The Two-Way
9:03 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Military Chief's Removal, Rise In Hemlines: Hopeful Signs In North Korea?

Credit AP
Dec. 29, 2011: new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho at a national memorial service for Kim's father, Kim Jong Il. Reports from North Korea say the military leader has been removed from his post.

Less than a week after all the tea-reading over what, if anything, it means that Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have a love in his life, now there are these stories to ponder:

Read more
The Two-Way
8:41 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Retail Sales Dip For Third Straight Month, But Are Still Up From Year Earlier

Originally published on Mon July 16, 2012 8:49 am

The bad news: Retail sales fell 0.5 percent in June from May, the Census Bureau says. It's the third straight month that sales have been down from the month before.

But, Census adds that June sales were 3.8 percent above the pace of June 2011. And, "sales for the April through June 2012 period were up 4.7 percent ... from the same period a year ago."

Read more
The Two-Way
8:23 am
Mon July 16, 2012

New Week, Same Argument: Romney, Obama & Who's Being Dishonest

Credit Eric Kayne / Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images
Mitt Romney, left, last week at the NAACP convention in New Orleans. President Obama, right, at a campaign event Saturday in Glen Allen, Va.
  • NPR's David Folkenflik on 'Morning Edition'

President Obama and his campaign are being "dishonest" when they attack his record as a business executive, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said this morning on Fox & Friends as a new week on the presidential campaign trail began where the last one left off.

Read more
The Two-Way
7:42 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Here's A Scoop: When News Breaks, People Check YouTube For Videos

Credit Russia Today

Originally published on Mon July 16, 2012 8:23 am

Laura Ziegler began her career at KCUR as a reporter more than 20 years ago. She became the news director in the mid 1980's and  in 1988,  went to National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. as a producer for Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon.

In 1993, she came back to Kansas City as the Midwest correspondent for National Public Radio. Among the stories she covered - the floods of 1993, the ongoing farm crisis and rural affairs, and presidential campaigns.

After the birth of her 3rd child, Laura returned to KCUR as producer of Under the Clock, a weekly talk show broadcast live from Union Station. It was hosted by former Kansas City mayor Emanuel Cleaver. When he was elected 5th district Congressman in 2002, Laura returned to KCUR as a part-time reporter and producer.

Laura has won numerous awards for her work, including three regional Edward R. Murrow awards.

In 1992, Laura was awarded a Jefferson Fellowship in Journalism with the East West Center at the University of Hawaii which took her to China, Japan, Burma, Bangladesh and Thailand.  In 1990, she was part of a reporting trip to the then -Soviet Union with the American Center for International Leadership.

Laura graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology from Vassar College.

She, her husband, and their three children - Julia, Ellie, and Benjamin, live with Laura's father in the house in which she was born.

Business
3:29 am
Mon July 16, 2012

In Bankruptcy, American Airlines Looks At All Options

Credit Matt Rourke / AP
Will American emerge from bankruptcy as a stand-alone airline, or will it merge with US Airways? An American spokesman says it's considering all options.

Originally published on Tue July 17, 2012 7:30 am

Imagine going into bankruptcy with billions of dollars in cash still in your bank account. That's what American Airlines did last November. The thinking was that management would gut the company's pensions and union contracts and emerge from bankruptcy ready to compete.

But then US Airways said it could take over American and be profitable, and it wouldn't have to hurt American's employees nearly as bad in the process. American's pilots, mechanics and flight attendants loved that idea.

Read more
Business
3:26 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Bucking Bulls Draw Crowds, And Dollars

Credit Laura Ziegler / KCUR
Bulls are judged with a "dummy" weight for four seconds to see how hard they will jump and twist to buck a rider. Bulls that do well can sell for up to $50,000.

Originally published on Mon July 16, 2012 5:04 pm

The bucking bull has long been the embodiment of the American rodeo, and it takes just four seconds for a strong young bull to reap its owner as much as $50,000 in prize money.

Four seconds is how long each 1- or 2-year-old bull will wear a weight strapped to its back as the massive animal is judged on how high it kicks and how much it twists.

In the past 10 years, bucking bulls have become a major industry. The price of the best bloodlines can soar to $250,000, and competitions take place everywhere from Madison Square Garden to Wyoming.

Read more
Shots - Health Blog
3:25 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Is HIV Still A Death Sentence? Young People Weigh In

Credit Charles Sykes / AP
Young activists distribute condoms at an AIDS awareness event in Ashbury Park, N.J.

Originally published on Mon July 16, 2012 8:11 am

Think of this like a snapshot — a few perspectives of HIV-negative 20-somethings.

To start, we posted the following query on NPR's Facebook page:

"Thirty years ago, a positive HIV status was considered a death sentence. As treatments for the disease have advanced over the past three decades, we're wondering how younger people view the disease today."

Hundreds of people e-mailed and commented with their reactions. We also gathered reactions from young folks we met on the street.

Read more
Shots - Health Blog
3:24 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Treatment Gives HIV's Long-Term Survivors Hope, But Takes A Toll

Credit Amy Sancetta / AP
HIV treatment regimens, like the pills in this patient's hand, keep AIDS at bay, but can take a harsh physical toll over the course of many years.

Originally published on Mon July 16, 2012 12:43 pm

Crystal Roberts-Lee has lived a tough life, and her HIV has, in some ways, been the least of her worries.

She was addicted to heroin and cocaine. Her daughter went to prison. A scorpion tattoo crawling across her neck marks the day her husband died from AIDS. Now, at 59, Roberts-Lee is the healthiest she has ever been.

"After I take my medicine, it's just a normal day for me," she says. "I go on with whatever I have to do. If I'm just out and about, I feel like I'm just like the next person."

Read more

Pages