Morning Edition on WEKU

A perk that allows government workers in Philadelphia to collect on their pensions before they retire is in jeopardy. Mayor Michael Nutter says the early pensions aren't affordable. But the City Council wants to preserve them.

Linda Wertheimer has this morning's business news.

Renee Montagne and Linda Wertheimer report on today's release of a policy review of the U.S.-led nation-building effort in Afghanistan. The review was prepared by the Democratic Majority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

A stellar fourth quarter performance from an ailing Dirk Nowitzki pushed the Dallas Mavericks past the Miami Heat last night. Game Four of the NBA Finals went to Dallas by a score of 86-83. The best-of-seven series is now tied at two games apiece. NPR's Tom Goldman was at last night's game, he's with us from Dallas. Hi Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN: Good morning.

WERTHEIMER: So how did the Mavericks do it? How were they able to break through against the Heat right at the end?

Renee Montagne talks to Neil MacFarquhar, of "The New York times," about the latest developments in the uprising in Yemen. MacFarquhar is in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where Yemen's wounded president is receiving treatment. He was wounded over the weekend when the presidential palace was attacked.

The arcade video game Pong was cutting edge in 1972. After several deaths and resuscitations, Atari, the company behind Pong, is back again. Atari recently launched an app called Atari's Greatest Hits. It's a collection of classic arcade games — including Asteroids and Battlezone — refitted for mobile screens.

In France, the female name for "regular guy" is Madame Dugenou. And when a presidential candidate said he hoped to convince Madame Dugenou, one French woman listed by that name in the phone book was suddenly bombarded with calls.

The shin kicking world championships took place over the weekend in Gloucestershire, England. It involves two people kicking each other's shins until one falls over.

At a news conference in New York Monday, Rep. Anthony Weiner admitted he sent a lewd photo of himself over the Internet. He also said he carried on inappropriate Internet conversations with a half dozen women. Weiner said he was ashamed and embarrassed, but added he would not resign. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for an ethics investigation.

The Syrian government says armed gangs have killed at least 120 government troops in a town near the Turkish border. The fighting could mark a turning point in what has been a largely peaceful uprising. Government officials have vowed to deal with the killings decisively, and activists say many residents are fleeing in anticipation of a major military attack.

The Electronics Entertainment Expo, which begins Tuesday in Los Angeles, is the annual gathering of the video game industry. An event that was once open to the public, E3 became invitation-only in 2007. It draws video game companies, manufacturers, analysts, media and other entertainment professionals and investors from more than 80 countries, which gather for three days of product demonstrations for video game consoles, handheld devices, computers and tablets.

Earlier in the year, a Florida judge struck down large portions of President Obama's health care law. A three-judge panel will take up the case in a federal appeals court in Atlanta on Wednesday. Linda Wertheimer and Renee Montagne report.

Linda Wertheimer has business news.

Renee Montagne has the Last Word in business.

American public health officials are warning that the outbreak is a bellwether for what could be in store as E. coli strains evolve. For unknown reasons, some strains are releasing more toxins when attacked by antibiotics, and the toxins are causing more serious disease — and more deaths. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

Every morning, as the school bus pulled up, Rain Price's father donned a different costume to wave him off to school. His costumes included Elvis, Chiquita Banana and the Little Mermaid. Rain admits his schoolmates warmed to the idea sooner than he did. But eventually, he too discovered the charm in his dad's morning send-offs.

Nine-year-old Bobby Bradley piloted a balloon in New Mexico for about 26 minutes. When he touched down, he landed into the record books as the youngest person to make a solo balloon flight.

The International Atomic Energy Agency convenes its regular meeting in Vienna Monday, and near the top of its agenda is the case involving a site in Syria that Israel bombed nearly four years ago. The IAEA has issued a report concluding that the site was "very likely" a secret nuclear reactor under construction. Now the agency must decide what to do about Syria's refusal to allow an investigation of what was going on there

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets to celebrate the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He's in Saudi Arabia being treated for injuries suffered in an assault on the presidential palace. Saleh has been in power for 33 years and it remains unclear if he will return to Yemen. Renee Montagne talks to political analyst Abdul Ghani al-Eryani, who's in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Some 1,300 Kentucky National Guard soldiers said goodbye to family and friends over the weekend. They are headed to Iraq to help with the massive withdrawal of troops there. It's the largest overseas deployment for Kentucky's National Guard since World War II.

Top TV executives are in Switzerland today, bidding for rights to broadcast the next two Olympic games — Russia in 2014 and Brazil in 2016. The competition is wide open, especially because of the recent resignation of Dick Ebersol as the head of NBC Sports. He spearheaded NBC's dominance over the games.

Renee Montagne has business news.

Edward Albee's recent remarks about being labeled a "gay writer" sparked controversy within the gay community, but the playwright insists such definitions are "prejudicial."

"Maybe I'm being a little troublesome about this," Albee tells NPR's Renee Montagne, "but so many writers who are gay are expected to behave like gay writers and I find that is such a limitation and such a prejudicial thing that I fight against it whenever I can."

The Labor Department on Friday reported the nation's unemployment rate rose slightly to 9.1 percent in May, evidence that the American economy is slowing, as employers added only 54,000 jobs. The jobless rate was 9 percent in April. For analysis on the latest economic data, Mary Louise Kelly talks to NPR's Yuki Noguchi.

Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian died Friday at age 83. For more on his life, Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea.

Ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to be attracted to some people, while others never get bitten? Scientists say mosquitoes flock to people wearing dark clothes, those who move around a lot and pregnant women. Plus, new research shows mosquitoes are attracted to people drinking beer.

The Scripts National Spelling Bee came down to a word meaning "having wavy hair." It fell to Sukanya Roy, 14, who wore her straight hair in a pony-tail. In a spelling contest broadcast on prime-time ESPN Thursday, she outlasted competitors with the winning word cymotrichous.

Ratko Mladic, the former Serbian commander accused of genocide, has appeared for the first time before the U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Hague. It was a preliminary hearing, and Mladic declined to enter a plea.

In Hollywood, now is the time summer blockbusters start being released. But some good smaller films work their way into the mix too. The coming of age story, Submarine, may be one of the best.

China has rejected allegations of involvement in a cyber-spying campaign targeting the Google e-mail accounts of top U.S. officials, military personnel and journalists. In an Op Ed in a Party-run newspaper, two strategists from the Chinese military, without mentioning Google's recent claims, wrote that China must make mastering cyber warfare a military priority as the Internet becomes the crucial battleground for opinion and intelligence.