Presidential Race
2:42 pm
Fri October 19, 2012

For Hispanics, A Question Of Turnout

Credit Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
Latino supporters hold up signs as they attend a campaign rally for President Obama at Sloan's Lake Park in Denver on Oct. 4.

By now, it's no surprise that most Latinos plan to vote for President Obama. They are the nation's largest minority group, often likened to a sleeping giant that could decide the outcome in key swing states.

But will enough Latinos show up on Election Day to make good on the prediction?

As many as 60,000 Hispanics reach voting age every month, but Latinos overall have yet to bring their full force to the voting booth. Two-thirds of eligible whites and African-Americans voted in the 2008 presidential election, while barely half of Hispanics cast ballots.

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The Two-Way
1:31 pm
Fri October 19, 2012

U.S. Military Apologizes, Sets Curfew After Alleged Rape In Japan

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 3:50 pm

The commander of U.S. Forces Japan apologized and announced that all military personnel in Japan would have to adhere to a night curfew beginning today.

The move comes after two Navy sailors allegedly raped a woman in Okinawa. Like the case in 1995, when three servicemen raped a school girl, opposition to U.S. bases swelled after the arrests.

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The Two-Way
12:17 pm
Fri October 19, 2012

'A Fire I Can't Put Out': Texas State Fair's 'Big Tex' Destroyed By Blaze

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 5:21 pm

The Two-Way
12:11 pm
Fri October 19, 2012

Saying Moderator Is Prettier Than CNN's Crowley Gets Candidate In Trouble

Credit Ross Franklin / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democrat Richard Carmona, who is running for the Senate from Arizona.

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 2:11 pm

As Republican Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois was courting controversy last night by saying during a debate that the "health of the mother" isn't a reason for an abortion anymore, out in Arizona a Democratic candidate for Senate was stepping in it by telling a male debate moderator that "you're prettier" than CNN's Candy Crowley.

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'It's All Politics': NPR's Weekly News Roundup
11:48 am
Fri October 19, 2012

It's All Politics, Oct. 18, 2012

Credit AP

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 12:07 pm

  • Listen to the Roundup

Presidential debate No. 2 is in the books, and the consensus is that — unlike debate No. 1 — President Obama came prepared for battle. For all the talk about "binders full of women," and what was said when after the events in Benghazi, Libya, Obama and Mitt Romney both made their cases. Now, they prepare for the third and final debate on Monday. We also bid farewell to former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter.

Join NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin for the latest political roundup.

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Shots - Health News
11:39 am
Fri October 19, 2012

Probiotics Need To Eat, Too

Credit iStockphoto.com
Did someone say prebiotics?

Which comes first, the probiotics or the prebiotics?

Could prebiotics, the food for the good bacteria known as probiotics, have more benefits than a dose of the microbes, particularly for people with serious health problems like preemies?

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The Two-Way
11:28 am
Fri October 19, 2012

Turkey Urges International Intervention In Syria

Credit Tauseef Mustafa / AFP/Getty Images
Syrian protesters shout slogans during an anti-regime demonstration in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday.

"How long can this situation continue? I mean in Bosnia, now we have Ban Ki-moon [the UN secretary general] apologizing 20 years after. Who will apologise for Syria in 20 years' time? How can we stay idle?"

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The Two-Way
11:08 am
Fri October 19, 2012

Twitter Blocks 'Offensive' Accounts In Germany, U.K.; Deletes Tweets In France

Credit Twitter.com

Earlier this year, Twitter announced a new device and a policy of weeding out and removing offensive content from its site if a foreign government requested it.

Thursday, the company tweeted that it's done so for the first time — blocking a neo-Nazi group's account in Germany. Today, Twitter withheld another account — this one in Britain, belonging to a right-wing member of the European Parliament who tweeted support for discrimination against gays. Government officials are investigating both cases.

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The Salt
11:03 am
Fri October 19, 2012

Sugar Beet Labor Battles Spill Out Onto The National Stage

Credit Dale Wetzel / AP
Supporters of American Crystal Sugar Co. workers, who have been locked out of the company's sugar beet processing plants since 2011, rally in the North Dakota Capitol.

It's not just nutritionists who have a problem with sugar these days, so does organized labor. The AFL-CIO is calling for a boycott of one the country's biggest sugar producers, the American Crystal Sugar Company, based in Moorhead, Minn.

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The Two-Way
10:40 am
Fri October 19, 2012

Life Of The Mother: Never A Reason For Abortion, Congressman Says

Credit Charles Rex Arbogast / AP
Congressman Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) right, and challenger Tammy Duckworth, left, at a televised debate at WTTW Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012.

Originally published on Fri October 19, 2012 12:43 pm

During a televised debate Thursday on Chicago's WTTW, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) reiterated his opposition to abortion in any circumstance. It's similar to the Republican Party's national platform, which doesn't have any exceptions for abortion in the case of rape or incest. Walsh is taking it a step further — banning abortion to save the life of the mother.

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