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Sports
8:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

NCAA Madness Marches On

Credit Rick Bowmer / AP
Indiana forward Will Sheehey takes the game-winning shot against Virginia Commonwealth in the second half of an NCAA college basketball tournament third-round game in Portland, Ore., on Saturday. Indiana won 63-61.

The madness marches on. Sunday holds eight more games in the NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament. On Saturday, thankfully, there were no major rip-up-your-bracket upsets. That is, if your bracket was in still in one piece. But there was plenty of drama. Two of the most exciting games were at the sub-regional in Portland, Ore.

March Madness isn't just screaming crowds and grown men and women chanting things like the University of New Mexico's "Everyone's a Lobo, woof, woof, woof." In fact, sometimes there's drama in hushed silence.

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Religion
8:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Anglicans To Get New Spiritual Head

The resignation of the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, comes at a time of tension within the Anglican Church over issues related to homosexuality as well as women bishops. Vicki Barker has reaction to the news.

Economy
8:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

First-Time Homebuyers Carry Financial Baggage

Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 9:57 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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Around the Nation
8:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Tenn. Town Fights Fire With Money

Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 9:57 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Two years ago in South Fulton, Tennessee, firefighters in this town watched a home burn to the ground. The owners hadn't paid the required $75 fee for fire service. Now, after a barrage of national media attention, city leaders have finally made a change. Chad Lampe from member station WKMS in Murray, Kentucky has more.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING)

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Presidential Race
8:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Puerto Rico Holds Primary With Statehood In Mind

Puerto Ricans are American citizens who do not vote in U.S. presidential general elections, but they do participate in Republican and Democratic nominating contests. Sunday, Puerto Rico holds a GOP primary. Both Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney visited the island this week. From San Juan, NPR's David Welna reports.

Politics
8:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Who's Money? SuperPACs To Reveal Records

Residents of Illinois and Louisiana this week have been bombarded by TV ads attacking one or another presidential candidate, the vast majority of them funded by superPACs, groups that run TV ads like a regular candidate's campaign, but legally have nothing to do with the candidate they support. Tuesday night, they must file a report detailing who gave them money and how they spent it. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's S.V. Dáte.

Europe
5:52 am
Sun March 18, 2012

After Spain's Construction Bust, Gardens Bloom

Spain is littered with vacant lots and half-built apartment complexes, where developers ran out of money when the construction bubble burst.

But in one Madrid barrio, neighbors are putting an abandoned tract of urban space to creative use.

Behind a chain link fence, in a dusty weed-filled lot between two soaring apartment blocks, Emilio de la Rosa is planting vegetables.

"Different types of products — garlic, beans, tomatoes, lettuce," he says. "We're teaching our children where tomatoes come from — not from the grocery store, but the ground."

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Economy
5:51 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Sweet Home: When Owning Isn't All About Money

Credit Ann Baxter / NPR
Tamika Rhodes and her children (clockwise) Taneea, Takeema and Paul at their home in St. Paul, Minn. Rhodes says the house is more important to her as a source of stability than as an investment.

It's not hard to figure out why the Rhodes family would want a house of their own. Their son Paul's passion for music makes it clear right away.

His mom, Tamika Rhodes, says in their last place, a two-bedroom apartment, Paul couldn't play the drums because it would have driven the neighbors crazy.

Now he, his two sisters, mom and dad live in a big, five-bedroom house in St. Paul, Minn. Rhodes says they all feel much more comfortable.

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The Impact of War
5:50 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Troops' Mental Health: How Much Is Unknown?

Credit Susan Walsh / AP
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, former vice chief of staff for the U.S. Army, says the Army lacks reliable diagnostic tools to screen for mental health.

The killing of 16 Afghan civilians last Sunday is now one of the greatest points of tension between the United States and Afghanistan. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly killed the civilians in cold blood; those close to him say they were shocked by the news.

According to the Pentagon, Bales had been treated for a traumatic brain injury that he suffered in Iraq in 2010, though the extent of the damage is unclear.

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Afghanistan
4:40 am
Sun March 18, 2012

For Suspect In Afghan Attack, A Praised Record

Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 1:13 pm

There is still only sketchy information available about Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' recent experience in Afghanistan, but five years ago in Iraq, he was considered an excellent and upbeat soldier.

Bales is suspected of killing 16 unarmed Afghan civilians last Sunday. He has yet to be charged, and his civilian lawyers say they will meet with him at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to learn the facts of the case.

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The Two-Way
6:06 pm
Sat March 17, 2012

Former Captain: Afghan Shooting Suspect Showed 'Valorous Conduct' In Battle

Originally published on Mon March 19, 2012 6:45 am

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales' commanding officer once recommended him for a medal of valor after a major battle in Iraq.

Bales was named on Friday as the U.S. soldier who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians last Sunday. "I was shocked that it was him," Maj. Brent Clemmer told Austin Jenkins of the Public Radio Northwest News Network. "I am still in shock about it."

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The Two-Way
6:00 pm
Sat March 17, 2012

WikiLeaks Founder Assange To Run For Australian Senate

Here's one way to spend time under house arrest: The WikiLeaks creator will run for the Senate in Australia, his home country. The revelation appeared, typically, on WikiLeaks' Twitter feed:

Assange is under house arrest in England, fighting extradition to Sweden, where he's accused of two sex crimes.

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Movie Reviews
4:48 pm
Sat March 17, 2012

Betting On Two Pairs Of Filmmaking Brothers

Originally published on Sat March 17, 2012 6:42 pm

Call it an accident of the calendar: two pairs of filmmaking brothers both opening movies on the same weekend, both films about the awkwardness of growing up. Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a post-mumblecore slacker comedy from the Duplass brothers, Mark and Jay. The Kid with a Bike is a Belgian slice-of-life drama from the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc.

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Three-Minute Fiction
4:44 pm
Sat March 17, 2012

Minor Details: Three-Minute Fiction's Age Rules

Credit Courtesy Brian Smith
Kahlo Smith, 11, wanted to enter Three-Minute Fiction but found out she was ineligible because of her age. She contacted NPR to find out why.

This week, along with the nearly 1,000 stories that were submitted to weekends on All Things Considered's writing contest, Three-Minute Fiction, there was a letter from 11-year-old Kahlo Smith of Felton, Calif.

Dear Mr. Raz,

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Afghanistan
4:08 pm
Sat March 17, 2012

Karzai: U.S.-Afghan Relations 'At The End Of Rope'

Credit Ahmad Jamshid / AP
Afghan President Hamid Karzai lashed out at the United States on Friday, saying he is at the "the end of the rope" because of the lack of U.S. cooperation into a probe of a killing spree allegedly carried out by an American soldier.

The tension between the United States and Afghanistan has reached a boiling point.

More details are emerging about Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 unarmed Afghans this past week, and there is still anger over the accidental burning of copies of the Quran by soldiers on a military base.

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Music Interviews
3:50 pm
Sat March 17, 2012

On 'Port Of Morrow,' The Shins Sail Back To The 1970s

Credit Courtesy of the artist
James Mercer has been the singer and songwriter behind The Shins since 1997.

Originally published on Mon March 19, 2012 8:06 am

James Mercer's distinctive voice and earnest songwriting have always been at the heart of The Shins, but these days they are the band's only constant. Port of Morrow, the group's new album and its first in five years, finds Mercer leading a completely new set of musicians.

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Fresh Air Weekend
10:30 am
Sat March 17, 2012

Fresh Air Weekend: Drones, Homes & Dave Brubeck

Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
The Dave Brubeck Quartet.

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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History
9:22 am
Sat March 17, 2012

Convicted Nazi Guard John Demjanjuk Dies

Credit Johannes Simon / Getty Images
John Demjanjuk emerges from the courtroom with his lawyers after a judge sentenced him to five years in prison for charges related to 28,060 counts of accessory to murder in May 2011 in Munich, Germany.

John Demjanjuk, the retired U.S. autoworker convicted of being a guard at in an infamous Nazi death camp, died Saturday at the age of 91. Demjanjuk died a free man in a nursing home in southern Germany, where he had been released pending his appeal.

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Europe
8:00 am
Sat March 17, 2012

London Starts Digging Massive Tunnels For Transport

Transcript

JACKI LYDEN, HOST:

The history of the city of London dates back to the Romans and beyond. So, when you start digging massive tunnels beneath that place, it's always going to be interesting. And that's just what's about to happen.

MAYOR BORIS JOHNSON: I hereby declare Ada and Phyllis unleashed.

(SOUNDBITE OF BUZZER)

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Around the Nation
8:00 am
Sat March 17, 2012

Soldier Suspected Of Killing Afghans In Kan. Prison

Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 10:07 am

Transcript

JACKI LYDEN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Scott Simon is away. I'm Jacki Lyden. The soldier suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians is today being held at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales now has an attorney and the lines of his defense are beginning to emerge. The case has also put America's prosecution of the war in Afghanistan on trial. There are new disputes between the U.S. and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

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