chocolates and Roquefort cheese — in retaliation for an E.U. ban on hormone-treated American beef. Professor Chad Bown of Brandeis University talks about this and earlier trade disputes.

U.S. In Long-Running Trade Dispute With E.U.

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Hard Times

Two Laid-Off Workers Forced To Tighten Belts

January 31, 2009 • Steven Silverman of Seattle and Cathy Storms of Rochester, N.Y., were hit in the latest wave of job cuts. They talk to host Jacki Lyden about life after layoffs.

Two Laid-Off Workers Forced To Tighten Belts

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Economy

Labor Numbers Conjure Up Ghosts Of Past Crises

January 31, 2009 • This month, the U.S. hit another milestone — 5.7 million people filed for unemployment benefits in just one week, more than at any time since the figures began to be collected in the 1960s. Host Jacki Lyden reflects on the unemployment figures and speaks with financial historian Richard Sylla about just how relevant past times of hardship — especially the Great Depression — are today.

Labor Numbers Conjure Up Ghosts Of Past Crises

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World

Polls Close In Iraq Without Major Violence

January 31, 2009 • The stakes couldn't have been higher for Iraqis or for the American war effort. While the vote was pretty much free of violence, the results must be credible and power has to be transferred peacefully between groups before the provincial elections can be declared a success.

Polls Close In Iraq Without Major Violence

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Obituaries

Remembering John Updike, Master Of Fiction

January 31, 2009 • NPR's Scott Simon takes a moment to remember the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, who died Tuesday of lung cancer. Updike was 76.

Remembering John Updike, Master Of Fiction

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Business

Analyst: Wall St. Bonus Structure Ingrained

January 31, 2009 • This week President Obama called Wall Street bankers "shameful" after it was revealed they gave themselves nearly $20 billion in bonuses in 2008. "They have this mindset that bonuses are how people get paid," Joe Nocera says.

Analyst: Wall St. Bonus Structure Ingrained

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Politics

Obama Reaches Out to Congressional GOP

January 31, 2009 • NPR's Scott Simon speaks to National Review editor Rich Lowry about what kind of relationship President Obama and congressional Republicans might try to forge, despite the House GOP leaders' rejecting the stimulus package. "I came away with an overwhelming sense of his self confidence, which is really rather extraordinary" and quite disturbing, Lowry says. Obama does not come into a room needing everyone to like or agree with him, Lowry says, as opposed to former President Bill Clinton.

Obama Reaches Out to Congressional GOP

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Politics

Obama Hews To Campaign's Consensus Theme

January 31, 2009 • Obama wants very much to be a consensus president, but a president needs an enemy, NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr tells Scott Simon. Obama's working to get some Republican votes for the economic stimulus bill, but it comes down to this, Schorr says: Does spending create jobs or do tax cuts create jobs? He's also moving cautiously on the crisis in Gaza.

Obama Hews To Campaign's Consensus Theme

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Simon Says

Obama Pokes Fun At D.C.'s Snow Aversion

January 31, 2009 • NPR'S Scott Simon reflects on President Barack Obama's complaint about how people in the Washington, D.C. area deal with snow and ice. The president jokingly chided the area this week after his daughters' school closed due to the inclement weather.

Obama Pokes Fun At D.C.'s Snow Aversion

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Politics

Week In Review: Michael Steele, Stimulus

January 31, 2009 • NPR News Analyst Juan Williams tells NPR's Scott Simon what the Republicans' choice of Michael Steele as the new head of the party means. He also discusses the House vote on President Obama's economic stimulus plan.

Week In Review: Michael Steele, Stimulus

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Politics

Quinn Vows To Repair Illinois' Reputation

January 31, 2009 • Pat Quinn's first day as the new governor of Illinois began with him phoning in to radio talk shows. "We're going to start to fumigate state government from top to bottom," says Quinn, who has been called a do-gooder. The governor said he did not expect a honeymoon and ended his first day of official business in a brainstorming session with the state's top elected executives. "We all love Illinois and I think it's very important that we convey that…we're going to repair any damage, all of us working together," he says.

Quinn Vows To Repair Illinois' Reputation

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Art & Design

Donald Judd Found Perfect Canvas In Texas Town

January 31, 2009 • In the 1970s, Judd grew frustrated with cramped New York gallery spaces and moved to Texas. There, he found the tiny town of Marfa, where he pursued his ambitious dream of creating an indoor-outdoor museum where works of art could come alive beneath wide blue skies and sharp Texas light.

Donald Judd Found Perfect Canvas In Texas Town

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Business

Business School Tests Its Own Philosophy

January 31, 2009 • As more people lose their jobs, there may be ways for employers to soften the blow. An MBA program near Seattle teaches this style of management, but the school was recently forced to cut a quarter of its staff — and set out to practice what it teaches.

Business School Tests Its Own Philosophy

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