7:08am

Thu May 16, 2013
The Two-Way

Texas Tornado Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Hurt, Hundreds Homeless

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 8:38 am

Credit Joyce Marshall / Fort Worth Star-Telegram / MCT / Landov

"A massive emergency response" is underway in North Texas, where tornadoes blew through Wednesday night, The Dallas Morning News says. A twister that hit Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth, left at least six people dead, more than 100 injured and even more homeless, The Associated Press adds.

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6:50am

Thu May 16, 2013
Around the Nation

New York Cat Is Finally Reunited With Owner

Luna ended up stuck in a tree. A New York City police officer who came to the rescue got stuck in the tree too. Cat and man were rescued by the fire department.

6:44am

Thu May 16, 2013
World

Some Leaders In Saudi Arabia Condemn Twitter

Religious authorities responded after Saudis used Twitter to show images of human rights activists on trial. The BBC reports the kingdom's most senior cleric called Twitter users "fools." The head of the religious police says any social media user will lose the afterlife.

4:20am

Thu May 16, 2013
NPR Story

Yen's Drop In Value Could Fuel Curency War

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 5:16 am

Japan has embarked on a massive effort to stimulate its economy. Both the government and the central bank are collaborating to end a long period of stagnation and deflation. But the effects are also being felt outside Japan.

4:20am

Thu May 16, 2013
NPR Story

Wrestlers Grapple To Save Sport From Olympic Chopping Block

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 2:11 pm

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

How often do you find Iran, Russia and the United States united behind a single message? Well, representatives from all three countries were in New York City yesterday rallying support for the sport of wrestling, which could be excluded from the upcoming Olympic Games. It was quite a show of sportsmanship and diplomacy. Of course, there was time for some conflict among the wrestlers. It took place at New York's Grand Central Terminal, that's why they called it the Rumble on the Rails.

Here's NPR's Mike Pesca.

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3:04am

Thu May 16, 2013
Shots - Health News

Cloning, Stem Cells Long Mired In Legislative Gridlock

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 11:53 am

Credit Nati Harnik / AP

The news that U.S. scientists have successfully cloned a human embryo seems almost certain to rekindle a political fight that has raged, on and off, since the announcement of the creation of Dolly the sheep in 1997.

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3:03am

Thu May 16, 2013
Research News

Water Trapped For 1.5 Billion Years Could Hold Ancient Life

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 9:25 am

Scientists have discovered water that has been trapped in rock for more than a billion years. The water might contain microbes that evolved independently from the surface world, and it's a finding that gives new hope to the search for life on other planets.

The water samples came from holes drilled by gold miners near the small town of Timmins, Ontario, about 350 miles north of Toronto. Deep in the Canadian bedrock, miners drill holes and collect samples. Sometimes they hit pay dirt; sometimes they hit water, which seeps out from tiny crevices in the rock.

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3:02am

Thu May 16, 2013
Parallels

U.S. Hands Over Nation-Building Projects To Afghans

On a sunny spring day in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province, Afghan officials and U.S. troops and civilians gather inside the ancient mud fort in the center of Forward Operating Base Gardez. They're attending a ceremony marking the formal end of the work of the provincial reconstruction team, or PRT.

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7:39pm

Wed May 15, 2013
The Two-Way

Take Your Seat, The 'No Photography' Sign Is Lit

Originally published on Wed May 15, 2013 9:35 pm

Credit Joe Raedle / Getty Images

You probably saw this bit of Internet virality earlier this week — showing a woman getting kicked off an American Airlines flight for channeling Whitney Houston.

What caught our attention was the sound of flight attendants repeatedly ordering passengers not to take pictures or (presumably) videos.

Apparently, it's an official rule at American Airlines:

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6:41pm

Wed May 15, 2013
The Two-Way

Obama Announces Resignation Of Acting IRS Commissioner

Originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 9:39 am

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Obama announced late Wednesday that the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steve Miller, has resigned in the wake of a report that employees at the agency engaged in partisan scrutiny of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

The president, appearing for a brief statement at the White House, said he had directed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew "to accept the resignation of the acting commissioner of the IRS."

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