The Two-Way
2:46 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Suicide Attack In Somalia Kills Seven, Including Politicians

A suicide bomber killed seven people, including three Somali lawmakers in Dusamareb today. Reuters reports that al Shabaab — the Islamic militant group — took responsibility.

Reuters adds:

"While suicide bombers sent by al Shabaab militants have struck government targets and African Union troops in the capital Mogadishu often in recent years, such attacks are rare in central Galgadud region.

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Science
2:20 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Psychology Of Fraud: Why Good People Do Bad Things

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 9:44 am

Enron, Worldcom, Bernie Madoff, the subprime mortgage crisis.

Over the past decade or so, news stories about unethical behavior have been a regular feature on TV, a long, discouraging parade of misdeeds marching across our screens. And in the face of these scandals, psychologists and economists have been slowly reworking how they think about the cause of unethical behavior.

In general, when we think about bad behavior, we think about it being tied to character: Bad people do bad things. But that model, researchers say, is profoundly inadequate.

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Afghanistan
2:09 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Facing Death, Afghan Girl Runs To U.S. Military

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 9:44 am

In a remote part of Afghanistan early last year, a girl was sentenced to death. Her crime was possession of a cellphone. Her executioners were to be her brothers. They suspected her of talking on the phone with a boy. The girl, in her late teens, had dishonored the family, her brothers said.

"My older brother took the cellphone from me and beat me very badly. It was dinnertime. They told me that they would execute me after dinner. They said to me this would be my last meal," says "Lina," a pseudonym.

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The Two-Way
2:00 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Obama In Afghanistan On Surprise Visit

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
President Barack Obama is greeted by Lt. Gen. Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker as he steps off Air Force One at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan earlier today (Tuesday, May 1).

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 5:54 pm

One year to the day after announcing to the world the death of Osama bin Laden, President Obama is in Afghanistan, the nation from which the al-Qaida leader and his followers planned and organized the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The news of the president's unannounced trip was confirmed just before 3 p.m. ET. Obama is scheduled to deliver a televised address aimed at Americans this evening at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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Shots - Health Blog
1:54 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

What's On Facebook's Mind? Organ Donation

Credit Frank May / Landov
If Facebook has anything to do with it, more organs will be making their way to patients in need.

Originally published on Fri May 11, 2012 11:02 am

Have you signed up to donate your organs if something happens to you? Are you willing to share that information online with your friends, family and acquaintances?

Facebook execs think you might. And they reckon shared stories about the decision to become an organ donor might spur others to do the same.

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The Two-Way
1:53 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

After Helping A Homeless Vet, An Unexpected Holiday Card

Credit Pam Fessler / NPR
Veteran James Brown relaxes in his apartment, which he recently moved into after spending decades on the streets.

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 2:41 pm

A recent NPR story about homeless veterans brought a remarkable email from listener Gary Bressick, who runs an insurance agency in Los Angeles. The story focused on one veteran, James Brown, who had just moved into his first apartment after living on the streets for most of the previous three decades.

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Around the Nation
1:31 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

'Gal Sports Reporter' Past Shakes Up Newsroom

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan.

In a piece in last month's Chicago Tribune, reporter Bonnie Miller Rubin described a message from an earlier self, a copy of the Davenport Times Democrat from 1973 that introduced her as that paper's first gal on the sports desk, complete with a photo of her in a short skirt jogging alongside the track team from a local college. In a column, her then-editor wrote: Please, no special treatment for her just because she's a member of the fairer sex. She joins us in a moment.

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National Security
1:31 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

John Brennan Delivers Speech On Drone Ethics

In the first formal acknowledgement of what's been an open secret, White House Counter Terrorism adviser John Brennan publicly stated that the U.S. conducts drone strikes targeted on al-Qaida. In a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Brennan opened many doors on drone strikes.

Asia
1:31 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Scandals Test U.S.-China Relationship

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's China visit comes at a fragile moment in diplomatic relations. Some analysts describe the Chen Guangcheng and Bo Xilai incidents as a "perfect storm" that will test the relationship between the U.S. and China.

From Our Listeners
1:31 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Letters: New Graduates And Jobs, And Joshua Bell

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous Talk of the Nation show topics including the outlook for new graduates and jobs, guns and "Stand Your Ground" laws, and violinist Joshua Bell's new job.

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