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11:14 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Daft Punk: Accessing Electronic Music's Humanity

Credit David Black / Courtesy of the artist
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter are the two men behind Daft Punk.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 1:08 pm

I freely admit that, until the new Random Access Memories, I wasn't much of a Daft Punk fan. I could appreciate the craft and imagination that went into creating the French duo's mixture of electronic genres — techno, house, disco — but the mechanical repetitions and heavily filtered vocals didn't turn me on in any other way.

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Shots - Health News
11:08 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Fifteen Years After A Vaccine Scare, A Measles Epidemic

Credit Geoff Caddick / AFP/Getty Images
Luke Tanner, 7, gets vaccinated for measles at a clinic near Swansea, Wales, in April. Wales is at the center of a measles outbreak that has been linked to one death.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:43 am

Great Britain is in the midst of a measles epidemic, one that public health officials say is the result of parents refusing to vaccinate their children after a safety scare that was later proved to be fraudulent.

More than 1,200 people have come down with measles so far this year, following nearly 2,000 cases in 2012. Many of the cases have been in Wales.

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The Two-Way
10:50 am
Wed May 22, 2013

'I Have Not Done Anything Wrong,' Says Key IRS Official

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Internal Revenue Service Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner as she was sworn in at a hearing held Wednesday by the House Committee On Oversight & Government Reform.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 12:11 pm

"I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations."

That was the word Wednesday morning from Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the political storm over the agency's targeting of some conservative groups that were given extra scrutiny from 2010 into 2012.

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The Salt
10:00 am
Wed May 22, 2013

How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 10:52 am

An international group of plant pathologists has solved a historical mystery behind Ireland's Great Famine.

Sure, scientists have known for a while that a funguslike organism called Phytophthora infestans was responsible for the potato blight that plagued Ireland starting in the 1840s. But there are many different strains of the pathogen that cause the disease, and scientists have finally discovered the one that triggered the Great Famine.

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The Two-Way
9:48 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Man Killed By FBI In Florida Was Linked To Boston Suspect

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:50 am

In Orlando, Fla., early Wednesday "an FBI agent was involved in a deadly shooting connected to the Boston Marathon bombing case," NBC News is reporting. A man who was being questioned by the agent is dead. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston and Carrie Johnson have also confirmed the news.

Just how firm the man's alleged connection to the marathon case is, though, remains unclear.

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Around the Nation
9:29 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Drummer Waits For Gas, Uses Time Along Highway To Practice

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Linda Wertheimer. A drummer in Baltimore pulled off the interstate yesterday, out of gas. So he pulled his drum kit out of the trunk and sat up on the shoulder and played along with traffic. When a state trooper pulled up, drummer boy explained he was just biding his time until help arrived, practicing his chops. He got away without a ticket and with the gift of gas from the highway department. Rock on. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

U.S.
9:29 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Oklahoma's Gov. Fallin On Life-Saving, Recovery Efforts

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 1:05 pm

David Greene talks to Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin about the cleanup and recovery efforts in her state after Monday's tornado that devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore.

The Two-Way
8:33 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Eric Garcetti Wins L.A. Mayor's Race

Credit Lucy Nicholson / Reuters /Landov
Incoming Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrated with supporters late Tuesday in Hollywood.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:13 am

The next mayor of Los Angeles will be City Councilman Eric Garcetti.

In a race in which the two top contenders were both Democrats, the 42-year-old Garcetti has opened a 7- to 8-percentage-point lead over City Controller Wendy Greuel as Tuesday's votes are being counted.

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Around the Nation
8:26 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Can Anything Be Done To Tornado Proof A House?

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 9:29 am

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

As you heard, repairing the physical damage to Moore, Oklahoma will take a long time. Reducing that time and the damage these storms cause is something Andrew Graettinger is working on. He's a civil engineer, a professor at the University of Alabama, and he was part of a study that looked at the structural impact of the 2011 tornados that ripped through Joplin, Missouri and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He joins us now. Good morning, Dr. Graettinger.

ANDREW GRAETTINGER: Good morning.

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Sports
8:26 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Plenty Of Overtime NHL Playoff Games Attributed To Parity

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 9:29 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Let's talk hockey this morning. In the NHL playoffs last night, the last two Stanley Cup champions were both in action. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers, giving the Bruins a three games-to-nothing lead in their second round series. But the reigning champion, Los Angeles Kings, lost to the San Jose Sharks and their series is now tied at two and two.

Joining me now to talk hockey is NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman. Hey, Tom.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, David.

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