NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 Thu, 19 Sep 2019 08:05:48 +0000 https://www.wkyufm.org/post/lawmakers-hear-emotional-stories-forgotten-crisis-military-domestic-violence 126487 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 23:09:00 +0000 Lawmakers Hear Emotional Stories From 'Forgotten Crisis' Of Military Domestic Violence David Welna American military and intelligence officials say they are accumulating a growing mound of evidence that Iran launched the airstrikes that idled about half of Saudi Arabia's oil production capacity over the weekend. But the Trump administration has been slow to respond to those attacks. President Trump encapsulated that ambivalence in a tweet Monday. "There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification," Trump threatened, only to immediately raise doubts about his intentions by continuing, "but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!" Possible courses of action range from retaliatory military strikes to further economic sanctions to sitting down for diplomatic talks with Iran. Five days after the attack, which crippled the world's largest crude oil processing facility as well as a Saudi oil field, Trump settled on broadened economic sanctions on Iran https://www.wkyufm.org/post/attacks-saudi-oil-facilities-pose-quandary-trump-administration 126488 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 22:49:00 +0000 Attacks On Saudi Oil Facilities Pose Quandary For Trump Administration Bobby Allyn New Mexico has announced a plan to make public college and university free for all residents in the state, a proposal considered one of the most ambitious attempts to make higher education more accessible. The plan, if approved by the state's Democratic-controlled legislature, would allow students, regardless of household income, to attend any of the 29 state's public colleges and universities. State officials estimate that the program, officially called the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship , will help 55,000 students each year attend college. Calling the plan "the moonshot for higher education," New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the initiative on Wednesday at the New Mexico Higher Education Summit in Albuquerque. "It means better enrollment. It means better student success. In the long run, it means economic growth, improved outcomes for New Mexico workers and thinkers and parents," Lujan Grisham said. "It means a better trained and better compensated workforce." https://www.wkyufm.org/post/new-mexico-unveils-plan-give-students-free-college-tuition-regardless-income 126489 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 22:21:00 +0000 New Mexico Unveils Plan To Give Students Free College Tuition Regardless Of Income Lisa Autry Former Miss America Heather French Henry says her experience working with veterans would translate well to the Secretary of State’s office. The Democratic nominee spoke to the Bowling Green Noon Rotary Club on Wednesday. As former Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, French-Henry says she worked with the Secretary of State’s Office to create polling locations in veterans’ nursing homes and to eliminate filing fees for new veteran-owned businesses, among other things. She says leading the department gave her administrative, fiscal, and legislative experience. https://www.wkyufm.org/post/heather-french-henry-says-veterans-advocacy-positions-her-secretary-state 126486 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 22:16:32 +0000 Heather French Henry says Veterans Advocacy Positions Her for Secretary of State Franco Ordoñez Updated at 6:16 p.m. ET President Trump's brand-new national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, will inherit a National Security Council struggling to attract talent, current and former U.S. officials tell NPR. The National Security Council is traditionally one of the most desirable places for ambitious and talented people to work in the U.S. government, because it affords such close proximity to power. But in the Trump administration, some of the government's brightest minds are turning down high-powered NSC assignments, and others are avoiding the place altogether. Career foreign policy professionals increasingly fear that joining the NSC, which is part of the White House, will taint them as political operatives. "There is a school of thought that it can be risky for your career — sometimes being there puts you in a position where you have to say no to ambassadors and other senior officials, and they may remember that when you return," said one senior foreign policy official who https://www.wkyufm.org/post/once-rocket-ship-national-security-council-now-avoided-government-pros 126484 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 21:21:00 +0000 Once A 'Rocket Ship,' National Security Council Now Avoided By Government Pros Ryland Barton Kentucky is once again delaying its REAL ID drivers licensing program, a little more than a year before the high-security licenses or a passport will be needed to board domestic airline flights. The state Transportation Cabinet has abandoned its plan to issue the licenses through local circuit court clerks and now plans to set up regional centers around the state where drivers can apply for them. The announcement comes after a series of delays implementing the enhanced licensing system that is mandated by a 2005 federal law that requires states to make identification systems more secure. https://www.wkyufm.org/post/kentucky-scraps-real-id-pilot-program-ahead-2020-deadline 126483 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 21:04:11 +0000 Kentucky Scraps REAL ID Pilot Program Ahead Of 2020 Deadline Paolo Zialcita The Indian government announced Wednesday a sweeping ban on electronic cigarette products. The decision was made with the intention of protecting young people from becoming addicted to nicotine. The Cabinet approved the ordinance, which prohibits the manufacture, sale, storage and advertisement of all e-cigarette products. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, called the ban a "quantum jump towards healthy living." Penalties include fines and jail terms of up to three years for repeat offenders. The ban takes effect immediately. Those with stocks of e-cigarettes are being told to declare and deposit them with the police. E-cigarettes were banned in some parts of India before the ordinance was approved, following a government health advisory sent in August 2018. In May 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research published a paper recommending a complete ban. The ordinance paints vaping products as a gateway to https://www.wkyufm.org/post/india-announces-widespread-ban-e-cigarettes 126485 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:41:00 +0000 India Announces Widespread Ban Of E-Cigarettes Nate Rott ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: President Trump has named Robert O'Brien to be his fourth national security adviser. O'Brien is taking over one of the most important foreign policy jobs in Washington. The president praised his new national security adviser for his work as a State Department hostage envoy. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He's worked with me for quite awhile now on hostages. And we've had a tremendous track record with respect to hostages. SHAPIRO: But there are big challenges ahead. Not only is this a sensitive time in the world, NPR's reporting finds that O'Brien is taking over as the National Security Council struggles to attract talent. The NSC is the White House team that coordinates advice and guidance that reaches the president. Here to talk about this is NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Hey, Franco. FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hi. SHAPIRO: Tell us about what you've learned. ORDOÑEZ: Well, you know, until now, this has been one of the most https://www.wkyufm.org/post/california-pushes-back-trump-administration-over-emissions-standards 126482 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:37:00 +0000 California Pushes Back On Trump Administration Over Emissions Standards Claudia Grisales ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: President Trump has named Robert O'Brien to be his fourth national security adviser. O'Brien is taking over one of the most important foreign policy jobs in Washington. The president praised his new national security adviser for his work as a State Department hostage envoy. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He's worked with me for quite awhile now on hostages. And we've had a tremendous track record with respect to hostages. SHAPIRO: But there are big challenges ahead. Not only is this a sensitive time in the world, NPR's reporting finds that O'Brien is taking over as the National Security Council struggles to attract talent. The NSC is the White House team that coordinates advice and guidance that reaches the president. Here to talk about this is NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Hey, Franco. FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hi. SHAPIRO: Tell us about what you've learned. ORDOÑEZ: Well, you know, until now, this has been one of the most https://www.wkyufm.org/post/hearing-sexual-assault-military 126481 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:37:00 +0000 Hearing On Military Domestic Violence editor ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: President Trump has named Robert O'Brien to be his fourth national security adviser. O'Brien is taking over one of the most important foreign policy jobs in Washington. The president praised his new national security adviser for his work as a State Department hostage envoy. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He's worked with me for quite awhile now on hostages. And we've had a tremendous track record with respect to hostages. SHAPIRO: But there are big challenges ahead. Not only is this a sensitive time in the world, NPR's reporting finds that O'Brien is taking over as the National Security Council struggles to attract talent. The NSC is the White House team that coordinates advice and guidance that reaches the president. Here to talk about this is NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Hey, Franco. FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hi. SHAPIRO: Tell us about what you've learned. ORDOÑEZ: Well, you know, until now, this has been one of the most https://www.wkyufm.org/post/book-juliet-takes-breath 126480 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:37:00 +0000 Book: 'Juliet Takes A Breath' editor The New York City Council is considering a repeal of a 2017 law that banned conversion therapy, the strongly-condemned practice of attempting to change a person's sexual orientation or gender. It's a confusing legal maneuver that advocates say won't erode any protections for LGBTQ New Yorkers and at the same time, will ward off a looming lawsuit that could have negative implications nationwide if the courts side against the city. Members of the city council heard testimony by several LGBT advocacy groups which all support the ban's repeal, at a public hearing Wednesday. "It makes no sense to waste time and resources on a lawsuit, which always presents some risk of loss," testified Eric Lesh, the executive director of the LGBT Bar Association of New York. "While we believe the law is valid, it is no longer needed, and a loss could needlessly jeopardize other laws." The proposal to repeal the city's ban on conversion therapy was introduced by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who is https://www.wkyufm.org/post/new-york-city-debates-repealing-conversion-therapy-ban 126478 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:37:00 +0000 New York City Debates Repealing Conversion Therapy Ban Bill Chappell Saudi Arabia's military displayed pieces of missiles and drones Wednesday, saying the wreckage is proof that the recent attack that crippled Saudi oil production was "unquestionably" sponsored by Iran. At a news conference in Riyadh, the capital, a Saudi military spokesman, Col. Turki al-Malki, said Saturday's strike came from the north — not from Yemen, where Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack. Both Iran and Iraq are to the north of Saudi Arabia. "This attack did not originate from Yemen," Malki said, "despite Iran's best efforts to appear so." He accused Iran of working with its Houthi allies to generate a "false narrative" around the strike on two oil facilities. "Secondly, the attack was launched from the north," Malki said, "and was unquestionably sponsored by Iran." The display took place shortly before U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on ways to deter Iran. Pompeo blamed https://www.wkyufm.org/post/saudi-arabia-says-iran-unquestionably-sponsored-attack-oil-facilities 126477 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:28:00 +0000 Saudi Arabia Says Iran 'Unquestionably Sponsored' Attack On Oil Facilities Leah Douglas A diver maintains an open-water cage where tuna are being farmed in Izmir, Turkey. In the U.S., federally controlled ocean waters have been off limits to aquaculture, curbing the industry's growth. But the tide may be turning. Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images Americans eat an average of 16 pounds of fish each year, and that number is growing. But how to meet our demand for fish is a controversial question, one that is entering a new chapter as the Environmental Protection Agency seeks to approve the nation's only aquaculture pen in federal waters. Fish farming has been positioned by its boosters as a sustainable alternative to wild-caught seafood and an economic driver that would put our oceans to work. So far, restrictions on where aquaculture operations can be located have kept the U.S. industry relatively small. In 2016, domestic aquaculture in state-controlled waters accounted for about $1.6 billion worth of seafood, or about 20 percent of the country's seafood https://www.wkyufm.org/post/battle-over-fish-farming-open-ocean-heats-epa-permit-looms 126479 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 19:29:00 +0000 The Battle Over Fish Farming In The Open Ocean Heats Up, As EPA Permit Looms editor You can find a buildout from this hour, featuring a partial transcription,  here . With  Meghna Chakrabarti Nostalgia TV makes a comeback. We look at reboots, reunions, revivals and why, 25 years on, we want to hang with Friends. Guests Marta Kauffman , co-creator and executive producer of the NBC sitcom Friends, which first aired 25 years ago from this coming Sunday. ( @MartaFKauffman ) Eric Deggans , NPR TV critic. ( @Deggans ) Cristel Antonia Russell , professor of marketing at the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University. ( @GraziadioSchool ) From The Reading List Today : Watching our favorite old TV shows has psychological benefits, experts say Kimberly M. Wetherell loves watching television after a hard day at work. The 46-year-old audiobook narrator, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y, likes to binge on edgy shows like Good Omens and Fleabag. But when it comes time to unwind, Wetherell, like many people, finds herself craving what she calls comfort TV, favorite old https://www.wkyufm.org/post/nostalgia-tvs-takeover-rewind-clock-rewatch-classics 126476 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:39:00 +0000 Nostalgia TV's Takeover: Rewind The Clock, Rewatch The Classics John Powers TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. "Heaven, My Home" is the latest crime novel by Attica Locke, a prize-winning novelist also known for her television work, which includes writing for the hit series "Empire" and the recent Netflix mini series "When They See Us." This new book is the second in a series about an African American Texas ranger. And our critic-at-large John Powers says that Locke knows how to write a mystery novel that stings. JOHN POWERS, BYLINE: Some folks like crime stories set in enlightened Scandinavia, but I've always been a sucker for ones about cops working in tyrannies - Nazi Germany, say, or the Soviet Union, were enforcing the law can be riskier than breaking it. Such heroes don't simply have to track down dangerous crooks. They chance punishment, even death, should their investigations turn up anything that threatens the system. You get an unsettling American spin on this scenario in "Heaven, My Home," the timely new entry in the Highway 59 series about https://www.wkyufm.org/post/racial-tensions-complicate-search-missing-child-heaven-my-home 126475 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:03:00 +0000 Racial Tensions Complicate The Search For A Missing Child In 'Heaven, My Home' Terry Gross TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. My guest, Andrea Mitchell, will receive an Emmy for lifetime achievement next Tuesday at the News and Documentary Emmy ceremony. She is NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent and anchor of MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports." Over the years, she's covered Congress, the White House, presidential campaigns, the State Department. She's reported from around the world, including war zones. She's asked tough questions to presidents and dictators. And various powerful people have tried to get her fired. Mitchell is also a trailblazer for women journalists. She started her career in 1967 as a, quote, "copy boy" at KYW News Radio in Philadelphia. She became famous in the city for her tough coverage of a tough and divisive mayor, Frank Rizzo. Her reputation for asking hard questions, and for shouting them, if necessary, has continued through her career. I recorded this interview with her yesterday, shortly after the news broke that https://www.wkyufm.org/post/journalist-andrea-mitchell-asking-tough-questions-very-empowering 126473 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:03:00 +0000 Journalist Andrea Mitchell: Asking Tough Questions Is 'Very Empowering' Jon Hamilton Researchers are beginning to understand why certain brain cancers are so hard to stop. Three studies published Wednesday in the journal Nature found that these deadly tumors integrate themselves into the brain's electrical network and then hijack signals from healthy nerve cells to fuel their own growth. "They are like vampires" feeding on brain activity, says Dr. Frank Winkler , a neurologist at Heidelberg University in Germany and an author of one of the studies. But the research offers hope as well. Scientists say the findings suggest that some brain tumors could be slowed with drugs that inhibit the activity of certain brain cells or that interrupt connections between tumor cells and healthy cells. Two of the three studies, including Winkler's, looked at high-grade gliomas , which include glioblastoma, the cancer that killed Sen. John McCain in 2018. "High-grade gliomas are really an intractable set of diseases, and we've made very little progress clinically in effectively treating https://www.wkyufm.org/post/deadly-brain-cancers-act-vampires-hijacking-normal-cells-grow 126474 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 17:29:00 +0000 Deadly Brain Cancers Act Like 'Vampires' By Hijacking Normal Cells To Grow Bill Chappell Updated at 11:20 p.m. ET Heavy rains are triggering flash floods in eastern Texas from Tropical Depression Imelda — one of several large storms that forecasters have been watching. In the Atlantic, Bermuda is under a hurricane warning as the core of Hurricane Humberto passes north of the island as a Category 3 storm. "A turn toward the east-northeast is expected Friday night and Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Humberto will continue to move away from Bermuda tonight," the National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin at 11:00 p.m. ET. Imelda was briefly a tropical storm after forming in the Gulf. Despite weakening into a tropical depression Tuesday night, the storm is still expected to bring an additional 10 inches of rainfall to parts of eastern Texas and southwest Louisiana through Friday, with isolated totals of 20 to 25 inches possible. Imelda is bringing "heavy rains and significant flash flooding," continuing to spread inland over the next couple of days, according https://www.wkyufm.org/post/storm-updates-imelda-drenches-texas-humberto-menaces-bermuda 126471 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 17:02:00 +0000 Storm Updates: Imelda Drenches Texas As Humberto Menaces Bermuda Rhonda Miller A manufacturer of recycled plastic products in Evansville, Indiana is experiencing a surge in business due, in part, to China halting the import of plastic trash last year. Green Tree Plastics is now expanding partnerships with major corporations. The family-owned company is also meeting the growing demand from student groups to produce benches and picnic tables from what most Americans have been sending to landfills - plastic bottle caps. The playground at Holy Name Catholic School in Henderson, Kentucky has a couple of special benches. They’re made from recycled plastic caps and lids, from water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt cups, toothpaste, coffee cans, peanut butter, and lots of other containers. https://www.wkyufm.org/post/no-plastic-trash-china-sends-companies-evansville-manufacturer-recycled-lumber 126436 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 16:56:12 +0000 No Plastic Trash to China Sends Companies to Evansville Manufacturer of Recycled Lumber Updated 1:35 p.m. ET A Pennsylvania state senator has stepped down following his arrest on charges of possession of child pornography. Sen. Mike Folmer submitted his letter of resignation on Wednesday to Republican colleagues in Harrisburg, according to leadership in the state chamber. "We are sickened and disturbed by the charges brought against Mike Folmer," the Pennsylvania lawmakers said in a statement . After reviewing the charges and speaking to Folmer, they said they insisted that he resign. On Tuesday, police arrested Folmer at his home about an hour outside of the state capital after tracing what prosecutors say was an explicit image involving a minor to the senator's personal computer. During a search of Folmer's cellphone, investigators say they found two other suspected images of child pornography. Folmer, 63, who is married and has seven grandchildren , told police that he "had been dealing with some personal problems," according to a criminal complaint filed by the https://www.wkyufm.org/post/pennsylvania-state-senator-arrested-charges-possessing-child-porn 126472 as https://www.wkyufm.org Wed, 18 Sep 2019 16:54:00 +0000 Pennsylvania State Senator Resigns After Arrest On Child Porn Charges