The Two-Way
5:05 am
Thu February 9, 2012

AP: First 10 States Granted Waivers From 'No Child Left Behind'

Following up on a plan he unveiled last September to let states apply to be exempt from basic elements of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind education law, President Obama will today announce the first 10 states that have qualified for such exemptions.

Read more
Around the Nation
5:04 am
Thu February 9, 2012

Wisconsin Couple Marks 80 Years Of Marriage

Roy Fleming, 100, was 20 when he exchanged vows with his bride Dorothy, who was 15. The secret to their long marriage? Dorothy jokes that she's the boss.

Games & Humor
5:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

British Awards Honor Year's Best Jokes

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Read more
Business
2:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

Greek Leaders Fail To Reach Debt Overhaul Deal

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with an austerity deal for Greece.

Read more
Business
2:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Thu February 9, 2012 5:25 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The big Swiss bank UBS awarded some of its investment bankers millions of dollars in bonuses for their work last year. Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, it's taking some of that money back.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Or clawing it back. That's our last word in business today. Claw back provisions implemented after the financial crisis allow banks to recover bonuses from employees. A trading scandal last year cost UBS more than $2 billion and pushed it into the red.

Read more
Election 2012
2:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

After 3 Wins, Santorum Campaigns In Texas

Originally published on Thu February 9, 2012 4:33 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Rick Santorum headed in a different direction after his wins on Tuesday.

Here's NPR's Wade Goodwyn in Dallas.

WADE GOODWYN, BYLINE: North Texas was a good choice for former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum to keep his campaign's momentum going. He met with evangelical pastors in the morning, Tea Partiers in the afternoon and a Republican women's group at night.

(SOUNDBITE OF MEETING)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It is our pleasure to introduce to you Rick Santorum. Give him a Texas welcome.

Read more
NPR Story
2:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

U.S. Strategy For Afghan War Reaches Critical Stage

Originally published on Thu February 9, 2012 3:28 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

We're going to look now at American military strategy for the war in Afghanistan. There's been some confusion lately about whether American forces would end their combat mission sooner than planned and also about how long the U.S. will remain in Afghanistan. So to try to make sense of it all, we're joined by NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman.

Good morning.

TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Good morning, Renee.

Read more
NPR Story
2:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

Obama To Hold Talks With Italy's Prime Minister

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And that settlement is, of course, a priority for President Obama. But so is the debt crisis in Europe. Today, he hosts Italy's new prime minister, the technocrat who succeeded the controversial-but-flamboyant Silvio Berlusconi last fall. Mario Monti has not yet turned around Italy's economy, but as NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports, he's changed the government's image abroad.

Read more
NPR Story
2:00 am
Thu February 9, 2012

States Agree To Bank Settlement

Originally published on Thu February 9, 2012 4:43 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

Read more
Planet Money
10:01 pm
Wed February 8, 2012

What Do The Dow's Daily Swings Mean? Not Much.

Credit Mario Tama / Getty Images

Originally published on Thu February 9, 2012 3:22 pm

Turn on the news on any given day, and you're likely to hear about the Dow Jones industrial average. It is the most frequently checked, and cited, proxy of U.S. economic health. But a lot of people — maybe most — don't even know what it is. It's just the stock prices of 30 big companies, summed up and roughly averaged. That's it.

And what does the daily movement of this number have to do with the lives of most Americans? Not much.

Read more

Pages