All Things Considered

New 'Trek' Goes 'Into Darkness,' But Not Much Deeper

Bob Mondello — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:06:00 +0000

The opening sequence of J.J. Abram's new entry in the Star Trek universe has all the ingredients of the classic franchise.

There's Kirk and his crew bellowing on the bridge, everyone worrying about the prime directive and our favorite Vulcan trapped in a volcano.

OK, I'm in. I may not be a fanboy anymore, but I sure was in my youth, and having these guys in their youths again is just as cool at the outset as it was last time.

Chris Pine's baby-Shatner is spitting his lines while Zachary Quinto channels his inner Nimoy.

Alzheimer's Cases Rise, But Hope Remains

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:27:00 +0000

More than 5 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, and the National Institute on Aging estimates that that number is going to triple by 2050 — in part due to aging baby boomers.

The cost of coping with the disease — currently estimated at $215 billion — is projected to rise to half a trillion dollars by 2050.

Internships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

Summer is almost here, and with it comes the army of interns marching into countless American workplaces. Yet what was once an opportunity for the inexperienced is becoming a front-line labor issue.

More and more, unpaid and low-paid interns are feeling their labor is being exploited. Some are even willing to push back — with lawsuits.

One of the most high profile intern-versus-employer lawsuits suffered a setback last week that could have implications for other cases.

'Waiting To Be Heard' No More, Amanda Knox Speaks Out

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

When 20-year-old Amanda Knox left for Italy in August 2007, it was supposed to be a carefree year studying abroad.

No one could have foreseen it ending in her being accused, tried and convicted in the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher.

The case, and Knox, became an international media sensation.

"I think that there was a lot of fantasy projected onto me," she tells weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden.

Three-Minute Fiction Reading: 'Plum Baby'

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

NPR's Susan Stamberg reads an excerpt of one of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. She reads Plum Baby by Carmiel Banasky of Portland, Ore. You can read the full story below and find other stories on our Three-Minute Fiction page or on Facebook.

Draco Rosa: A Pop Survivor Returns From The Brink, With Friends

NPR: Mandalit del Barco — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHRjWauwpvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3UVw3a7qIQ

'Venus and Serena': An Extraordinary Story, Told On Film

Elizabeth Blair — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:36:00 +0000

It's Cinderella plus Jackie Robinson times two. When Venus and Serena Williams burst onto the lily-white world of tennis, they changed the game and made history: They were sisters. From a poor neighborhood. Who brought unprecedented power to the game. And both reached No. 1.

Their journey is the subject of a new documentary called Venus and Serena, showing in select theaters around the country.

"It's not just about sports," says co-director Maiken Baird. "I think of it as the great American story. It's rich with family, sisterhood, race, hard work and tenaciousness."

Boston Bombings Prompt Fresh Look At Unsolved Murders

Joel Rose — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:29:00 +0000

An unsolved triple murder in the Boston suburbs is getting a closer look in the wake of the marathon bombings. One of the victims may have been a friend of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. That's prompting authorities to revisit the 2011 case.

The murders took place in Waltham, Mass. On Sept. 12, 2011, police responded to a house in the leafy suburb a few miles west of Boston.

"They went to the second floor and saw a very graphic crime scene — three dead bodies in the apartment," said Gerry Leone, who was then district attorney for Middlesex County.

Michigan LGBT Youth Center Does Outreach With A Dance 'Hook'

NPR: Kyle Norris — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:29:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4M8Av-SnPA

Bobby McFerrin: Spirituals As Sung Prayers

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:22:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOwp98jQGH8

Week In Politics: IRS, Benghazi Emails, AP Phone Logs

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Audie Cornish speaks with political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss controversial IRS audits, the release of White House emails on Benghazi talking points and the Justice Department's seizure of AP phone logs.

After Deadly Chemical Plant Disasters, There's Little Action

NPR: Daniel Zwerdling — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:11:00 +0000

You might think that everything would have changed for the chemicals industry on April 16, 1947. That was the day of the Texas City Disaster, the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. A ship loaded with ammonium nitrate — the same chemical that appears to have caused the disaster last month in West, Texas — exploded. The ship sparked a chain reaction of blasts at chemical facilities onshore, creating what a newsreel at the time called "a holocaust that baffles description."

Or you might think everything would have changed on Dec. 3, 1984.

Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate

Peter Overby — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:01:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2s_q_kfrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdYjp8-RMwA

Why Is Psychiatry's New Manual So Much Like The Old One?

Jon Hamilton — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:23:00 +0000

The American Psychiatric Association is about to release an updated version of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The DSM helps mental health professionals decide who has problems such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.

Psychiatry's new manual, DSM-5, has been nearly 20 years in the making. During that time, scientists have learned a lot about the brain.

A 'Wake-Up Call' To Protect Vulnerable Workers From Abuse

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Four years ago, 21 men with intellectual disabilities were emancipated from a bright blue, century-old schoolhouse in Atalissa, Iowa. They ranged in age from their 40s to their 60s, and for most of their adult lives they had worked for next to nothing and lived in dangerously unsanitary conditions.

Earlier this month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission won a massive judgment against the turkey-processing company at which the men worked.

Daft Punk On 'The Soul That A Musician Can Bring'

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDvxo-M0OQ

From The Heart Of Egypt's Revolt, The Pulse Of Artistic Life

Leila Fadel — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Egypt's capital, Cairo, is now synonymous with protests and sometimes violence. Late at night, the once-bustling downtown streets are largely empty these days.

Women In Combat: Some Lessons From Israel's Military

Larry Abramson — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:26:00 +0000

As the U.S. moves to open up combat positions to women, it's catching up with other countries that have been doing it for years.

But the experience in these countries, including Israel, suggests that access to combat jobs doesn't lead directly to equal treatment within the ranks.

In Israel, most men and women perform compulsory military service.

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

Martin Kaste — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:35:00 +0000

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:

"The use of still and video cameras, fil

A Songwriter And An Army Dad Share One Touching Story

NPR Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:58:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSMCgqlc-0

White House Addresses Benghazi Emails, IRS Audits

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:57:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, BYLINE: And I'm Audie Cornish.

The Obama administration is doing some intensive damage control this evening. Tonight, the president announced that the acting commissioner of the IRS, Steven Miller, is being pushed out over heightened scrutiny given to Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations.

Earlier today, the White House also released 100 pages of emails in hopes of quieting a lingering controversy over last year's deadly attack at the U.S.

LA Schools Throw Out Suspensions For 'Willful Defiance'

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:44:00 +0000

School suspensions are a big issue in California. Last year, schools handed out 700,000 of them. But the Los Angeles Unified School District took a step to change that this week when it voted to ban suspension of students deemed "willfully defiant."

Before the vote, the district maintained a zero tolerance policy for students who failed to comply, in any way, with any policy or direction given by teachers or school administrators — covering everything from mouthing off to wearing baggy pants.

Can Economics Save The African Rhino?

Gregory Warner — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:56:00 +0000

When Duan Biggs was growing up in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, he used to watch elephants and rhinos walking past his bedroom window. He left home to pursue degrees in biology and economics, and when he returned in 2011 the park looked and sounded "like a pseudo war zone," he says.

"There'd be helicopters flying overhead all the time," he says. "I remember one afternoon coming back to my home from a game drive and the bush was crawling with people with assault rifles, from the army, from the police, and from National Parks.

Wired And Fired: A New 'Smart Rifle'

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:55:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoMAiYnJOBM

Syrian Minister: Removal Of Assad Means Destruction Of Syria

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:55:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

The President of the U.N. General Assembly said today that at least 80,000 people have been killed in Syria's two-year civil war, and that most of those casualties were civilians. The assembly also approved a resolution today calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.

Laura Mvula's Velvet 'Moon' Is A Revelation

Oliver Wang — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:09:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akYnlwubDo

Go Fish (Somewhere Else): Warming Oceans Are Altering Catches

Richard Harris — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:06:00 +0000

Climate change is gradually altering the fish that end up on ice in seafood counters around the world, according to a new study.

"The composition of the [global] fish catch includes more and more fish from the warmer areas, and cold-water fish are getting more rare, because the temperatures are increasing," says Daniel Pauly at the University of British Columbia, a co-author of the study.

Scientists Clone Human Embryos To Make Stem Cells

Rob Stein — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

Scientists say they have, for the first time, cloned human embryos capable of producing embryonic stem cells.

The accomplishment is a long-sought step toward harnessing the potential power of embryonic stem cells to treat many human diseases. But the work also raises a host of ethical concerns.

"This is a huge scientific advance," said Dr. George Daley, a Harvard stem cell scientist who wasn't involved in the work.

IRS Inspector General Faults 'Ineffective Management'

Scott Horsley — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:02:00 +0000

Audie Cornish talks to Scott Horsley about the IRS Inspector General's report on the agency's audit of conservative groups.

With No Unified Database, Many Murder Victims Remain Nameless

Daysha Eaton — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:11:00 +0000

A serial killer who committed suicide in an Alaska jail last year confessed to murdering at least 11 people across the country. But Israel Keyes didn't name names, and investigators trying to figure out who he killed are running into a major stumbling block: There is no unified, mandatory national database for missing persons.

One of the few known victims was Anchorage resident Samantha Koenig. She was selling coffee at an espresso stand outside a gym when Keyes abducted and killed her.