Now Playing

Loading streams...

Podcasts & RSS Feeds

All ContentRSS
View all podcasts & RSS feeds

NPR News

Pages

Around the Nation
2:02 pm
Sat January 19, 2013

How Did Tacoma, Wash. Get To Be America's 'Gayest City'?

Credit USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Tacoma, Wash., tops The Advocate magazine's list of "Gayest Cities in America." It was followed by Springfield, Mass., and Spokane, Wash. Advocate editor Matthew Breen says marriage equality gave the advantage to cities in Washington state this year.
Share
E-mail
By editor

Originally published on Sat January 19, 2013 4:25 pm

Every year when The Advocate magazine publishes its list of the "Gayest Cities in America" it comes with a few surprises. This year was no different.

At the top of the list for 2013: Tacoma, Wash.

To Tacoma resident Ellen Cohen, the superlative was unexpected.

"In all of Tacoma coming out as No. 1 in anything would surprise me," she said.

Read more
The Two-Way
6:45 am
Sat January 19, 2013

Hostages, Militants Reported Dead In Algerian Assault

Credit Leon Neal / AFP/Getty Images
British Defense Minister Philip Hammond (left) and U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta hold a joint press conference on the Algerian hostage crisis Saturday in London.
Share
E-mail
By editor

Originally published on Sat January 19, 2013 3:51 pm

The four-day standoff in the Algerian desert came to a bloody end Saturday morning when Algerian forces stormed the gas plant where Islamist militants were holding foreign hostages.

Seven hostages were killed in the assault, as were 11 militants, Algeria's state media reported. In total, 32 militants and 23 other people died in the conflict, the Algerian interior ministry said in a statement.

Read more
Fresh Air Weekend
6:03 am
Sat January 19, 2013

Fresh Air Weekend: Ben Affleck And Dustin Hoffman

Credit Keith Bernstein / Warner Brothers
Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in Argo. Affleck also directed the film, which is based on events surrounding the Iran hostage crisis of 1979.
Share
E-mail
By editor

Originally published on Sat January 19, 2013 8:59 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:

Read more
Shots - Health News
3:32 am
Sat January 19, 2013

Inching Closer To The Demise Of A Stubborn Parasitic Worm

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Wes Pope / Chicago Tribune/MCT /Landov
A boy with multiple Guinea worms sits outside a containment center in northern Ghana, February 2007.
Credit Wes Pope / Chicago Tribune/MCT /Landov
A medical worker extracts a Guinea worm from a child's leg in northern Ghana, February 2007.
Credit Courtesy of The Carter Foundation
Seventeen countries have eliminated the Guinea worm parasite since 1986. Four countries remain: Mali, Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Share
E-mail
By Michaeleen Doucleff

What's the big fuss about Guinea worm, a parasite that now infects just a few hundred people? Well, the public health community finally has the nasty bug's back against the wall.

There were only 542 cases of Guinea worm worldwide last year, the Carter Center said this week. That's 48 percent less than in 2011. And it's a mere blip compared to the 3.5 million cases back in 1986.

Read more
The Salt
2:53 am
Sat January 19, 2013

Inaugural Balls Where Food Isn't An Afterthought

Credit J. David Ake / AP
Guests arrive for the Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball in Washington back in 2005 to celebrate President Bush's second term.
Share
E-mail
By April Fulton

Like everyone else in Washington, D.C., right now, we're gearing up for the long inaugural weekend, bracing ourselves for various events and balls around town that can be thrilling, patriotic, touristy and traffic-jamming, all at the same time.

Read more
It's All Politics
2:53 am
Sat January 19, 2013

Inaugural Hijinks: 10 Odd Photos From Ceremonies Past

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Scott Stewart / AP
Credit AP
Four years later, Eisenhower (far right) "doffed his homburg and bowed" to Miss Burma, the Republican elephant mascot from Ohio.
Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
What's so odd about President Bush giving the "Hook 'em, 'horns" salute of the University of Texas Longhorns during the inaugural parade in 2005? Nothing, unless you were in Norway, where people thought his gesture was a salute to Satan.
Credit AP
In 1961, when President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated, dogs were again part of the show. This time, Alaskan huskies pulled the State of Maine float along Constitution Ave.
Credit AP
That's right. During Dwight Eisenhower's inaugural parade in 1953, the president was lassoed by cowboy Monte Montana.
Credit Scott Stewart / AP
It was an "oops!" moment for first lady Nancy Reagan in 1985 when she forgot to introduce President Ronald Reagan during an inaugural event. It was too cold for an outdoor parade that year, so instead participants were invited to the Capital Center in Landover, Md.
Credit Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel makes a face before President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. The person behind him does not look amused.
Credit Robert F. Bukaty / AP
A topless protester braved the Washington, D.C., winter in 2001 during President George W. Bush's inaugural parade.
Credit Washington Star / AP
Maybe in color this image of fireworks in front of the Washington Monument would be fun and festive instead of kind of eerie? As you can probably tell, this display honored the inauguration of President Harry Truman in 1949.
Credit AP
In a less choreographed moment that same year, Vice President Richard Nixon laughed as a stray dog joined the parade.
Credit AP
Credit AP
Credit AP
Credit AP
Credit Marion S. Trikosko / U.S. News & World Report/Library of Congress
Credit Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Credit Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images
Share
E-mail
By Erica Ryan

The presidential inauguration is a solemn and important occasion, of course, steeped in history and pomp. But it's also a time for parades and balls — and, sometimes, a bit of tomfoolery. As we prepare for President Obama's second inauguration on Monday, a look back at a few funny and unusual moments:

Read more
It's All Politics
2:52 am
Sat January 19, 2013

From The Archives: Inaugural Firsts, Ball Gowns And JFK

Next imagePrevious image
Credit AP
President John F. Kennedy delivers his inaugural address after taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, 1961.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1801: Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. His horseback ride from the Capitol to the president's house after his second inauguration set the example for future inaugural parades.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1841: William H. Harrison, the first president to arrive in Washington by train, delivered the longest inaugural address in history. He delivered a 90-minute speech in a snowstorm. The 68-year-old died from pneumonia about a month later.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Following Harrison's death on April 4, 1841, John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency by succession.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1845: James Polk's inauguration was the first to be covered by telegraph.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1857: James Buchanan's inauguration was the first known to be photographed.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1865: African-Americans were allowed to participate for the first time during Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration parade.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1897: William McKinley's inauguration was the first to be captured by a movie camera.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 5, 1909: After Howard Taft's inauguration, the first lady accompanied the president in the inaugural procession for the first time.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 5, 1917: Women participated in the inaugural parade for the first time after Woodrow Wilson's second inauguration.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1925: Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1929: Herbert Hoover's inauguration was the first to be recorded by a talking newsreel.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration in 1937 was the first to take place on Jan. 20. First inaugurated in 1933 and serving four terms through 1945, Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1949: Harry S. Truman's inauguration was the first to be televised.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy's inauguration had many firsts: a poet (Robert Frost) participated in the ceremonies, a Catholic Bible was used for the oath, and the parade was televised in color.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Following Kennedy's assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president to be sworn in on an airplane. And it was the first time in history that the oath of office was administered by a woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Following the resignation of Richard Nixon on Aug. 9, 1974, Gerald Ford became the fifth vice president to assume the presidency by succession, and the first U.S. president never to have won a national election.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1977: Jimmy Carter was the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House with his family following his inauguration.
Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Jan. 20, 2009: Barack Obama is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts as the 44th president and the first African-American to be elected to the office.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Polk's was also the first known inauguration to be depicted by newspaper illustration.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1997: Bill Clinton's second inauguration was the first to be broadcast live over the Internet.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 3, 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to take the oath of office at the White House.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
April 30, 1789: George Washington was inaugurated in New York City as the first U.S. president. He set various precedents, including the use of a Bible for the oath, the use of the phrase "so help me God" and the tradition of an inaugural address. During his second inauguration in Philadelphia on March 4, 1793, Washington gave the shortest address in history, consisting of a mere 135 words.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1801: Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. His horseback ride from the Capitol to the president's house after his second inauguration set the example for future inaugural parades.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1841: William H. Harrison, the first president to arrive in Washington by train, delivered the longest inaugural address in history. He delivered a 90-minute speech in a snowstorm. The 68-year-old died from pneumonia about a month later.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Following Harrison's death on April 4, 1841, John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency by succession.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1845: James Polk's inauguration was the first to be covered by telegraph.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Polk's was also the first known inauguration to be depicted by newspaper illustration.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1857: James Buchanan's inauguration was the first known to be photographed.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1865: African-Americans were allowed to participate for the first time during Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration parade.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 3, 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to take the oath of office at the White House.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1897: William McKinley's inauguration was the first to be captured by a movie camera.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 5, 1909: After Howard Taft's inauguration, the first lady accompanied the president in the inaugural procession for the first time.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 5, 1917: Women participated in the inaugural parade for the first time after Woodrow Wilson's second inauguration.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1925: Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1929: Herbert Hoover's inauguration was the first to be recorded by a talking newsreel.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration in 1937 was the first to take place on Jan. 20. First inaugurated in 1933 and serving four terms through 1945, Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1949: Harry S. Truman's inauguration was the first to be televised.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy's inauguration had many firsts: a poet (Robert Frost) participated in the ceremonies, a Catholic Bible was used for the oath, and the parade was televised in color.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Following Kennedy's assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president to be sworn in on an airplane. And it was the first time in history that the oath of office was administered by a woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Following the resignation of Richard Nixon on Aug. 9, 1974, Gerald Ford became the fifth vice president to assume the presidency by succession, and the first U.S. president never to have won a national election.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1977: Jimmy Carter was the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House with his family following his inauguration.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1997: Bill Clinton's second inauguration was the first to be broadcast live over the Internet.
Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Jan. 20, 2009: Barack Obama is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts as the 44th president and the first African-American to be elected to the office.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
April 30, 1789: George Washington was inaugurated in New York City as the first U.S. president. He set various precedents, including the use of a Bible for the oath, the use of the phrase "so help me God," and the tradition of an inaugural address. During his second inauguration, in Philadelphia on March 4, 1793, Washington gave the shortest address in history, consisting of a mere 135 words.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1801: Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. His horseback ride from the Capitol to the president's house after his second inauguration set the example for future inaugural parades.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1841: William H. Harrison, the first president to arrive in Washington by train, delivered the longest inaugural address in history. He delivered a 90-minute speech in a snowstorm. The 68-year-old died from pneumonia about a month later.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Following Harrison's death on April 4, 1841, John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency by succession.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1845: James Polk's inauguration was the first to be covered by telegraph.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Polk's was also the first known inauguration to be depicted by newspaper illustration.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1857: James Buchanan's inauguration was the first known to be photographed.
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
March 4, 1865: African-Americans were allowed to participate for the first time during Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration parade.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 3, 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to take the oath of office at the White House.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1897: William McKinley's inauguration was the first to be captured by a movie camera.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 5, 1909: After William Howard Taft's inauguration, the first lady accompanied the president in the inaugural procession for the first time.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 5, 1917: Women participated in the inaugural parade for the first time, after Woodrow Wilson's second inauguration.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1925: Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
March 4, 1929: Herbert Hoover's inauguration was the first to be recorded by a talking newsreel.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration in 1937 was the first to take place on Jan. 20. First inaugurated in 1933 and serving four terms through 1945, Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1949: Harry S. Truman's inauguration was the first to be televised.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy's inauguration had many firsts: a poet (Robert Frost) participated in the ceremonies, a Catholic Bible was used for the oath, and the parade was televised in color.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Following Kennedy's assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president to be sworn in on an airplane. And it was the first time in history that the oath of office was administered by a woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Following the resignation of Richard Nixon on Aug. 9, 1974, Gerald Ford, who had been appointed vice president, became the first U.S. president never to have won a national election.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1977: Jimmy Carter was the first president to walk from the Capitol to the White House with his family after his inauguration.
Credit Courtesy of Library of Congress
Jan. 20, 1997: Bill Clinton's second inauguration was the first to be broadcast live over the Internet.
Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Jan. 20, 2009: Barack Obama is sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts as the 44th president and the first African-American to be elected to the office.
Credit Courtesy of National Archives
The first printed copy of the draft Constitution, Aug. 6, 1787, annotated by George Washington and others. (Click for full page.)
Credit Courtesy Library of Congress
April 30, 1789: George Washington was inaugurated in New York City as the first U.S. president. He set various precedents, including the use of a Bible for the oath, the use of the phrase "so help me God" and the tradition of an inaugural address. During his second inauguration in Philadelphia on March 4, 1793, Washington gave the shortest address in history, consisting of a mere 135 words.
Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
President Obama dances with first lady Michelle Obama on the night of his first inauguration, Jan. 20, 2009, in Washington.
Credit Hugh Talman / Courtesy of National Museum of American History
The inaugural ensemble of Grover Cleveland's wife, Frances, a fashion icon during the late 1800s who was considered the Jackie Kennedy of her day.
Share
E-mail
By Erica Ryan

As we prepare for President Obama's second inauguration on Monday, we've been looking back through our coverage of inaugurations past. (And it's reminded us that a lot has changed, even from just four years ago.) Along the way, we ran across a few memorable features that we thought worth revisiting.

Inaugural Firsts

Read more
Around the Nation
2:40 am
Sat January 19, 2013

12 Half-Truths We Live With

Credit Gabriella Garcia-Pardo / NPR
Koalas aren't really bears, but we don't seem to mind.
Share
E-mail
By

Originally published on Sat January 19, 2013 10:12 am

Say it isn't so. Various news organizations have recently reported that on occasion the Subway sandwich chain's $5 footlong measures 11 inches instead of 12 — as advertised. Sure enough, the bacon, lettuce and tomato jewel we bought Friday fell a little short.

Read more
StoryCorps
2:38 am
Sat January 19, 2013

A Soldier's Battle Lost After Returning Home

Credit Courtesy of Judy Pilgrim
Lance Pilgrim with his parents, Randy and Judy, at the pre-deployment ceremony at Fort Sill, Okla., in January 2003.
Share
E-mail
By editor

Originally published on Sat January 19, 2013 4:13 am

Spc. Lance Pilgrim was among the first Army troops to enter Iraq in March 2003. Eventually, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and died from an accidental overdose in 2007 at the age of 26.

His father, Randy Pilgrim, says he first realized something was wrong when his son broke down at the sight of an animal that had been run over. The image had triggered the memory of a traumatic time overseas.

Read more
Around the Nation
2:38 am
Sat January 19, 2013

Newtown Debates The Future Of Sandy Hook School

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Jessica Hill / AP
A memorial stands in a yard near the Sandy Hook Elementary School a month after the mass shooting that left 27 dead, including 20 children, in Newtown, Conn.
Credit James Dietter
Newtown First Selectwoman Pat Llodra speaks to community members at a meeting about the future of Sandy Hook Elementary.
Share
E-mail
By editor

Originally published on Sat January 19, 2013 9:58 am

After the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December, the town arranged for students to go to school at a building in the neighboring town of Monroe. Now, Newtown is deliberating what to do with the building where the shootings took place and whether to build a new school.

Newtown officials held a second public meeting Friday night to hear what community members think should happen to the school.

Read more

Pages