World Cafe
3:14 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

Lisa Hannigan On World Cafe

Credit James Minchin
Lisa Hannigan.

Upon hearing Lisa Hannigan sing for the first time, her warm voice can sound at once familiar and inviting. The Mercury Prize-nominated artist is often acknowledged for her six-year collaboration with Damien Rice — especially on his album O — and for her solo debut, Sea Sew.

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Governing
3:08 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

GOP Supercommittee Members Consider Tax Increase

Credit Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP
Grover Norquist, president of the taxpayer advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform

The congressional deficit-reduction supercommittee must agree before Thanksgiving to slice more than $1 trillion from projected deficits, or that money will be cut automatically from future budgets.

The fundamental divide between the panel's six Democrats and six Republicans has been over whether tax revenues should come into play. And with less than a week to go before the deadline, some Republicans are considering new tax revenue. But even the hint of compromise on that issue is dividing Republicans on Capitol Hill.

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The Two-Way
2:59 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

Occupy Wall Street: A Lesson On An 'Organic Movement'

When you ask a lot of the Occupiers questions about their ideal government, they tell you then want an "organic" government or a "true democracy." Something a lot like what they created at Zuccotti Park, they say.

That's probably why there's been so much press coverage about the confusion of the movement's message. But, walking around and talking to many of the protesters today, it's obvious that it's a movement that has brought together a lot of people with very different ideologies.

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Author Interviews
2:49 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

U.S. Behind The Curve In Drunk Driving, Author Finds

When Barron Lerner was writing his book on the history of drunk driving in America — and efforts to control it — he carried out an experiment at home that involved a bottle of vodka, a shot glass and a Breathalyzer. He was the guinea pig.

"I was trying to figure out just how drunk you had to be in order to not drive safely," says Lerner, a professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University, who wrote One for the Road. He decided to drink and test his levels — but he didn't actually get into a car.

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Europe
2:09 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

Discovery Of Neo-Nazi Crime Spree Roils Germany

Germany is reeling from revelations this week that a small neo-Nazi group carried out a deadly, decade-long crime wave. Authorities blame the underground cell for the murders of nine immigrants and a policewoman, a string of bank robberies and a bombing. Two suspects are dead and two others are in custody.

The identity of the suspects came as a shock to many in a country that has worked hard to overcome the stain of Nazism. Now, the focus is on the apparent shortcomings of Germany's domestic security services.

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The Record
2:00 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

A Televised Singing Competition With A Mission

Credit Sandro Weltin/Council of Europe
Pia Maria Holmgren (Sámi in Sweden) performs at last year's Liet International minority song contest.

Auditions are now underway for next May's Eurovision Song Contest — that often-ridiculed television spectacle that has drawn millions of viewers around the world every year since 1956. In 2012 the host country will be Azerbaijan, since that country fielded last year's winner.

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The Two-Way
1:32 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

Alleged White House Shooter Charged With Attempted Assassination

Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president for allegedly firing at least two shots at the White House last Friday evening.

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Pop Culture
1:24 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

The Hipsterfication Of America

Originally published on Thu November 17, 2011 3:00 pm

The hotel lobby in Franklin, Tenn., has an ultra-urban loft-esque feel — exposed air ducts, austere furniture and fixtures, music videos projected onto a flat panel. Everywhere there is lava-lampish aqua and amber lighting.

Sale racks near the front desk display chargers for iPods and BlackBerrys and a variety of snacks, including Cocoa Puffs and Red Bulls. Every room features a media box for digital video and music.

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World
1:17 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

Fewer Babies Available For Adoption By U.S. Parents

Sammi Franklin might not be getting any siblings.

Three years ago, when he was only a few days old, Sammi was left in an abandoned building in Ethiopia, where police found him. In 2009, he was adopted and brought to his new home in Arlington, Va., by Brian and Regan Franklin.

Now that the Franklins are ready to adopt another child, Ethiopia — which has been one of the few African countries to allow adoptions by foreigners — is making it tougher.

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The Two-Way
1:11 pm
Thu November 17, 2011

Baseball's Houston Astros To Switch Leagues In 2013

Credit John Sommers II / Getty Images
Where are we going, skip? Houston Astros manager Brad Mills, left, and pitching coach Doug Brocail.

The Houston Astros will be moving from Major League Baseball's National League to the American League "as soon as the 2013 season," MLB announced this afternoon.

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