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Fresh Air Weekend
3:13 am
Sat May 5, 2012

Fresh Air Weekend: Sissy Spacek, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Credit Courtesy of the author
Sissy Spacek received the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter.

Originally published on Sat May 5, 2012 11:32 am

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

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The Two-Way
6:53 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Vogue Says It Will Only Work With 'Healthy' Models

Credit Richard Drew / AP
In this Feb. 15, 2012, file photo, models have their make-up finalized under runway light before the J. Mendel Fall 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, in New York.

In an effort to promote a healthy body image among its readers, the editors of 19 global editions of Vogue magazine agreed to some changes.

NPR's David Folkenflik filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"From June on, no models will appear in Vogue's pages who are under 16 or who appear to suffer from any eating disorder

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Pop Culture
6:29 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Alcoholidays in America: ¡Viva El Tequila Julep!

Credit Matt Slocum / AP
The infield at Churchill Downs can get pretty beer-soaked, as this scene from the 2011 Kentucky Derby proves. But this year, things could get even more crazy: The Derby falls on another of America's favorite "alcoholidays," Cinco de Mayo.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 10:20 pm

America is not a two-party country — it's a multiparty extravaganza.

We turn every possible pause from work into a party: New Year's Day, the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

And on Saturday, many Americans will play overtime by reveling in a pair of nationwide celebrations — Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. Establishments everywhere will be mashing up Mexico and the Bluegrass State.

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The Two-Way
5:48 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

5 Pa. Priests Ousted After Sex Abuse Inquiry

Credit Matt Rourke / AP
Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput listens during a news conference on Friday in Philadelphia.

Originally published on Fri May 11, 2012 12:39 pm

The archbishop of Philadelphia announced that five priests were "not suitable for ministry." It was the Catholic Church's first action since it suspended 27 priests last year when a grand jury report accused church officials of ignoring allegations of sex abuse.

The AP reports that Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said three other priests would return to the ministry and that one priest died in the process of the investigation. Chaput did not immediately announce the fate of the 17 others investigated.

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The Picture Show
5:33 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

The Power Of Flower Photos

Originally published on Mon May 7, 2012 10:39 am

I can't remember exactly when I received the first flower email, but I do remember it was sometime in 2005.

At the time, I had no idea why my old friend Darryl Pitt had sent it, but I didn't think too much about it. A flower. OK. That's nice. But then the flowers continued to arrive day after day after day — and soon a modest digital bouquet turned into a meadow, and that meadow into a hillside of, as always, flowers.

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Africa
5:10 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Political Rift Widens Between Egyptian Islamists

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 6:31 pm

The two top Islamists running in Egypt's first real presidential race share a common history.

Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a physician, is a former senior leader in the Muslim Brotherhood whose moderate stance has made him popular not only with Islamists, but with liberal and secular Egyptians.

Mohammed Morsi, an engineer, heads the Brotherhood's political party, which holds nearly half the seats in parliament.

Yet despite their common political background, the two men are bitter rivals.

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London 2012: The Summer Olympics
4:50 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

A Need For Speed: Inside Jamaica's Sprint Factory

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 10:09 pm

When it comes to sprinting, Jamaica reigns supreme.

At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, a Jamaican man — Usain Bolt — and a woman — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — took home the golds in the 100-meter race, and at this summer's London games, they're hoping to do it again.

If you visit the Caribbean island nation, you'll hear a lot of explanations for why they're so good, but let's start with the obvious: In Jamaica, kids really like to run.

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Sports
4:45 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Churchill Downs Supervisor Beginning His Last Lap

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 6:04 pm

The surface on which Kentucky Derby horses will race Saturday is a special piece of real estate, built for high performance and safety. The track is generically described as dirt, but is actually a careful mixture of river sand, silt and clay.

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The Two-Way
4:32 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

23 Dead, 9 Hanged From Bridge In Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 6:24 pm

It has been a bloody day for the Mexican border-town of Nuevo Laredo. It started at dawn when 9 bodies were found hanging from a bridge of a major thoroughfare that connects Nuevo Laredo to Monterrey.

And as the day went by, the mutilated bodies of 14 others were found across the city.

El Universal, one of Mexico's largest dailies, reports:

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National Security
4:22 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

At Sept. 11 Trial, Military Commissions Face Scrutiny

Credit Janet Hamlin / AP
In this photograph of a courtroom sketch, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, charged with orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks, attends a court hearing at Guantanamo in 2008. He's expected to appear in a military court Saturday.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 6:04 pm

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks were supposed to be tried six years ago in a military tribunal created by the Bush administration.

But that system — which allowed hearsay evidence, among other things — faced questions about its fundamental fairness. When President Obama came into office, he put all the proceedings at Guantanamo on hold and asked that the commission system be revamped.

Since then, there has been an effort to make sure the trials at Guantanamo are credible, with both Congress and the Supreme Court weighing in.

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Movie Interviews
4:17 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Actor Bill Nighy On Career, 'Marigold Hotel'

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 6:04 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

It's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. Fans of British drama will find pleasure in a film arriving on these shores today. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" follows a group of British retirees who move to India looking for a more affordable life.

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Asia
4:16 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

U.S. Supports Chinese Activist's Bid To Study Abroad

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 6:04 pm

News of a possible way out of the diplomatic impasse over Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has again overshadowed other events in Beijing. The Chinese Foreign ministry says Chen might be allowed to leave China to study abroad. Meanwhile about 200 U.S. officials from the State Department and the U.S. Treasury are in China to discuss other matters vital to the U.S.-China relationship.

Law
4:04 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Hazing Hard To Prosecute In Fla. Despite Tough Laws

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 7:28 pm

Charges filed this week against 13 people in connection with a hazing death at Florida A&M University have thrust the hazing culture into the spotlight.

Florida has one of the toughest anti-hazing laws in the country, but legal experts say prosecuting the crime can be tricky.

State attorney Lawson Lamar, who is leading the prosecution in the death of drum major Robert Champion, acknowledges the case is complicated.

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The Two-Way
3:49 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

'A Factor In A Much Larger Life': Debating Chen Guangcheng's Blindness

Credit Handout / Getty Images
Chen Guangcheng at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. This photo was released by the Embassy's press office.

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 10:55 am

If you've been following the case of Chen Guangcheng, the activist looking to leave China for the U.S., there's one thing you probably know about him.

The fact that he's blind.

But is Chen's blindness central to his story – his political activism and the diplomatic dance he has set off?

"His blindness did not give him any particular bravery or insight," says Stephen Kuusisto, the author of two memoirs about being blind. "It is just a factor in a much larger life,"

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Technology
3:45 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Have You Friended Your Favorite Cause?

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 1:45 pm

Hours after Facebook put out a call Tuesday for its users to register as organ donors, 6,000 people had already signed up. That's more than 15 times the number of people who normally register each day, according to Donate Life America, which is collaborating with Facebook.

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Economy
3:35 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

'Dejected': Some Unemployed Give Up The Hunt

The unemployment rate slipped a notch to 8.1 percent in April, but not because employers went on a hiring spree.

Instead, the jobless rate appeared to improve because fewer people were applying for positions. Last month, the civilian labor force shrank by 342,000 people.

Economists say many of those workforce dropouts were "discouraged" workers who moved to the sidelines after months, even years, of trying to nail down jobs.

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The Record
3:30 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Adam Yauch, Co-Founder Of The Beastie Boys, Dies

Credit Ebet Roberts / Getty Images
Adam Yauch (left) with the Beastie Boys in 1987. The gruff-voiced rapper known as MCA died Friday after a battle with cancer.

Originally published on Sat May 5, 2012 12:29 pm

It's All Politics
3:18 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Surprising No One, Obama, Romney Don't Agree On Meaning Of April Jobs Stats

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 4:57 pm

Justin Wolfers, an economist known for, among other things, his sardonic wit, may have made the best comment of the day on the heels of the April jobs report out Friday. He tweeted:

"The worst part of today's jobs report? It provides just enough inane talking points for both sides of politics."

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The Two-Way
3:01 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

New Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct Surface Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Credit Francois Guillot / AFP/Getty Images
Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the studio of the French TV network TF1.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 3:13 pm

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former chief at the International Monetary Fund, is facing more allegations of sexual misconduct.

Strauss-Kahn was considered a top contender for the French presidency until he was accused of rape by a New York City hotel maid. That case against him was dropped, but it cost him his IMF job and then French investigators implicated Strauss-Kahn in a prostitution probe.

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The Two-Way
1:47 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Reports: Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Has Died

Credit Scott Gries / Getty Images
Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys during a 2001 performance in New York City.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 3:26 pm

Update at 2:30 p.m. ET: The news that Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has died has now been confirmed by the group's public relations firm.

Our original post:

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