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NPR Story
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Some Say The U.N. Should Control The Internet

Credit mipan / iStockphoto.com
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as ICANN, is forging ahead with plans to sell new domain categories despite vocal opposition. The decision raises questions about who should govern the Internet.

For the first time, organizations can apply for an Internet address all their own, marking the start of a new era in the growth of the Internet.

For example, ".com" and ".org" could be replaced by ".starbucks" or ".newyork."

The expansion was planned by the one organization empowered to regulate the global Internet — the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.

Debate over the new policy has highlighted the key issue of who, if anyone, should control the Internet.

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NPR Story
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Letters: Weissenberg Remembrance; Twinkies

Melissa Block and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners.

Around the Nation
2:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Old South Rings Again In Boston

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 9:12 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. Today at noon, America's oldest working clock tower rang out for the first time since the 1800s.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL RINGING)

CORNISH: Old South Meeting House in Boston was a Puritan gathering place. Ben Franklin was baptized there and the Boston Tea Party was planned there, but the belfry has been silent since 1876, after the brick building was nearly destroyed in the great Boston fire.

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The Two-Way
1:40 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

In Alaska: Nome Still Waits For Fuel, Big Shovels Headed To Cordova

Credit Spc. Balinda O'Neal, Alaska National Guard / AP
A member of the Alaska National Guard clearing a walkway in Cordova earlier this week.

Originally published on Mon January 16, 2012 7:55 am

  • Tony Gorman, reporting from Valdez
Environment
1:32 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Scientists Turn Focus To Ozone, Soot, To Fix Climate

Credit Deshakalyan Chowdhury / AFP/Getty Images
An Indian street dweller prepares food on the streets of Kolkata. A growing number of scientists say that reducing black carbon — mostly soot from burning wood, charcoal and dung — would have an immediate and powerful impact on climate.

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 9:12 pm

Politically, climate change is off this year's campaign agenda. Jobs, the economy and social issues are front and center.

But scientists are working as hard as ever to figure out how much the Earth is warming and what to do about it. Some now say it's time for a new strategy, one that gets faster results.

Talk to Durwood Zaelke, for example. Zaelke is a grizzled veteran of the climate wars: He was in Kyoto in 1997 when the world's nations drafted a treaty promising to curb warming, and he has watched that promise fizzle while the planet's temperature continues to rise.

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The Two-Way
1:08 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Bill Janklow, Former U.S. Rep and S.D. Gov., Is Dead

Bill Janklow, an institution in South Dakota politics who was known for his brashness and pushing things to completion, has died at age 72.

The AP has the basics:

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The Two-Way
12:05 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

After Monitor Quits, Arab League Defends Its Syrian Peace-Keeping Mission

Credit YouTube
In this frame grab from an amatuer video posted on YouTube, members of the Arab League monitor the recent violence in Syria.

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 12:09 pm

It's All Politics
12:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

U.S. Chamber President Criticizes GOP's 'Intramural' Battle Over Bain

Credit Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue at a press conference Thursday in Washington.

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 1:57 pm

The "Battle Over Bain" has become a hot topic at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a key player in politics.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue says he is "disappointed" that some GOP presidential candidates are attacking front-runner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for his work at Bain Capital in the 1990s.

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Law
12:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Abortion Rights Advocates, Opponents' Tactics Evolve

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington. It's now almost four decades since the Supreme Court's famous and controversial ruling that legalized abortion. In recent years, opponents have stepped up efforts to challenge Roe v. Wade in Congress and state legislatures, in court and at the ballot box, last year in particular.

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Latin America
12:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

USAID's Shaw Assesses Pace Of Haiti Recovery

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

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Around the Nation
12:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Firing While On Duty: When Police Use Deadly Force

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington. A police officer draws a weapon and fires. We see that on TV dramas every night. But what actually happens afterwards? Do investigators check the flight of every bullet? What kind of questions do officers face, and what kind of sanctions if they messed up?

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Afghanistan
12:00 pm
Thu January 12, 2012

Experts Fear Fallout From Afghanistan Video

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 2:53 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

The Marine Corps has identified at least two of the four Marines in a video that surfaced last night as Marines based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The video shows four U.S. Marines in Afghanistan in full combat gear, standing over the corpses of three men, laughing and urinating on the bodies. The audio is difficult to understand.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Here's the tough guy (unintelligible).

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: I think so (unintelligible).

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Shots - Health Blog
11:48 am
Thu January 12, 2012

Researchers Say 3 Embryos Is Too Many For IVF

Credit iStockphoto.com
Less may be more when it comes to the number of embryos for in vitro fertilization.

Only last week we reported on the explosion in the number of twins in this country, largely a result of women turning to fertility treatments.

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Politics
11:17 am
Thu January 12, 2012

Political Battle Brewing Over New Voter ID Laws

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 8:58 pm

As the presidential campaign kicks into high gear, a fight is brewing over stricter voting laws that could affect turnout and influence general election results in battleground states.

New laws in several states will require millions of voters to show photo identification when they cast ballots this year, the result of a nationwide push mostly by Republicans who claim the measures will prevent election fraud. Democrats and voting rights activists oppose the laws, arguing that they are unnecessary because voter fraud is rare.

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Country
11:02 am
Thu January 12, 2012

Janie Fricke: The 'Country Side Of Bluegrass'

Originally published on Thu January 12, 2012 1:14 pm

Janie Fricke has had a long, winding career. She started out as a singer of TV commercial jingles, warbling for Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Red Lobster, among other clients. She then moved on to singing back-up vocals for stars such as Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.

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