Presidential Race
1:44 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

For Loyalists, Is It Ron Paul Or Nothing?

Credit Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Fans of GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul show their support outside the Mesa Arts Center before Wednesday night's Republican debate in Mesa, Ariz.

Originally published on Thu February 23, 2012 2:31 pm

Benom Plumb, a 31-year-old music industry executive from Nashville, thinks the country is on the wrong path, and that Ron Paul is the only candidate who can turn things around.

As for the other Republicans, Plumb doesn't mince words: Mitt Romney? Too slick. Rick Santorum? Too religious. Newt Gingrich? Untrustworthy. "They are all liars and cheaters, if you ask me," he says.

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Planet Money
1:42 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

How Mitt Romney's Firm Transformed A Struggling Company, In 5 Steps

Credit iStockphoto.com

Originally published on Mon May 7, 2012 9:19 am

Mitt Romney says his experience in private equity taking over troubled companies would make him a good manager of America's economy. So we're reporting on companies that Bain Capital bought while Romney was in charge of the firm. This morning, we told the story of one that went bust. Here's the story of one that succeeded.

How A Private-Equity Firm Turns A Company Around

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World
1:42 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

For War Reporters, The Risks Of Going Solo

Originally published on Thu February 23, 2012 3:26 pm

War correspondents have always been at the short end of the actuarial tables. Life insurance salesmen do not pester them. No war is safe, and no correspondent is bulletproof.

But the rules of the game have been changing, and the recent deaths in Syria of two prominent correspondents, Anthony Shadid of The New York Times and Marie Colvin, an American working for Britain's Sunday Times, show how this line of work has grown even riskier.

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The Two-Way
1:40 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

Guy Walks Into A Denny's, Cooks A Burger, Gets Arrested

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Denny's was the scene. Fraud is among the alleged crimes. A burger may have been cooked.

This alleged crime in Madison, Wis., is odd enough — or funny enough, depending on your point of view — to begin with.

It seems that 52-year-old James B. Summers went into a local Denny's restaurant Tuesday afternoon and said he was the new general manager. This was a surprise to the folks working there.

Summers, though, insisted that he was indeed the new boss. And he seemed to be familiar with the kitchen — he grabbed a soft drink and cooked up a cheeseburger and fries.

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The Two-Way
1:35 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

USPS May Consolidate Up To 223 Processing Facilities Nationwide

Credit Paul Sakuma / AP
The exterior of a Burlingame, Calif. U.S. Postal Service mailing processing center that has been approved for full consolidation.

Originally published on Fri February 24, 2012 2:50 am

Facing a financial crisis, the United States Postal Service announced that 223 processing facilities have been "found feasible for consolidation, all or in part." Of the 264 processing facilities studied, only 35 are set to remain open.

The closings could result in the loss of 35,000 jobs. USPS has posted a full list of the facilities — which process and sort mail on its way to being delivered — on its website.

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Shots - Health Blog
1:25 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

Disease Sleuths Surf For Outbreaks Online

Credit Adam Cole / NPR

Originally published on Fri February 24, 2012 6:44 am

Most folks who wake up feeling crummy will sit down with a computer or smartphone before they sit down with a doctor.

They might search the Web for remedies or tweet about their symptoms. And that's why scientists who track disease are turning to the Internet for early warning signs of epidemics.

"Surveillance is one of the cornerstones of public health," says Philip Polgreen, an epidemiologist at the University of Iowa. "It all depends on having not only accurate data, but timely data."

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Race
1:21 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

African-American Museum Has Its Groundbreaking

On Wednesday, President Obama and a number of special guests celebrated the groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is expected to open in 2015.

The Two-Way
12:30 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

West Virginia Report On Mine Disaster Points To State's Shortcomings

Credit Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images
At an April 25, 2010, service in Beckley, W. Va., for the 29 miners killed in the Upper Big Branch explosion, helmets — placed on crosses — were lined up in their honor.

West Virginia's Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training has issued what is now the fourth investigative report on the April, 2010, Upper Big Branch mine explosion. It largely agrees with the earlier reviews, but in language that's tepid in comparison.

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The Two-Way
12:28 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

Bradley Manning Defers His Plea In WikiLeaks Case

The Army private accused of leaking a huge cache of classified information to the website WikiLeaks deferred his plea, today.

In an arraignment before a military judge at Fort Meade in Maryland, Bradley Manning also put off a decision on whether to be tried by military jury or military judge.

The AP reports:

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It's All Politics
12:13 pm
Thu February 23, 2012

In South Carolina, New Report Finds No Evidence Of "Dead" Voters

The South Carolina State Election Commission has just released its initial review of allegations from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles that more than 950 deceased voters appeared to have ballots cast in their names after they died. And no surprise, the commission found that of the 207 cases reviewed, there was no evidence in 197 of them that fraudulent votes had been cast. The commission said that records in the other 10 cases were "insufficient to make a determination."

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