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'Sopranos' Actor James Gandolfini Dies At Age 51

editor — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:18:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

The actor James Gandolfini has died. He played dozens of parts over decades of his career. But there is one role that he'll be remembered for, a troubled mobster with an anxiety problem: Tony Soprano.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SOPRANOS")

JAMES GANDOLFINI: (as Tony Soprano) Even if I knew where my cousin was, and I do not, I would not deliver him up to them. I am offering him the same protection that I would offer any of you in similar circumstances. Now I know what you're going to say. You're going to say, hey, Ton', I would never do what he did.

Microsoft Responds To Fan Outcry, Changes Xbox One Policies

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Fans spoke, and apparently Microsoft listened.

In a reversal of the company's previous position, Microsoft announced Wednesday that its forthcoming Xbox One gaming console would no longer require a regular Internet connection and would not restrict used or shared games.

Since the system was revealed in May and at its big presentation at E3 7-foot-tall statue of famed, lion-maned abolitionist Frederick Douglass that was dedicated Wednesday on Capitol Hill is perhaps best understood as a bronze symbol of the partisan divide in Washington and of racial politics.

The ex-slave, who later became a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, was a federal official and an important journalist of his day.

Federal Agents Accuse Two Of Plotting Deadly X-Ray Weapon

Bill Chappell — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:14:00 +0000

Two men in upstate New York have been arrested for planning to build a "radiation particle weapon" that could be mounted on a vehicle and used to target people, according to a report by the Albany Times-Union Wednesday.

To Rebuild NYC's Beaches, A Native Plant Savings And Loan

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:48:00 +0000

Across the New York region, people are still working to rebuild homes and businesses after the havoc wrought by Hurricane Sandy. But the storm also devastated the dunes and native flora of New York's beaches.

When the city replants grasses on those dunes, it will be able to draw on seeds from precisely the grasses that used to thrive there.

A Dry Reservation Clashes With Its Liquor Store Neighbors

Charles Michael Ray — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:48:00 +0000

At the Pine Ridge Reservation just outside the town of Whiteclay, Neb., an upside-down American flag flies on a wooden pole next to a teepee. About 60 people gathered here Monday to protest as beer truck drivers unloaded cases into a Whiteclay liquor store a few hundred yards away.

Whiteclay has one paved street and four liquor stores. Alcohol is banned on Pine Ridge, but alcoholism is rampant here and the unemployment rate hovers around 80 percent. The town sells the equivalent of about 5 million cans of beer annually — mostly to impoverished tribal residents.

G-8 Nations Pledge To Crack Down On Corporate Tax Evaders

Jim Zarroli — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:48:00 +0000

The world's wealthiest nations are promising to fight what they call the scourge of tax evasion. This week's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries concluded with a pledge to end the use of tax shelters by multinational corporations.

But there are still big questions about how they will make a dent in the problem.

In the aftermath of the global recession, countries all over the world have struggled with budget shortfalls.

A Day After Making List, One Of FBI's Most Wanted Caught

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:48:00 +0000

Just a day after being added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, a former University of Southern California professor was arrested in the Mexican beach resort of Playa del Carmen.

Reporting for our Newscast unit, NPR's Carrie Kahn says 64-year-old Walter Lee Williams had been pursued by the FBI since 2011.

She says the indictment against Williams alleges he used his position as a professor of gender and sexuality studies to travel internationally and prey on underage boys.

The U.S.

Pitchman Who 'Guaranteed' Our Look Fired By Men's Warehouse

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:07:00 +0000

He might like the way you look, but may no longer be able to guarantee you will.

Men's Wearhouse Inc. announced Wednesday that George Zimmer, founder and executive chairman of the company, has been fired.

Zimmer is likely familiar to most TV viewers who've been greeted by his comforting demeanor, baritone voice and the pleasing delivery of the brand's slogan, "You're going to like the way you look.

Snowden Reportedly In 'Informal' Asylum Talks With Iceland

Bill Chappell — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:51:00 +0000

Edward Snowden, the man commonly called "the NSA leaker" for his role in publishing documents that exposed a secret U.S. surveillance program, would reportedly not receive special treatment from the United Nations if he applies for asylum. The AP says Snowden is in "informal talks" with Iceland about applying for asylum there.

Snowden's last known location was Hong Kong, where he was when revelations about the secret PRISM program first came out.

Port Authority Bill Moves To House

Michael Lynch — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:44:27 +0000

The state Senate has approved compromise legislation that would change the structure of the Port Authority of Allegheny County Transit (PAT) board.

Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a measure by Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) that would have increased membership on the PAT board from nine to 11 with the county executive getting only one appointment compared to the current system where he appoints all board members.

Senate Panel Moves Scaled-Back Pension Overhaul

Mary Wilson — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:36:20 +0000

A state Senate committee has approved a scaled-down version of the governor's pension overhaul plan to address the commonwealth's pension debt.

The bill was re-written to include just one of the three prongs of Gov. Tom Corbett's proposal — one that has been said to be far more palatable to legislators. The measure would enroll most future state and school employees into a 401(k)-style plan, instead of the traditional defined-benefit plan that locks in payouts according to a formula known in advance.

Infections From Contaminated Injections Can Lurk Undetected

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:36:00 +0000

People who think they didn't get sick from a nationwide meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated steroid injections used to treat back pain may want to think again.

Doctors at hospitals in Michigan did MRI scans of people who had been given tainted injections but didn't report symptoms of meningitis afterwards.

About 20 percent of the 172 people tested had suspicious-looking MRIs, and 17 ended up needing surgery to treat fungal infections in or around the spine.

The patients had gotten steroid injections about three months before the MRI, in mid to late 2012.

Even though some of the

Giant 'Yarn Bomb' Project to Cover Andy Warhol Bridge

Jessica Nath — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:20:32 +0000

Starting August 10, one of Pittsburgh’s famous steel bridges will be getting a makeover when the largest “yarn bomb” ever in the United States explodes on the Andy Warhol Bridge.

Amanda Gross, outreach coordinator for Fiberart International, is the lead artist of a project called Knit the Bridge, in which she and 1,267 volunteers from all over Allegheny County have spent the last year knitting panels to cover the bridge.

After A Marine's Suicide, A Family Recalls Missed Red Flags

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:05:00 +0000

Last year, more U.S. service members took their own lives than died in combat. And despite the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan, the pullout in Iraq, and hundreds of new programs designed to help troubled servicemen and women, the number of suicides continues to rise.

Nicholas Rodriguez is one such young man. Military service was practically a foregone conclusion for Nick. His family's history in the armed forces stretches back to the Revolutionary War.

U.S. Wants Global Trafficking Report To Hit Home

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:02:00 +0000

The U.S. State Department releases its report on human trafficking every year, naming the countries it believes aren't doing enough to combat modern-day slavery.

The department released a new report Wednesday, and NPR's Michele Kelemen is reporting on the story for All Things Considered.

Nina Totenberg Answers Your Supreme Court Questions

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:50:00 +0000

With the Supreme Court expected to hand down big decisions this month — including rulings on voting rights, affirmative action and Gardasil, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006.

And The Winner Of The World Food Prize Is ... The Man From Monsanto

Dan Charles — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:41:00 +0000

Ever heard of the World Food Prize? It's sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture," but it has struggled to get people's attention. Prize winners tend to be agricultural insiders, and many are scientists. Last year's laureate, for instance, was Daniel Hillel, a pioneer of water-saving "micro-irrigation."

This year, though, the World Food Prize is likely to get some publicity, some of it in the form of anger and protests.

Tropical Storm Barry Heads Toward Mexico, Forecasters Say

Bill Chappell — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:18:00 +0000

The National Hurricane Center has issued coastal warnings in the Gulf of Mexico regarding Tropical Storm Barry. The second named storm of the 2013 hurricane season, Barry is currently in the southwest corner of the gulf; it is expected to make landfall in Mexico Thursday morning.

The center says an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft determined Wednesday that the storm, formerly called Tropical Depression Two, had strengthened.

Corbett Signs Bill to Save 911 Centers

Michael Lynch — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:02:25 +0000

Gov. Tom Corbett recently signed a bill that gives 911 systems across the state a one-year warning that they will no longer be able to turn to the state for all the funding they want.

House Bill 583, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Barrar (R-Chester), provides for a one-year transition period to a system that will base disbursements on funds that have actually been collected through the 911 surcharge rather than simply fully funding all requests.

From Classic Toys To New Twists, Kids Go Back To Blocks

Neda Ulaby — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:02:00 +0000

I visited Toy Fair in New York City hunting for ideas for our summer series about kids' culture. One of the big takeaways was the increasing popularity of construction games such as Legos. Sales shot up nearly 20 percent last year. Now, it seems, every major toy manufacturer is scrambling to add new games geared toward kids building things.

Concurrently, I happened to visit the National Building Museum, where an impressive exhibition, PLAY WORK BUILD, showcases the museum's vast collection of block sets and building toys.

Wanna Be A Rock Star? NASA Needs Help Tracking Asteroids

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:58:00 +0000

It won't be quite like Bruce Willis in Armageddon, but maybe you'll feel just as much a hero.

The White House and NASA are seeking the public's help in hunting for asteroids that could someday smash into Earth.

Fed Leaves Interest Rates And Bond Purchase Plan Untouched

Bill Chappell — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:53:00 +0000

The Federal Reserve will continue its program of purchasing $85 billion in securities and will leave the target interest rate for federal funds untouched to support the U.S. economy, the U.S. central bank said in a policy update issued Wednesday afternoon.

Here's a summary of the state of the U.S. economy from the Fed, which concluded two days of meetings today:

"Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in May suggests that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace.

Dead-Pan Humor And Childhood Fears Collide In 'The Dark'

editor — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:09:00 +0000

Author Daniel Handler, who writes under the pen name Lemony Snicket, is known for his dry wit and matter-of-fact take on the mysterious and macabre.