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Business
3:00 am
Thu March 15, 2012

When A Normal Job Resignation Won't Do

When Greg Smith quit his job at Goldman Sachs, he slammed his former employer in a blistering newspaper essay. People don't often quit with such a public display of vitriol. But when they do, it certainly gets attention.

Author Interviews
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

The Wild And Crazy 'Tweets Of Steve Martin'

After 40 years on the stand-up stage, countless comedy albums and iconic movies, Steve Martin is still finding new ways to make people laugh.

The comedian got on Twitter in 2010, and by now he has attracted nearly 2.5 million followers with his funny and slightly demented tweets.

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Sports
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

Murray State Racers Fans Revved Up Over NCAA

On the Murray State University campus in Kentucky, warm weather has arrived. Students are out on the quad skateboarding, riding bikes, playing Frisbee and listening to music. But what are they talking about? Basketball.

"I think Murray State can go to the Final Four," one student says.

The MSU Racers have been in the tournament before, but with just a single loss this season and the highest tournament seed in the program's history, expectations are greater than ever.

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Presidential Race
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

Campaign Videos: A Time-Tested Election Tactic

Credit BarackObama.com/YouTube
A screen shot of President Obama from the trailer for his campaign's movie The Road We've Traveled.
Race
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

Voters May Break Up Fight Over 'Fighting Sioux'

Originally published on Thu March 15, 2012 7:34 am

The state Supreme Court in North Dakota is about to consider this question: Can lawmakers require a college to name its sports teams after a Native American tribe?

For decades, University of North Dakota teams have been known as the "Fighting Sioux." It's a name some see as an honor and others find demeaning. Now, the long fight over the Fighting Sioux may be settled in a courtroom.

2,400 Logos And A 'Vexing' Dispute

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The Salt
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

In France, Politicians Make Halal Meat A Campaign Issue

Credit Anna Maria Jakub / Getty Images
French President Nicolas Sarkozy listens to a butcher during a visit to the butchery pavilion at the Rungis international food market, near Paris, in February.

Originally published on Thu March 15, 2012 8:29 pm

A provocative comment by an extreme right presidential candidate has started a debate that is dominating the French presidential campaign. France may be in the middle of an economic crisis, but politicians seem more interested in talking about halal meat and religious dietary rules.

It all began when National Front Party presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said that non-Muslims in Paris were unwittingly eating halal meat.

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Planet Money
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

China's Giant Pool Of Dollars

Originally published on Thu March 15, 2012 10:08 am

China's central bank is sitting on a giant pool of U.S. dollars. It's the world's biggest holder of foreign reserves, worth over $3 trillion at last count.

All that money has piled up because every year, China exports more than it imports; it runs a trade surplus.

There are lots of reasons for China's trade surplus. In the past few decades, China has built an amazing manufacturing ecosystem. It's become the factory to the world.

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Energy
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

Surging Gas Prices Have Drivers Fuming

Credit Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images
A driver pumps gas in Los Angeles, where prices are among the highest in the country, topping $4 a gallon.

Gasoline prices have risen about 50 cents a gallon since January. The national average for regular gas stands at just above $3.80 per gallon.

Pity the drivers on the West Coast. Prices there have been much higher. At a Chevron station in Culver City, Calif., the price on Tuesday was $4.45 a gallon.

"I do building maintenance," Ursula Matthews said as she filled her tank. "I do a lot of driving from place to place. It's hurting me. I cannot raise the prices [of my services] with the economy what it is."

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Middle East
11:01 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

Iranians Feel The Bite Of Tougher Sanctions

Originally published on Thu March 15, 2012 7:42 am

No nation has been sanctioned so frequently, and so thoroughly, as the Islamic Republic of Iran. For more than 30 years, the country has been under some kind of punitive economic measure.

The goal has been to prevent Iran from receiving and using the billions of dollars in oil profits that finance its nuclear program.

But none have been tougher, according to President Obama, than the sanctions his administration has imposed on Iran's banking system.

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The Two-Way
5:08 pm
Wed March 14, 2012

Santorum: Puerto Rico Must Adopt English If It Wants Statehood

Credit Christopher Gregory / Getty Images
Carlos Diaz, 84, reads local newspaper "El Vocero" with a front page depicting both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum and a headline reading, "The National Battle Arrives on the Island."

Rick Santorum waded into a controversial issue today when he gave an interview to El Vocero, one of the biggest newspapers in Puerto Rico.

The issue? The island's primary language.

The paper asked the former Pennsylvania senator if he would back Puerto Rican statehood if Spanish along with English remained its official languages.

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