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5:00 am
Tue August 7, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And today's last word in business is a deal with some strings attached. You have no idea yet what a terrible pun that is. The final notes have been played in a criminal case federal prosecutors brought against Gibson Guitar Corporation.

The Justice Department is dropping its charges against the guitar maker for illegally buying and importing exotic wood - specifically, ebony from Madagascar and rosewood and ebony from India. The company will pay a penalty of $300,000 and give another $50,000 for conservation efforts.

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Around the Nation
5:00 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Milwaukee Sikhs Remember Shooting Victims

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

On a Tuesday in August, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

I am nothing but an American. Those are some of the words we are about to hear from Americans Sikhs after a shooting over the weekend. A gunman targeted a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, killing six people before police killed him. In a moment, we'll learn more about the man identified as the shooter.

We begin with Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio.

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Business
5:00 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Business News

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with your happiness.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MONTAGNE: That's the indicator Fed Chief Ben Bernanke wants to see. Bernanke told a conference of economists last night that despite data pointing to a recovery, many people still feel stressed. He said the economic well-being of Americans is the Fed's ultimate objective - that is, the sense that things are going well.

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Sports
5:00 am
Tue August 7, 2012

India's Olympic Effort Faulted

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, as we cover the Olympics, some of you have asked for spoiler alerts, but for this next report that is probably not necessary. NPR's Mike Pesca is taking us inside the world of India's men's field hockey team. We're not too worried about spoilers. Not just because most Americans don't care much about field hockey, but because the Indian squad has done a pretty good job itself of spoiling things. As Mike reports, the team's record tracks with the overall state of the Indian Olympic effort.

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Politics
4:03 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Will Tea Party Star Marco Rubio Get GOP VP Nod?

Credit Jae C. Hong / AP
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., listens at left as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks in Aston, Pa., in April. Republican leaders from Jeb Bush to John McCain have touted Rubio for vice president.

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Among the Tea Party successes in the 2010 congressional elections was U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. He is now one of those on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's short list of possible running mates.

For any political party, Rubio would be worthy of consideration for vice president or a higher office. He's smart, good-looking and charismatic. The Cuban-American is a plus for Republicans, a party that polls show has been losing ground with Hispanics.

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World
3:27 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Growing Pains: Nations Balance Growth, Power Needs

Credit Parivatran Sharma / Reuters /Landov
Muslim girls study by candlelight inside a religious school in Noida, near New Delhi, on July 31. The collapse of three regional power grids last week caused a massive power outage that blacked out more than half of India.

Originally published on Tue August 7, 2012 2:38 pm

It may take some time to pinpoint the exact cause of India's massive blackouts last week, but the underlying issue for India and many other parts of the developing world is that supply is struggling to keep up with the growing demand for power — an imbalance that can affect the reliability of electric grids.

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World
3:26 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Pakistan Blackouts Power Frustration At Government

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

In India last week, surprise grid failures plunged more than half the country into darkness. But power outages in neighboring Pakistan have been intentional — the result of summertime energy rationing.

Despite billions of dollars in U.S. aid, Pakistan has been unable to keep the lights on. Now the situation is getting worse, with riots erupting over factories forced offline.

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Election 2012
3:26 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Older, Tougher — But Will The Tea Party Be Stronger?

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

The 2010 elections were a coming of age for the Tea Party, with big gains in Congress and in statehouses. As 2012 approached, the movement was looking for similar success. Then came this year's GOP presidential primaries, with no surviving Tea Party favorite.

Polls showed public support for the movement falling off significantly after several nasty showdowns in Congress. But the Tea Party remains a force in many states. Its favored candidate for the U.S. Senate won big in Texas last week, sending the strongest signal yet that the movement will be a factor this fall.

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First And Main
3:25 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Race An Issue That Simmers In Florida Battleground

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

As the presidential election nears, Morning Edition has begun a series of reports from First and Main. Several times in the next few months, we'll travel to a battleground state, then to a vital county in each state. In that county, we find a starting point for our visit — an iconic American corner — First and Main streets.

Near the corner of First and Main, in a trailer park in Hillsborough County, Fla., Gregory Brown sticks the key into the motorcycle he has for sale.

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Around the Nation
3:24 am
Tue August 7, 2012

Roosevelt's Badlands Ranch Faces Potential Threat

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 2:39 pm

Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota is often called the Walden Pond of the West. But Roosevelt's ranch is now feeling the pressure of an oil boom that is industrializing the local landscape. Critics say a proposed gravel pit and a bridge could destroy the very thing that made such a lasting impression on Roosevelt: the restorative power of wilderness.

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