Enlarge Ford Motor Company

A Ford dashboard as it would look when connected to the NPR News app.

Ford Motor Company

A Ford dashboard as it would look when connected to the NPR News app.

Amid a flurry of connected-auto news, NPR announced today that its mobile news application will now connect with Ford's SYNC AppLink.

What does that mean? We'll, it means in certain Ford vehicles you will be able to control the NPR News app using your voice. It means you don't have to reach for the dial or look at your smartphone, instead you can just ask the app to, for example, play WNYC or play Car Talk. And, as is the case with the current NPR News app for iPhones and Androids, all NPR programs are available on-demand.

The news came in conjunction with Ford's announcement that it was expanding the number of apps that worked with its system. And, as USA Today reported a few days ago, it will also be followed by announcements about new "in-car infotainment" from Mercedes-Benz and Kia, which will reveal the first apps to work with their cars during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The paper adds:

"As revolutions go, this one started fitfully with just a handful of apps. Drivers can activate the car's controls to make dinner reservations through Toyota's Entune system or use the car's voice-command system to select music over Ford Sync. But the number of available apps is expected to multiply to dozens or perhaps hundreds over the next few years, just as they proliferated for Apple's iPhone or Google's Android smartphones.

"'It's much more about extending the digital lifestyle to the vehicle,' says Thilo Koslowski, automotive practice leader for Gartner, a research and consulting company. The car becomes 'the ultimate mobile device.'"

As far as the NPR app, in a press release CEO Gary Knell says this advancement is "helping to usher in a new era of radio listening..." According to an Arbitron & Edison study cited in the press release, the time people spent listening to online radio jumped 49 percent in the last three years.

All that aside, we think the coolest thing is that Carl Kasell helps you navigate through the app.

If you still want to know more, NPR put together an explainer video that features Audie Cornish and Scott Simon:

Here's a tale that Dr. Seuss never wrote: the man formerly known as Jeffrey Drew Wilschke has been arrested again by Madison, Wisconsin police, who'd received phone calls from concerned residents. It seems the former Mr. Wilschke had been prowling around a local park, not far from the state capitol, when he was detained.

Enlarge Dane County, Wis. Sheriff's office/AP

Mr. Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.

Dane County, Wis. Sheriff's office/AP

Mr. Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.

But it wasn't Mr. Wilschke who was taken into custody. Enter: Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop!

As the Capital Times reports, Mr. Zopittybop-Bop-Bop, who changed his legal name last October, apparently kept his old habits. He was allegedly carrying a knife, marijuana and drug paraphernalia when officers detained him last week. He's now being held on a probation violation, linked to an arrest in 2011.

As the Times reports, Mr. Zopittybop-Bop-Bop (then known as Mr. Wilschke) was taken into custody in April for grinding marijuana in another Madison park. Police who searched his backpack discovered knives and a loaded handgun.

Enlarge Anonymous/PR NEWSWIRE

Anonymous/PR NEWSWIRE

Although there's no telling where Beezow Doo-Doo (formerly known as Jeffrey) came up with his new name, if he wants another one he has only to open any Seuss book to find Sally Spingel-Sungel-Sporn, Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate, a North (or South) Going Zax or maybe Ham-ikka-Schnim-ikka-Schnam-ikka-Schnopp.

But there's only one Sam-I-Am.

Enlarge Al Behrman/AP

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin knocks down a base hit by Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Wilson in 2004.

Al Behrman/AP

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin knocks down a base hit by Pittsburgh Pirates' Jack Wilson in 2004.

Barry Larkin, who spent his entire career as a Cincinnati Reds shortstop, has been elected into the baseball Hall of Fame. He became the 48th hall of famer to play his entire career with one club.

Larkin received the vote of 86 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in his third year on the ballott. A player needs 75 percent of the vote to be inducted.

The Hall reports:

"A Cincinnati native, Larkin played 19 seasons for the Reds and batted .295 with 2,340 hits, including 441 doubles, 76 triples and 198 home runs. He drove in 960 runs, scored 1,329, stole 379 bases and had more walks (939) than strikeouts (817). Larkin became the first shortstop to join the 30-30 club when he had 33 home runs and 36 steals in 1996."

In an interview with MLB Network, Larkin said the induction still didn't feel real.

"I felt like it was almost an out of body experience," he said about getting the call.

Larkin isn't necessarily the kind of player you'd expect to get into Cooperstown. In the interview, he said he considered it an honor just to be on the ballott because he was a "complementary player."

But as Yahoo! Sports points out, Roberto Alomar, a great defensive second baseman, got in last year and that gave Larkin hope.

"As it should have been," adds Yahoo!. "Larkin finished his career with a .295/.371/.444 line, good for a 116 adjusted OPS — premium offensive numbers for a shortstop. And he managed 2,340 hits to go with 939 walks. Getting on base that much, with power for his position, along with 17,000 innings of good (if not always great) defense at shortstop equals a Hall of Famer."

Larkin's election also points out the the cloud hanging over major league baseball. Both Jeff Bagwell and Mark McGwire, superstars who have been dogged by questions over their use of performance enhancing drugs, failed to get into the hall. Bagwell received 56 percent of the vote, while McGwire received 19.5 percent.

Larkin will be inducted into the hall July 22 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.

The Internal Revenue Service is brining back an amnesty program for Americans who have stashed money in offshore accounts in order to dodge taxes. IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman announced the program's renewal on Monday, saying the tax dodgers would have to pay back taxes and penalties but would not face any criminal charges.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Shulman said that in 2009 and 2011, the program brought forward 33,000 people and the agency recouped more than $4.4 billion. The Journal adds:

"We calculate that's an average of $133,000 per case, but Shulman said he expects the revenue to grow as more cases are closed.

"He added that the 2009 program is '95% complete,' having collected about $3.4 billion from about 15,000 taxpayers who stepped forward.

"Shulman said the reopened program, dubbed the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, will run for an indefinite period, but he warned that the terms aren't fixed and it could end abruptly."

Reuters reports that this year, the IRS is offering less favorable terms with some people facing up to a 27.5 percent penalty. Reuters also spoke to Jeffrey Neiman, a former federal prosecutor, who said the amnesty, "signals that the IRS is anticipating a wave of increased enforcement." It also says the IRS still believes "there are many, perhaps tens of thousands, of U.S. taxpayers who are still evading taxes."

Enlarge Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Not Giving An Inch: You can expect to see lots of close contact in Monday's BCS national title game. Here, Eric Reid of the LSU Tigers defends against Michael Williams of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Not Giving An Inch: You can expect to see lots of close contact in Monday's BCS national title game. Here, Eric Reid of the LSU Tigers defends against Michael Williams of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The consensus among college football's fans and analysts seems to be that tonight's BCS championship game between No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 LSU will be a defensive struggle, similar to the touchdown-free game the two teams played on Nov. 5, when LSU won in overtime, 9-6.

"These are the two top defenses in the country," NPR's Tom Goldman told David Greene on today's Morning Edition. "Alabama allows under 9 points a game; LSU is right behind, allowing only 10.5 points a game."

Goldman sympathizes with anyone for whom a replay of that November game sounds boring, saying, "if you like scoring, like most people do, it was a downer."

The kickoff for tonight's game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET; it is being televised by ESPN.

And as Tom notes, LSU head coach Les Miles has promised the title game won't resemble the high-scoring track meets that have marked the 2011 bowl season. Instead, Miles says, fans should expect to see "big-boy football" — in which, we presume, two balanced teams conduct trench warfare on the line of scrimmage, and no receivers are unaccounted for.

So, you'll see two elite defenses tonight, each with some names you'll likely hear called early in the NFL draft (you'll watch all of that, right?). But that doesn't mean the two squads are the same.

The Big Three For Alabama

Alabama is committed to stopping the run — but with a three-man front. And they do it with size. Consider that when he went to the NFL, former Alabama nosetackle Terrence Cody found that he had to lose weight, from the 370 pounds-and-up that he used to anchor the Crimson Tide's run defense down to a more manageable 335 pounds (?!).

This year, Alabama's defensive line is anchored by three players — Damon Square, Josh Chapman, and Jesse Williams — who weigh a combined 914 pounds. But as ESPN sports science analyst John Brenkus says, the three will give up a weight advantage to LSU's offensive line, which averages 315 pounds per man.

But Brenkus says that Messrs. Square, Chapman and Williams have a good shot at controlling their opponents, because weight isn't the players' only strength — they also deploy their weight with low centers of gravity. On average, Alabama's defensive linemen are two inches shorter than their opponents from LSU. And that gives them a better chance to use leverage to control the line.

And while LSU's secondary gets many accolades — after all, it does include Heisman runner-up Tyrann Mathieu — Alabama held LSU to 91 passing yards on Nov. 5, while Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 199.

Enlarge Lenovo

Lenovo's first television set that uses Google's operating system.

Lenovo

Lenovo's first television set that uses Google's operating system.

Like every year, it seems like the entire tech world has decamped and headed to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off tomorrow. All Things Considered's Audie Cornish spoke to NPR's Steve Henn, who gave her a quick rundown of what we're expecting. Here are some highlights:

— The big pre-CES story has been that Microsoft will no longer participate in the event after this year. That means two of the biggest technology firms in the world — Microsoft and Apple — have pulled out.

Steve said Microsoft believes it can get more attention for itself by announcing new products outside the show, like Apple has done.

So what does it mean for CES?

Steve told Audie that it still leaves thousands of other firms in Las Vegas and he believes that, in the end, those small companies are the more interesting ones.

— Steve reports that this year everyone wants "control of your living room." Meaning that companies like Apple and Google want you to stream content from the Internet.

The device manufacturers are getting in on the action, said Steve. Lenovo is introducing its first TV that runs using Google's operating system and has built-in webcams.

But here's the kicker: The TV will know who you are using facial recognition.

As, Audie put it, "now my TV will be watching me?" Steve reports that the reason is so the TV can really enforce parental controls but Steve says another reason your TV might want to know who is sitting in front of it is so it can show you finely targetted advertisements.

USA Today has more on the television set, which also responds to voice commands.

— One other thing that seems to be making headlines across the web is the introduction of ultrabooks, which Arstechnica describes as "thin, light, MacBook Air-like laptops that Intel hopes will stimulate the PC market."

The BBC reports that Intel vice president Mooly Eden demoed ultrabooks that featured touchscreens and were convertible from a traditional laptop to a tablet. Some future computers, Eden said, will also have sensors that will allow the notebook to be controled by "touch-free gestures or by tilting the machine."

CNet posted this video of Eden's presentation:

We'll post the as-aired interview with Steve a little later tonight.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opened the first leg of a Latin American tour in Venezuela, today. The visit with President Hugo Chávez came in middle of rising tensions between Iran and the United States. The tensions intensified even further, today, after Iran announced it had sentenced a former U.S. Marine to death.

According to AP, the two leaders joked about any worry the United States has about a nuclear Iran. The reports:

"Ahmadinejad said if they were together building anything like a bomb, 'the fuel of that bomb is love.'

"Chavez played on the same theme in his remarks: 'We are going to work a lot for some bombs, for some missiles, to keep the war going. Our war is against poverty, hunger and underdevelopment.'

"The Venezuelan leader said in his nationally broadcast speech that Iranians assistance has helped the South American country build 14,000 homes as well as factories that produce food, tractors and vehicles.

"'We will always be together,' Ahmadinejad said through an interpreter. Smiling as he put his hand on Chavez's arm, the Iranian leader called the Venezuelan president 'the champion of fighting against imperialism.'"

Ahmadinejad will head to Nicaragua, Cuba and Equador next.

We're taking a break from the serious news for a bit of baby news: Hip-hop has a new princess. Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles, who are arguably the genre's king and queen.

Enlarge Jay Mohegan via Random House

Jay-Z

Jay Mohegan via Random House

Jay-Z

Now, that was one of the worst kept secrets, since friends and family were tweeting about the birth over the weekend. But, as the AP reports, the couple's reps "repeatedly declined requests for comment."

But, today, Jay-Z released Glory, a song in which not only does he confirm the birth, but you can hear the baby girl's first cries. Jay-Z also lays down some pretty heavy stuff, letting us know the baby was conceived in Paris and that Knowles had previously had a miscarriage.

"The most amazing feeling I feel, words can't describe what I'm feeling for real / Baby, I paint the sky blue, my greatest creation was you. You. Glory," Jay-Z raps.

If you remember, Beyoncé made a huge splash at the MTV Video Music Awards last year, when she revealed she was pregnant.

But that's enough from us, because our friends over at The Record know more about these things than we do. We'll leave you with the song:

White House Chief of Staff William Daley is stepping down from his post and will be replaced by Budget Director Jack Lew, NPR's Scott Horsley has confirmed.

Enlarge Win McNamee/Getty Images

White House Chief of Staff William Daley.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

White House Chief of Staff William Daley.

The news, first reported by the Los Angeles Times and quickly followed by other news outlets, puts "a veteran staffer of the White House, Capitol Hill and State Department in a critical position at a difficult time for the president" — a reelection year — as the Times says.

Daley became chief of staff one year ago, succeeding Rahm Emanuel (who went on to become mayor of Chicago). Last November, some of Daley's duties were shifted to deputy Pete Rouse.

Daley reportedly submitted his resignation last week.

President Obama is scheduled to make a statement at 3 p.m. ET, and its expected he'll announce the news then. We'll have more as the story develops.

Update at 3:06 p.m. ET. 'Not Easy News To Hear':

Flanked by Daley and Lew, President Obama said Daley tendered his resignation last week.

"This was not easy news to hear," Obama said from the White House's State Dining Room. He said he did not immediately accept Daley's resignation, giving him a couple of days to think about it.

Obama said the lure of Chicago was to great and that Daley wanted to "spend more time with his family, especially his grandchildren."

The president went on to praise Daley, saying he had done "extraordinary work."

"No one has had to make more important decision, more quickly than Bill," Obama said, adding that Lew would take Daley's place.

Update at 2:52 p.m. ET. Daley 'Never Appeared Comfortable':

In its first pass on the story, The Washington Post reports that the table was set for this resignation when reports surfaced last year that Daley had given senior advisor Pete Rouse control of day-to-day operations.

The Post also adds detail on one particular incident:

"...Daley never appeared comfortable in the job, drawing criticism during the White House's fight with Congressional Republicans during the debt ceiling negotiations last summer. In one embarrassing rebuke, Obama requested to speak to a rare joint session of Congress in September only to be rejected by House Speaker John A. Boehner, who invited him instead to come a day later. The White House claimed that Daley had secured Boehner's agreement to the original date ahead of time, but the speaker's office denied that an agreement was in place."

Enlarge Robyn Beck /AFP/Getty Images

A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim in Arizona.

Robyn Beck /AFP/Getty Images

A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim in Arizona.

The Obama administration just announced a 20-year federal ban "on new mining claims affecting a million acres near the Grand Canyon, an area known to be rich in high-grade uranium ore reserves," as The Associated Press writes.

And "in doing so," the wire service adds, "the administration brushed off pressure from congressional Republicans and mining industry figures who wanted a policy change."

In a statement, Interior says that Secretary Ken Salazar's decision "will provide adequate time for monitoring to inform future land use decisions in this treasured area, while allowing currently approved mining operations to continue as well as new operations on valid existing mining claims."

"We have been entrusted to care for and protect our precious environmental and cultural resources, and we have chosen a responsible path that makes sense for this and future generations," Salazar says in that statement.

But, as the AP writes, "Republican members of Arizona's congressional delegation have lambasted temporary bans imposed by Salazar in 2009 and again last year. They say a ban on the filing of new mining claims would eliminate hundreds of jobs and unravel decades of responsible resource development."

Meanwhile, "environmental groups call the ban a long-awaited but decisive victory, noting that the Colorado River, which runs through the Grand Canyon, is the source of drinking water for 26 million Americans."

According to Interior's statement:

"The withdrawal does not prohibit previously approved uranium mining, new projects that could be approved on claims and sites with valid existing rights. The withdrawal would allow other natural resource development in the area, including mineral leasing, geothermal leasing and mineral materials sales, to the extent consistent with the applicable land use plans. Approximately 3,200 mining claims are currently located in the withdrawal area."

Enlarge Richard Drew/AP

In recent years, former President Bill Clinton has turned it around, losing weight and forgoing meat and dairy.

Richard Drew/AP

In recent years, former President Bill Clinton has turned it around, losing weight and forgoing meat and dairy.

If you're not a fan of a little White House gossip, don't keep reading. But if you like reading about the everyday details of a presidency, you'll like this bit Washingtonian magazine reports in its current issue.

The magazine said that pastry chef Roland Mesnier, who worked at the White House for 26 years beginning with the Carter administration, said when President Bill Clinton came into the White House in 1993, he had a "scary" appetite. "He could eat five or six pork chops."

And check out this story he told a crowd at American University in Washington:

"Clinton arrived in 1993 with not just his appetite but also some food allergies, including chocolate and flour. 'But he loved dessert,' says Mesnier. 'It made it very difficult for a pastry chef.' He recalls the episode of a strawberry cake he made one evening. Clinton devoured half of it all by himself, and the next morning he wanted more. 'No one could find the cake,' says Mesnier, who had a face-to-face with the distraught commander in chief. 'Clinton was pounding on the table and shouting, "I want my goddamned cake."'

'The chef, who is given to flights of humor, says that when the cake could not be found, 'We decided [Vice President Al] Gore must have eaten it.'"

After leaving office, Clinton went through two different heart procedures. That was part of the reason he went vegan, giving up red meat, chicken and dairy. USA Today has a 2011 story about his transformation.

Enlarge Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images

A man carries a placard beside a bonfire during Monday's demonstration against soaring petrol prices following government's decision to abolish decades-old fuel subsidies.

Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images

A man carries a placard beside a bonfire during Monday's demonstration against soaring petrol prices following government's decision to abolish decades-old fuel subsidies.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan is facing a tumultuous backlash over his decision to scrap fuel subsidies. Reporting from Accra in Ghana, NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports that major protests and a massive strike are putting pressure on him to reverse course. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer.

Ofeibea filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"Nigeria's capital, Abuja, and the commercial capital, Lagos, have come to a virtual standstill with similar reports of thousands joining the demonstrations in other parts of the country.

"Enough is enough, read several banners. Another says, soon the only thing left for poor people to eat will be rich people. An 'Occupy Nigeria' movement has emerged as labour leaders warn — 'No retreat, no surrender.' Pressure is mounting on President Goodluck Jonathan to back down on scrapping fuel subsidies, but the government appears to be unwavering. Supporters say the subsidies make no financial sense for Nigeria."

The Guardian and The Telegraph are both reporting that police have shot at least one protester dead and "dozens more were wounded."

The Guardian also puts forward a theory about what's going on. Over the past week, Boko Haram, a radical Muslim sect, has orchestrated a series of attacks, some of them on Christian churches.

The analysts The Guardian spoke to say Jonathan put an end to the fuel subsidy as a ploy to refocus the country one something other than its sectarian conflict.

The Guardian adds:

"'It deflects attention from the Boko Haram violence and unites Nigerians, Muslims and Christians, against what is the lesser evil. But it means the president is battling on many fronts: radical militants and millions of Nigerians at the same time,' said activist Shehu Sani.

"In a small Lagos park, Seun Kuti, the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, addressed thousands, many waving branches and sporting T-shirts with the slogan 'Remove corruption, not subsidy'. ...

"Every previous government's attempt to remove the subsidy, which funnels a quarter of the £15.5bn annual government budget to a well-connected cartel of fuel importers, has floundered amid mass protests. Many see the subsidy as a rare opportunity to share the nation's oil riches, whose 2m barrels per day industry has failed to lift the vast majority of citizens out of extreme poverty. In 2003, there were eight days of strikes when the government attempted to increase fuel pump prices."

As CNN reports, there is also doubt as to whether there is any economic reason to remove the subsidy.

Enlarge Erv Petty/Alaska Div. of Homeland Security and Emergency Management/AP

They're running out of places to put the snow in Cordova, Alaska. This photo was taken on Saturday (Jan. 7, 2012).

Erv Petty/Alaska Div. of Homeland Security and Emergency Management/AP

They're running out of places to put the snow in Cordova, Alaska. This photo was taken on Saturday (Jan. 7, 2012).

Winter continues to wallop Alaska with some weather and some challenges that even the seen-it-all locals seem to be amazed about.

In Cordova, about 150 miles southeast of Anchorage, "dozens of National Guard troops have arrived to help ... dig out from massive snows that have collapsed roofs, trapped some people in homes, and triggered avalanches," The Associated Press reports.

Guard officials tell the AP there's been about 18 feet of snow in Cordova so far this season. The National Weather Service warns that another storm is headed Cordova's way on Tuesday.

But already, "there's nowhere to go with the snow because it's piled up so high," Wendy Rainney, who owns the Orca Adventure Lodge in Cordova, tells the AP.

Fortunately, according to Alaska Dispatch, "the city had recently received supplies, the grocery store was open, though schools were scheduled to be closed Monday. No injuries had been reported due to the snow.

"I'm not aware of any issues with supplies. The only thing we're really lacking is — there's not a snow shovel left in town," Allen Marquette, public information officer with the city of Cordova told Alaska Dispatch. About 2,000 people live in Cordova year-round, the AP says.

Meanwhile, far to the west the 3,500 people of Nome are hopeful that by Wednesday a Russian tanker bringing 1.3 million gallons of much needed fuel will have reached them. It's following the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy.

The Healy, by the way, is posting some pretty amazing photos here.

As Eyder reported back in November, some brutal early winter weather had forced the cancellation of what was going to be the last fuel shipment of the season to Nome. It was feared that any additional fuel would have to be flown in, which would send already high fuel prices in Nome into the stratosphere. But it looks like the Healy will be able to save the day. If the ships make it, this will be the first such wintertime sea delivery to a western Alaska community.

Update at 2:50 p.m. ET. In Cordova, "Even The Old-Timers Say We're Breaking New Ground":

Cordova Mayor Jim Kallander just told NPR's Melissa Block that what's happening in his city is "precedent-setting" and that "nobody's seen snow like this in recent history ... even the old-timers say we're breaking new ground."

So far, he said, no homes have been seriously damaged and now with the additional help from the National Guard, some Coast Guard personnel and some heavy equipment that's been brought in by the state, work continues to dig out.

But, said Kallander, the forecast for Tuesday now calls for three more feet of snow and winds of 40 mph. Are the folks there ready? "Well, we have to be, don't we?" said the mayor, who's lived in Cordova for more than 30 years but has known what it's like to live in snow country all his life because he grew up in New York State's Genesee County.

If there's an emergency, he says, authorities will "send the loader in front of the ambulance or the fire truck and they'll just dig their way to where they have to go."

Much more from Melissa's conversation with the mayor is due on All Things Considered later today. Click here to find an NPR station that broadcasts or streams the show.

As the mayor said, snow has been piling up in Cordova since mid-December and there are many photos and videos showing up on the Web. Check out this video made there last week.

Don't press play if you're don't like heights and scary thrills. But rest assured, 22-year-old Australian Erin Langworthy survived to tell the tale after her bungee cord broke on New Year's Eve during a jump from a bridge over the Zambezi River on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

She hit the water 365-feet below. Fortunately, it appears, the cord slowed her descent before it snapped. Still, Langworthy broke her collarbone — and she tells Australia's 9 News that at one point she "had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface." She also suffered extensive bruising.

Langworthy "managed to swim to the Zimbabwe side of the river after seeing it was closest," 9 News says, even though her feet were still tied to the cord.

The Associated Press video report is posted here.

Enlarge The Associated Press

See that oval in the lower center of this image from 9 News (via the AP)? We added that oval to point to Langworthy as she was about to hit the water.

The Associated Press

See that oval in the lower center of this image from 9 News (via the AP)? We added that oval to point to Langworthy as she was about to hit the water.

Update at 12:05 p.m. ET: Oh yeah, we should have said earlier that there were also crocodiles in the river — though we imagine (and hope) the sound of Langworthy hitting the water may have scared them.

Enlarge Albert Seghers /AP

'Rottoms 'Rup! Benito, a Chihuahua, sampled Kwispelbier back in 2007.

Albert Seghers /AP

'Rottoms 'Rup! Benito, a Chihuahua, sampled Kwispelbier back in 2007.

Our friends at Morning Edition picked up on the news from Newcastle, England, that The Branding Villa pub has created a non-alcoholic beer for dogs and is inviting its customers to bring their four-legged friends in to have a pint or two.

Quite a few listeners seem to be clicking on Morning Edition's short report, so we set off in search of more on the story. As The Daily Mail explains, not only is the pub serving the meat extract-flavored brew for pups, it has also created a dog-friendly menu that includes a Sunday roast with "cat-flavored gravy" (calm down, everyone, it's actually "a beef stock with fish sauce").

But it seems that brewing a beer for dogs has been done before. Here in the U.S., there's Bowser Beer — a non-alcoholic brew made with malt barley and either beef or chicken. In the Netherlands, there's Kwispelbier — another beef and malt brew ("kwispel" is the Dutch word for wagging a tail, The Associated Press says).

So, if you wish to enjoy a round with Rover, options seem to be available.

As for cats: we're not coming across any non-alcoholic beer made especially for them. If you know of any, let us know in the comments thread.

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

— Iran Sentences Former U.S. Marine To Death, Accused Him Of Spying.

— VIDEO: Rep. Giffords Leads Crowd In 'Pledge' At Tucson Memorial.

— Steelers Dared Tebow To Beat Them, And He Did.

Among the morning's other top stories:

Enlarge Chris Schneider/AP

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow celebrates after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime of an NFL wild card playoff football game on Sunday, (Jan. 8, 2012).

Chris Schneider/AP

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow celebrates after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime of an NFL wild card playoff football game on Sunday, (Jan. 8, 2012).

Just as football fans around the country (outside of Denver, that is) were thinking that Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was out of miracles because he hadn't played well in recent weeks, he came through Sunday on the first play of overtime against the favored Pittsburgh Steelers.

As NPR's Tom Goldman explained on Morning Edition, the Steelers defense dared Tebow to throw — betting that his well-known problems with accuracy would come back to bite the young QB. So what did the Broncos do?

Tebow threw to receiver Demaryius Thomas. Thomas outran the Pittsburgh defenders and 80 yards later the Broncos has beaten the Steelers 29-23. And as The Denver Post says, "Tebowmania" is back at full strength.

Now, Denver plays New England next Saturday in one AFC playoff contest, while Houston faces Baltimore in the other on Sunday. Over in the NFC, New Olreans and San Francisco play on Saturday; the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers face each other on Sunday. (Playoff schedule and much more here, at NFL.com.)

If you need a football fix sooner than that, of course, there's tonight's college championship game between LSU and Alabama — a contest that some are calling the "rematch of the century." Earlier this season, No. 1 LSU beat No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in a defensive slugfest. Tom says tonight's game is also expected to be a low-scoring affair.

Game time is 8:30 p.m. ET. The broadcaster is ESPN.

One year to the day after a gunman opened fire during a Tucson meet-and-greet with her constituents — killing six people and wounding 13 — the still-recovering Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) on Sunday spoke for the first time since then at a public event.

Enlarge Ross D. Franklin/AP

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her husband, Mark Kelly, as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance at Sunday's memorial service in Tucson.

Ross D. Franklin/AP

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her husband, Mark Kelly, as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance at Sunday's memorial service in Tucson.

"Her words were clear, deliberate" and drew cheers from the crowd of about 3,500 at the University of Arizona, the Arizona Republic reports, as the congresswoman led them in the Pledge of Allegiance. Her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, helped Giffords put her injured right arm across her chest.

In case you haven't yet seen that emotional moment, The Associated Press has the video here.

NPR's Ted Robbins reported from Tucson for Morning Edition.

Enlarge The Associated Press

Amir Mirzaei Hekmati as seen on Iranian TV.

The Associated Press

Amir Mirzaei Hekmati as seen on Iranian TV.

An American man has been sentenced to death in Iran after a court there convicted him of working for the CIA and going to the Persian nation to spy.

The family of Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a 28-year-old former U.S. Marine, says he was in Iran to visit his grandmothers.

According to Iran's state-run Press TV, "the verdict was issued by Tehran's Revolution Court on Monday after the defendant was found guilty of collaboration with the US government and its intelligence agency, the CIA, against the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The Associated Press reports that Hekmati was born in Arizona, graduated from high school in Michigan and was an Arabic translator while in the Marines. The wire service adds that "his family is of Iranian origin. His father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Mich., has said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested."

"On Dec. 18," the AP adds, "Iran's state TV broadcast video of Hekmati delivering a purported confession in which he said he was part of a plot to infiltrate Iran's Intelligence Ministry. ... It is not clear exactly when he was arrested. Iranian news reports have said he was detained in late August or early September."

Under Iranian law, Hekmati reportedly has 20 days to appeal.

As Reuters notes, Hekmati's conviction and death sentence are "likely to aggravate U.S.-Iranian tension already high because of Tehran's nuclear work. ... The U.S. government has demanded Hekmati's release, saying he has been "falsely" accused. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said last month that Iran had not permitted diplomats from the Swiss Embassy, which represents American interests in Iran, to see him before or during his trial."

In related news, The Guardian says "the announcement on Monday of Hekmati's death sentence came as Keyhan, a newspaper with close connections to the conservative clerical establishment, reported that Iran has started enriching uranium at the Fordow plant, a heavily fortified site dug under a mountain near the city of Qom."

There's an AP video report here.

Update at 12:30 p.m. ET. Hekmati's parents are "shocked and terrified."

In a statement posted on the FreeAmir website, Hekmati's mother Behnaz writes:

"My husband Ali and I are shocked and terrified by the news that our son, Amir, has been sentenced to death.

"We believe that this verdict is the result of a process that was neither transparent nor fair.

"The Iranian authorities are denying that Amir is a United States citizen, despite the fact he was born in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"Amir did not engage in any acts of spying, or 'fighting against God,' as the convicting Judge has claimed in his sentence. Amir is not a criminal. His very life is being exploited for political gain.

"A grave error has been committed, and we have authorized our legal representatives to make direct contact with the Iranian authorities to find a solution to this misunderstanding.

"We pray that Iran will show compassion and not murder our son, Amir, a natural born American citizen, who was visiting Iran and his relatives for the first time."

Enlarge Michael Brandy/AP

Yarn. It's good for you.

Michael Brandy/AP

Yarn. It's good for you.

This blogger's mom was a knitter. She and a friend made hundreds of knit caps that went to children in Rochester, N.Y. Some made their way to a village in Afghanistan when her youngest son went there on assignment for USA Today in 2002 and 2003.

Watching her, it always seemed as if knitting was calming and challenging at the same time. It's repetitive, yet also has to be done precisely right if you want to succeed. And if you mess up, you may have to unravel and start over.

So these comments from an interview due to air on Monday's Tell Me More strike a chord:

"Knitting provides everything you need to do — everything you should have learned in kindergarten. It teaches you how to focus. It teaches you how to make a task and meet that goal. It teaches you now to ... control your anger. ... All of these are skills are life skills, are job skills. ... Skills that, quite possibly, many people in our society are lacking."

That's why, Lynn Zwerling told show host Michel Martin, she and a colleague started a program called Knitting Behind Bars at a prison in Howard County, Md.

And as the Baltimore Sun explained back in November:

"Defying every expectation, Zwerling's Thursday night program ... has become in two years the most exclusive club at Jessup's Pre-Release Unit, an all-male, minimum-security penitentiary in Howard County.

"Men literally beg to get in. There's a waiting list. And no one's more surprised about that than the assistant warden who couldn't help but harrumph when Zwerling told her she wanted to teach inmates how to make stuffed dolls and woolly hats. Every other prison in the area had already turned her down."

The men have made little dolls that first responders in Maryland now carry to give to children at scenes of accidents, fires and other tragedies. They've made caps for their own children. And they've learned something, Zwerling says, about the value of patience.

By the way, one of the best lines from Zwerling's conversation came after Michel asked about whether men are reluctant knitters. "They want to knit, they just don't know they want to knit," Zwerling replied.

You can follow the prison program's progress at its blog (Knitting Behind Bars) and on Facebook.

And you can hear much more from Zwerling's conversation with Michel on Monday's Tell Me More. Click here to find an NPR station that broadcasts or streams the show.