NPR News

Pages

The Two-Way
2:31 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

An Amazing Life: Robert de La Rochefoucauld, World War II Saboteur

Credit Amazon.com

As brother Jim Memmott tweeted: "Good heavens, what a life."

Read this New York Times obituary of Robert de La Rochefoucauld and we bet you'll say something like that too. As the Times writes, in World War II the French count's exploits as an agent for the British:

Read more
Presidential Race
2:26 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

Where They Stand: Obama, Romney On Immigration

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 3:51 pm

Below are President Obama's and Republican challenger Mitt Romney's policies and proposals regarding immigration. NPR will be comparing the two candidates on various issues in the run-up to the November election. If you have suggestions for other issues you'd like us to explore, please leave a note in the comments section below.

DREAM Act:

Obama:

Supports; also endorses letting foreign students stay in U.S. after college graduation.

Read more
Television
2:11 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

Finally, TV's 'Dolt' Dads Get To Evolve

Credit Peter "Hopper" Stone / ABC
In Modern Family, writes Hanna Rosin, dad Phil Dunphy, played by Ty Burrell, is "the center of joy and fun in his household."

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 3:02 pm

"Starting from the birth of sitcoms, fathers are pretty much universally morons," writes Hanna Rosin in a piece for Slate.com. The latest crop of sitcoms, though, showcases dads who are a stark contrast to the bumbling Stu Erwin, on The Trouble With Father, or Fred Flintstone, or even Homer Simpson, she adds.

Read more
Around the Nation
2:11 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

What Happens When A City Declares Bankruptcy

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 2:36 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

San Bernardino is expected to become the third California city in the past month to file for bankruptcy. That follows Stockton and Mammoth Lakes. Even after layoffs and cuts to public employees' pay and pensions, officials in San Bernardino said the government could not cover upcoming bills. So what happens now to city services like police and fire protection, garbage collection, road repairs? Who gets paid, and who doesn't? If you have questions about municipal bankruptcy, give us a call, 800-989-8255.

Read more
The Two-Way
1:55 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

That's 'Gnathia Marleyi' To You: Scientist Names New Species After Bob Marley

Credit Ann Marie Coile / Arkansas State University
Male gnathiids.

Originally published on Thu July 12, 2012 4:00 pm

We're not quite sure what to make of it. Is it an honor? Is it an insult?

Read more
Europe
1:51 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

In France, The (Abandoned) Dog Days Of Summer

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 5:33 pm

For Europeans, it's not uncommon to take a whole month of vacation in the summer. But the season can be a deadly time for the many pets left behind — permanently.

The abandonment of domestic animals by vacationers is a scourge in many countries across Europe. And in France, this summer isn't likely to be different despite campaigns by animal-rights groups against the practice.

Read more
It's All Politics
1:44 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

Romney Absorbs Boos, Tells NAACP That Democrats Have Failed Blacks

Credit Pat Sullivan / AP
Mitt Romney speaks at the NAACP annual convention Wednesday in Houston.

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 3:02 pm

Movie Interviews
12:47 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

'Margaret:' Inside The 'Fall' Of A Teenager

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 1:32 pm

Kenneth Lonergan's critically acclaimed film Margaret was completed in 2006, but because of several lawsuits, it wasn't released until last year.

Called "nothing short of a masterwork" by The New Yorker, the film stars Anna Paquin as Lisa, a Manhattan teenager who tries to make sense of a bus accident she may have caused — one that resulted in a woman's death. Lonergan tells Terry Gross that he wrote the film because he was interested in how teenagers transition into an adult world.

Read more
Book Reviews
12:40 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

'A Door In The Ocean' Leads To Dark Depths

Originally published on Mon July 16, 2012 2:23 pm

Many of the key scenes in David McGlynn's striking new memoir, A Door in the Ocean, take place at the beach or in swimming pools. McGlynn was a surfer and competitive swimmer in his school days and still squeezes into his Speedos for races like the annual 5K "Gatorman" off the coast of La Jolla, Calif. Ocean swimming, in particular, transports McGlynn to another realm, and he does a terrific job of dramatizing the allure of solitary swims in open water. Midway through his book, he writes:

Read more
The Two-Way
12:39 pm
Wed July 11, 2012

Kim Dotcom, Megaupload Founder, Offers To Extradite Himself

Credit Michael Bradley / AFP/Getty Images
Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom, left, leaves court after he was granted bail in the in Auckland, New Zealand.

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 1:31 pm

Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, now says he's ready to fly himself to the United States to face charges and forgo what could be a lengthy extradition process.

As you might expect, Dotcom made the offer of self-extradition on Twitter, saying:

"Hey DOJ, we will go to the US. No need for extradition. We want bail, funds unfrozen for lawyers & living expenses."

Read more

Pages