National

Obama Nominee For IRS Chief Has History With Tough Tasks

6:26pm August 02, 2013

by Brian Naylor

President Obama has nominated John Koskinen as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. While the president calls him "an expert at turning around institutions in need of reform," Koskinen will likely face tough questions from Republicans during his upcoming confirmation hearings.

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The offshore wind farm in the North Sea near Borkum, Germany, is nearly complete. The Riffgat facility, seen here on June 23, includes 30 turbines, each with a generating capacity of 3.6 megawatts.

Sold! First Parcels Auctioned For Future Offshore Wind Farms

6:01pm August 02, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

The federal government held its first ever auction for the right to build offshore wind farms on Wednesday. After 11 rounds, a Rhode Island company was the highest bidder, at $3.8 million.

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Jobless Aid Falls To New Low

6:01pm August 02, 2013

The Labor Department announced on Thursday that applications for jobless benefits fell to 326,000 last week — that's the lowest level since January of 2008.

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Snowden Leaves Moscow Airport

6:01pm August 02, 2013

Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum by Russia and has left the transit zone at Moscow's airport where he has been holed up for more than a month. Morning Edition host Renee Montagne talks to NPR's Corey Flintoff in Moscow and Pentagon correspondent Larry Abramson.

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National

'Whitey' Bulger Won't Testify, But He Didn't Finish Quietly

5:19pm August 02, 2013

by Tovia Smith

In Boston Friday, former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger said he would not take the stand in his criminal trial and that his defense would rest. But before that happened, he railed at the judge and his defense team.

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N.C. Abortion Law Sparks Protest; Governor Responds With Cookies

5:19pm August 02, 2013

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory sent out a plate of cookies to abortion law protesters who had gathered outside the governor's mansion on Tuesday. Audie Cornish speaks with Mary C. Curtis, who writes for the Washington Posts' blog She the People, about the incident and North Carolina politics.

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4 Reasons Why Millions Of Americans Are Leaving The Workforce

11:08am August 02, 2013

by Lisa Chow

The share of adults who are working or looking for a job is lower than it's been in decades. Here's why.

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The Martha's Vineyard beach where Heidi Feldman collects saltwater to make sea salt.

National

Massachusetts Revives The Lost Art Of Making Sea Salt

11:08am August 02, 2013

by Katherine Perry

Farmers are mining the sea for salt on the same shore where the salt industry boomed 170 years ago. Fans of local food are buying up the favorite condiment collected close to home.

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Liza Long's son, 13, struggles with rage and violent outbursts. After the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., Long wrote a blog post advocating for better care for mentally ill youth.

A Mother And Son Live, And Cope, With Mental Illness

11:08am August 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

When she learned about last year's Newtown school shootings, Liza Long immediately thought of her own son. He has been diagnosed with multiple disorders and struggles with violent outbursts. The pair hope their story will help others better understand the needs of mentally ill young people.

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A homeless man collects cans on Waikiki Beach in 2010 in Honolulu. Under a new pilot program, some homeless people will get help from the state to reunite with relatives on the mainland.

National

Hawaii Homeless Initiative Would Send Some Back To Mainland

7:07pm August 01, 2013

by Dana Farrington

The state is implementing a controversial pilot program that offers some homeless people a way to leave Hawaii and reunite with family members in other states. A noteworthy critic of the plan is the department in charge of implementing it, which foresees a costly administrative burden.

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