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First And Main
3:24 am
Thu August 9, 2012

Complications, Contradictions In A Fla. Swing County

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Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Sofia Martinez, 40, is a registered nurse in Plant City, Fla., who supports both the DREAM Act and Republican Mitt Romney, who says he would veto it.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Martinez says she believes the country would do better if it returned to "some basic core values."
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Originally published on Thu August 9, 2012 8:17 pm

As the presidential election nears, Morning Edition has begun a series of reports from an iconic American corner: 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: First and Main streets, the intersection of politics and real life.

Sofia Martinez was a kid when she began what you could call her life on the road.

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First And Main
3:25 am
Wed August 8, 2012

Florida Market Draws Candidates Like Bees To Honey

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Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Parkesdale Farm Market is run by Jim Meeks, 70, and his extended family, including his daughter-in-law Xiamara Meeks, 36. Business is booming and the stand has been a mainstay on presidential campaign stops since the days of George H.W. Bush.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Candidate Obama visited the market in 2008 and took a photo with Xiomara Meeks' daughter, Piper.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
The market has grown from a simple fruit stand to a full-blown farmers market, open to the public seven days a week.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
The Meeks display a large photo of themselves posing with George and Barbara Bush in 1984. The market has become a "must-visit" destination for presidential candidates.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Plant City calls itself the winter strawberry capital of the world. A map in the seating area outside the market marks the far-flung hometowns of visitors.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Jim Meeks says the key to winning the election is drinking a Parkesdale strawberry milkshake. He plans to vote for Republican Mitt Romney and his daughter-in-law plans to vote for President Obama.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Founded in 1956, the Parkesdale Farm Market is the largest family-operated strawberry market in Florida.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Parkesdale Farm Market in Plant City, Fla., is run by Jim Meeks, 70, and his extended family, including his daughter-in-law Xiamara Meeks, 36. Business is booming and the stand has been a mainstay of presidential campaign stops since the days of George H.W. Bush.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Piper Meeks is now 4.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
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Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 7:36 pm

As the presidential election nears, Morning Edition has begun a series of reports from an iconic American corner: 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: First and Main streets, the intersection of politics and real life.

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Business
5:00 am
Tue August 7, 2012

British Bank Accused Of Hiding Iranian Transactions

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

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Financial regulators in New York said yesterday they may bar a British bank from doing business in the state. They said that because the bank allegedly laundered some $250 billion in Iranian money through its branch in Manhattan. The bank is Standard Chartered Bank. It does much of its business in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. But like any global bank, it wants to have a foothold in the U.S. markets, and that foothold is now in danger. For more, we turn to NPR's Jim Zarroli in New York.

Jim, Good morning.

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

Race An Issue That Simmers In Florida Battleground

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Gregory Brown, 52, lives in a trailer park community in Lutz, Fla., near the corner of First and Main streets. He lives off unemployment checks and blames President Obama for his financial difficulties.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
The St. Paul AME Church in downtown Tampa was a focal point of the city's black community, but is now a community center for an adjacent apartment complex. A dwindling congregation forced the church to close.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Joselyn Walker-Saffore is an Obama supporter but says the middle class has been suffering. She attended St. Paul's for decades before it was converted into a community center.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Michael Bailey, 2, was the last baby baptized at St. Paul's. Jesse Jackson, Thurgood Marshall and President Clinton all spoke at the church. (The Florida Channel has produced a documentary about the role of black churches in the state, including St. Paul's.)
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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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Sports
5:43 am
Mon August 6, 2012

Bolt Defends, U.S. Men's Basketball Team In Action

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Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 1:02 pm

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Jamaica's Usain Bolt ran the 100 meters in 9.63 seconds last night. That is an Olympic record. It will take just a bit more than 9.63 seconds to talk about what it means. And NPR's Mike Pesca, the Usain Bolt of sports reporters is on the line.

Mike, good morning.

MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Yes. If you saw me in person you'd know how untrue that was.

(LAUGHTER)

INSKEEP: Well, Usain Bolt said he was only 95 percent healthy when he ran this race. What does it mean to be 95 percent healthy?

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First And Main
4:37 am
Mon August 6, 2012

Even In Florida Swing County, Minds Seem Made Up

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Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Michael Bailey, 2, was the last baby baptized in St. Paul's AME church in downtown Tampa. Rev. Jesse Jackson preached here and Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall and President Clinton all spoke here, but the dwindling congregation forced the church to close.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Faces of Florida's First and Main: Susan MacManus lives in her family's home on a secluded plot of land near Lutz, Fla. MacManus, shown at the old train depot across from the public library, is a political scientist and local historian. Her family was among the first to develop land around here a century ago.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Jayla Mills, 18, lives in the Metro 510 apartment complex that was funded with stimulus money in downtown Tampa. She entered the foster care system at 15 and recently aged out but is fighting for custody of her special needs daughter, Promise. "Do I need the president in this courtroom? Who do I need next to me? Because right now, I have nobody." Mills is undecided about who to vote for this fall.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Gregory Brown, 52, used to be a glazier installing plate-glass windows. He now lives off of unemployment checks, plus the disability checks of a woman who lives with him in Lutz, Fla. Brown is selling his motorcycle to help pay the bills. He is eager to vote President Obama out this fall, and says he plans to register to vote before the election.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
My Bui just had a model home built in Brandon, Fla., which he and his wife moved into in June. Brandon is a Tampa suburb that has been hit hard by foreclosures, but Bui says the plots in their development are selling, and houses are going up fast.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Robert "Pete" Edwards is a registered Republican who argues that Obama has not done enough for the black community. Edwards' grandson, Michael Bailey, 2, was the last baby baptized in the historic St. Paul's church, before the building was sold and turned into a community center.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Claude Walker has been a pastor for 40 years and started working at the First Baptist Church in Plant City, Fla., three years ago. He supports Mitt Romney because of his family values.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Sofia Martinez, 40, is the daughter of migrant farm workers. She jokes that she was made in Mexico but born in the USA. She is a registered nurse who passionately supports the Dream Act and plans to vote for Mitt Romney in the fall.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Roland Lamb and his wife live behind an automated gate across the street from a trailer park. The Lambs are malpractice lawyers. "The truth is," says Lamb, "I'm not much of a good neighbor. You can tell by my gargoyles, I'm not welcoming." He voted for President Obama in 2008 and, despite some frustrations, will vote for him again this year.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Parkesdale Farm Market is run by Jim Meeks, 70, and his extended family, including his daughter-in-law Xiomara Meeks, 36. Business is booming and the stand has been a mainstay on presidential campaign stops since the days of George H.W. Bush. The key to winning, says Meeks, is drinking a strawberry milkshake. He is voting for Romney and his daughter-in-law is voting for Obama.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
New Tampa is a suburb that suffered from multiple foreclosures several years ago, but is now on the rebound. Wanda Kos has lived in the community for eight years. Kos is undecided, but voted for Obama in 2008 and feels positively about his presidency. She is concerned for the future of her daughter Sofia, 6, and her two older children.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Hot Rods BBQ is a family owned restaurant in Lutz, Fla. "Hot Rod" Gaudin, his wife, Helen, and their extended family all pitch in telling jokes, sharing food and manning the wood-burning grill. Rod Gaudin supports Mitt Romney but his wife is undecided.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Katrina Bordwell's home was flooded recently after nearby development stopped up a drainage pipe. Bordwell, 24, lives in the community with her children, from left, Leo, 3, her boyfriend's son Kyle Cose, 3, and Zoey, 5.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
The intersection of First and Main in Lutz, Fla., is located on a privately owned road in a trailer park community.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
The home of Ed Faucher on the corner of First and Main in Lutz, Fla.
Credit Becky Lettenberger / NPR
Roland Lamb and his wife live behind an automated gate across the street from the trailer park. The Lambs are malpractice lawyers. He voted for President Obama in 2008 and despite some frustrations will vote for him again.
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Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 10:04 pm

Let's take a picture of America in the latter months of an election year. We want to sense what's on this country's mind. So Morning Edition begins 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.

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NPR Story
11:18 am
Wed August 1, 2012

Eight Badminton Players Disqualified From Olympics

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Originally published on Thu August 2, 2012 7:31 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The Olympics, in London last night, featured the best and worst of athletic behavior. American swimmer, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian ever, winning his 18th and 19th career medals. But over at the badminton arena, eight women competing in doubles events seemed to do their best to lose, which has led to an uproar, not to mention an endless number of puns on the word: badminton.

NPR's Howard Berkes joins us from London to talk about both developments. Hi, Howard.

HOWARD BERKES, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.

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Around the Nation
11:56 am
Fri July 20, 2012

Aurora Shooting Is 'Evil, Sensless; Beyond Reason'

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Originally published on Fri July 20, 2012 2:42 pm

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Police soon arrested a suspect, and they were still searching suspect's apartment when President Obama stepped before a crowd this morning in Fort Myers, Florida. It was a political campaign event. It was supposed to be, but the president said it was not a day for campaigning.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

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Around the Nation
10:29 am
Fri July 20, 2012

Federal Agencies Assist In Theater Investigation

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Originally published on Fri July 20, 2012 2:42 pm

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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Europe
8:01 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Israel Suspects Extremists In Bulgaria Attack

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Originally published on Sun July 22, 2012 9:43 am

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's learn more, now, about an attack in Bulgaria. Seven people were killed, we're told, among them, five Israelis, in a suspected suicide bombing. It happened at a seaside resort town called Burgos. More than 30 more people were injured by this explosion. Israel is calling it a terrorist attack and says it suspects Iran or Muslim extremists. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro joins us on the line, now, from Tel Aviv.

Hi, Lourdes.

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, BYLINE: Good morning.

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