By Linton Weeks
It's been a busy week in Washington. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton engaged in arms negotiations -- concerning her own fractured elbow . In the White House garden, First Lady Michelle Obama minded her peas and cukes . And her husband, President Barack Obama, proved to be a fly guy. Fly averse, that is .
To bring you up to speed on what has been going on elsewhere, we present Whack Stories of the Week from Around the World:
1) In Sao Paulo, there's a movement to ban Happy Meal-esque toys because they encourage bad eating habits. Hey, this Ronaldo action figure could use some salt!
2) Eh, what's up, Doc? A veh-wy, skeh-wy cah-wot bomb in Sweden.
3). Recurring M.O. --tif? We know this Colorado story is everywhere , but it reminds us of other male burglars in female clothing (here and here ).
4) As Michael Kinsley once quipped , "On the Internet, everybody knows you're a dog." Now in Colombia, you can join your very own Puppyfacebook .
5) Speaking of pets, In China, shoes and dresses by clothing designer Hu Xi are going to the dogs .
6) Everything must go! Buy one gravesite, get one free! The ultimate closeout sale!
7) A dress that lights up when your cell phone rings is unveiled in London by none other than tennis star Maria Sharapova. Maxwell Smart will have his shoe call your dress.
Sharapova lights it up By Getty Images for Sony Ericsson
11:50 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
1959 Little Valley Central School yearbook
By Mark Memmott
I think about my dad quite often this time of year. Not just because of Father's Day, which comes this Sunday, but also because of what I've come to think of as a second Father's Day for the Memmott family on the last Saturday each June.
And this year there's an additional reason to have Arthur Memmott (photo), who died in 1992, on my mind. Five years after the passing of our mother, the six Memmott siblings have sold the old homestead in western New York.
More on that later. First, I want to get back to that idea of two Father's Days and pass on a tip for anyone who wants to learn a little more about a parent who's no longer around:
Continue reading "Missing Your Dad? Talk To Someone Who Knew Him Long Ago" »
11:15 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
By Mark Memmott
Speaking just moments ago at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and Conference in Washington, President Barack Obama said again that he is committed to "passing comprehensive immigration reform."
He added that he wants to "clarify the status of millions who are here illegally." Those who wish to become U.S. citizens, he said, should pay a penalty, pay taxes, learn English and "go to the back of the line behind those who played by the rules." Here's an audio clip:
9:57 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
Associated Press photo by Elaine Thompson
By Frank James
The Wall Street Journal throws another log on the populist-rage bonfire today with this gem : top executives of companies that received federal bailout money kept flying their bank's corporate jets to personal getaways. The only question now is which member of Congress will the the first to express OUTRAGE?
An excerpt:
Regions Financial Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., received $3.5 billion from the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, on Nov. 14. Twelve days later, the day before Thanksgiving, two Regions jets left Birmingham within minutes of each other, bound for a small airport in West Virginia.
The destination: the historic Greenbrier resort, where the bank's chief executive, C. Dowd Ritter, and family members spent four nights over the holiday, according to a person familiar with his accommodations.
The round-trip flights cost Regions roughly $17,700, according to a calculation by Conklin & de Decker Aviation Information, a consulting firm. A Regions spokesman declined to comment on the trip or the cost estimate but said all travel on company jets "either for personal or business was within our policy."
Continue reading "Bank CEOS Flew Corporate Jets To Getaways Despite Bailouts" »
9:29 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
By Mark Memmott
For those who can't get enough of Jon & Kate Plus 8 :
Monday's season opener on TLC will be about "life-changing decisions" the couple has made, Kate Gosselin says in a video posted at TLC.com .
And the way the video ends -- with Jon and Kate standing far apart, not really looking at each other -- has many in the news media writing about whether their marriage is in jeopardy.
Not familiar with Jon & Kate? They're parents of sextuplets and twins who have become reality TV superstars .
8:50 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
The only thing worse than losing a copyright-infringement lawsuit that ends with a $122,000 judgment against you is getting a retrial only to end up with a eye-popping $1.9 million judgment against you.
A 2007 photo of Jammie Thomas-Rasset of Brainerd, Minn. AP Photo/Julia Cheng, File
That's the predicament Jammie Thomas-Rasset found herself in on Thursday after losing her second trial to the Recording Industry Association of America for making music files available on her computer via Kazaa.
The RIAA will likely not see any sum near the jury award from Thomas-Rasset, a mother of four from Brainerd, Minn. But the RIAA sends yet another message to those who would share music files of copyrighted works that there's always the risk it will make their lives miserable if it has to.
The Associated Press gives us this paragraph explaining why we should care:
This case was the only one of more than 30,000 similar lawsuits to make it all the way to trial. The vast majority of people targeted by the music industry had settled for about $3,500 each. The recording industry has said it stopped filing such lawsuits last August and is instead now working with Internet service providers to fight the worst offenders.
Continue reading "Music-Pirate Mom Shown No Love By Jury To Tune Of $1.9 M " »
8:21 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
By Mark Memmott
Oh yeah. That story we passed along yesterday about a guy who didn't take kindly to being questioned by airport security agents about the $4,700 he was carrying was an eye-opener.
But check out this report in The Financial Times : "Italian customs officers and ministry of finance police discovered a staggering $134 billion in U.S. Treasury bills" -- or, more precisely, counterfeit bills -- in a suitcase belonging to to men traveling by train from Italy to Switzerland.
According to the FT , authorities say there were 249 of the bills had face values of $500 million each. Ten bonds had face values of $1 billion each.
If the story wasn't already amazing enough, there's this: It seems the two men have since been released from custody. No one seems to know why.
8:09 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
An image of the ayatollah delivering his sermon, taken from IRIB television by the Associated Press. AP/IRIB
By Steve Inskeep
Here's a way to summarize Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's speech today at Tehran University :
Sure, he said, people can raise concerns about the election -- but he added that a stolen election was impossible, that foreigners were agitating Iran, and that protesters could face harsh consequences. In other words: Go right ahead, protesters. Beat your head on that brick wall. I won't be responsible if your skulls are cracked.
That may disappoint protesters, but may not surprise those who watch the supreme leader closely.
Early this year, Morning Edition
Continue reading "Analysis: Khamenei's Hard-line View Should Be No Surprise" »
7:55 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
By Mark Memmott
Good morning.
As we've already reported , there's breaking news from Iran -- where supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today left no doubt about where he stands regarding last Friday's disputed presidential election. He endorsed the official position that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a landslide victory over reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi.
So, now it's time to keep an eye on what happens in the streets of Tehran and other major cities, where there have been daily protests over the official election results.
As for other stories making headlines today, they include:
-- Morning Edition -- Some Community Banks Are Nervous About Obama's Financial Overhaul: NPR's Scott Horsley outlined President Barack Obama's plan to "transform the Federal Reserve into a super-regulator ," while Chris Arnold spoke with community bankers who say they didn't break the financial system and are frustrated about being lumped in with the big banks who did and will be burdened by new regulations:
-- The Washington Post -- "Billionaire Financier Stanford Surrenders To FBI": "R. Allen Stanford, under investigation in an alleged $8 billion fraud involving sales of certificates of deposit through his Antiguan bank, surrendered to federal agents yesterday, his attorney said . The case is one of the largest alleged financial frauds in U.S. history and comes just months after New York financier Bernard L. Madoff pleaded guilty to charges in a Ponzi scheme of up to $50 billion."
-- The Wall Street Journal -- "U.S. Fortifies Hawaii To Meet Threat From Korea": "The U.S. is moving ground-to-air missile defenses to Hawaii as tensions escalate between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's recent moves to restart its nuclear-weapon program and resume test-firing long-range missiles."
-- USA TODAY -- "Mortgage Foreclosures Heading Through The Roof;" Aid Is Plagued By Delays: "The Obama administration's $75 billion program to reduce foreclosures has been beset by backlogs and delays , leading many overstretched homeowners to complain about unreturned phone calls and inaccurate information from lenders, while others say they were denied help for reasons that weren't clear."
Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition .
7:30 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
An image of the ayatollah delivering his sermon, taken from IRIB television by the Associated Press. AP/IRIB
By Mark Memmott
Word of what Iran's supreme leader had to say today about his nation's disputed presidential election is beginning to come out.
According to the Associated Press , "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered no concession to opposition supporters who are demanding the elections be canceled and held again." He said, AP reports, that there was "definitive victory" and no rigging of the results -- which the government says showed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winning in a landslide over his closest rival, reformist Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Other reports about the ayatollah's address, delivered during Friday prayers at Tehran University:
-- The Guardian says the ayatollah said that "rioting after the election is not a good way. It questions the election. If they continue (the consequences) will be their responsibility. ... I'm asking my friends and brothers to follow the laws. Let God give us blessing to follow those ways."
-- Al Jazeera says Khamenei "backs Iran vote outcome ."
We'll pass on more as details come in.
Update at 9:12 a.m. ET. The Associated Press offers this video report, which includes a glimpse of the ayatollah giving today's address:
Update at 8:30 a.m. ET: NPR hasn't been able to independently verify the accuracy, but here's a link The Guardian says takes you to a transcript of the ayatollah's address.
Update at 6:50 a.m. ET. NPR's Mike Shuster, who's been reporting from Iran and Dubai throughout the election and its aftermath, says the ayatollah left no doubt about where he stands -- in favor of Ahmadinejad's re-election. Here's the conversation Mike had with Morning Edition 's Steve Inskeep just a short time ago:
5:53 AM ET | 06-19-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
NPR's Alix Spiegel had another installment on All Things Considered in her riveting series of reports that follow Sylvia Martinez, a laid-off office worker and single mother of three who has been both struggling to find work and to not disappear into despair since November.
Sylvia Martinez. Jessica Goldstein/NPR
It's hard listening because the job search has still not paid off for Martinez and her unemployment is running out.
But it's hard not to listen as Martinez bares her heart and fears to Spiegel as she tries to keep moving forward towards that next job, whatever it is and wherever it is. It can't come soon enough.
7:45 PM ET | 06-18-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
The U.S. Senate formally apologized for slavery and the segregationist Jim Crow laws of the 20th Century today.
Angelina Lester, an ex-slave who lived in Ohio during the 1930s when she was interviewed an photographed as part of the Federal Writers' Project. Ohio Historical Society
But any African American who thinks this smooths the way for reparations can forget about it. The resolution was specifically worded to prevent the apology's use in demands for recompense. (Only a few former slaves were ever meant to get the 40 acres and a mule , after all.)
Here's an excerpt from NPR's David Welna report on All Things Considered.
WELNA: The Senate chamber was nearly empty this morning as Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin rose to call for a measure he said was long overdue the descendants of four million black people who were enslaved in the U.S.
Continue reading "Senate Apologizes For Slavery And Jim Crow" »
6:46 PM ET | 06-18-2009 | permalink
NASA's lunar probes begin journey to the Moon atop an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. NASA
By Frank James
America is headed to the Moon again with NASA's successful launch this afternoon of an Atlas V rocket carrying two unmanned lunar probes.
The Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter should get to the Moon in just over four days and will circle the Moon for a year taking images that will allow scientists to make more accurate maps of the Moon so that scientists will have better information on locations where future manned expeditions should land or avoid. The last manned mission was Apollo 17 in 1972.
The other probe, the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, will look for signs of water on the Moon, eventually crashing into a crater and spewing dust that scientists will examine from Earth for traces of the liquid.
India, China and Japan have all launched unmanned probes to the moon in recent years so the U.S. so even though the U.S. pioneered manned lunar flights, the current mission ironically gives off the air of Americans playing catch up.
NASA has a very good blog on which you can follow the missions.
Continue reading "NASA Successfully Launches Two Lunar Probes" »
6:05 PM ET | 06-18-2009 | permalink
By Frank James
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the Transportation Security Administration on behalf of a traveler who was hassled by security agents at Lambert-St. Louis's International Airport after he repeatedly asked if the law required him to answer their questions about $4,700 in cash he was transporting
The traveler, Steven Bierfeldt, was associated with the Ron Paul-inspired Campaign for Liberty and the money, which he was transporting in a metal cash box, represented the proceeds from the sales of t-shirts and other items.
Bierfeldt has become something of a cause célèbre for many who see his case as just another example of big government unconstitutionally intruding in the lives of citizens.
Continue reading "ACLU Sues TSA For Airport Search Of Man Flying With $4,700" »
4:31 PM ET | 06-18-2009 | permalink
By Mark Memmott
Will the protesters in Iran give up?
"I really don't see a sense that people are tiring," an Iranian-American reached by telephone in Tehran told All Things Considered 's Robert Siegel this afternoon. He predicts more protests by those who challenge the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's official victory in last Friday's presidential election :
The man, who is not being identified out of concern for his safety, also said that Tehran this week has been "two cites" -- one marked by mostly peaceful demonstrations in the day, and violence at night as militia who support the government go after those considered they believe are behind the protests:
More from Robert's interview with the man will be on today's ATC . Click here to find an NPR station near you.
3:30 PM ET | 06-18-2009 | permalink
