The Two-Way
11:53 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Bank Bailout Fund Floated As Way To Calm Crisis In Europe

Credit Dominique Faget / AFP/Getty Images
The Spanish bank Bankia in Madrid has asked the government to inject $24 billion. The European Commission is proposing a "banking union" to help eurozone governments rescue banks.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 4:22 pm

There have been very few days lately when worries about Europe's debt crisis weren't growing.

As Spain struggles to shore up its third-largest bank with a $24 billion bailout, the country's borrowing costs continue to go through the roof as fears lingered about a possible run on its banks.

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Economy
11:44 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Is Subprime Lending Making A Comeback?

Auto sales are on the rise in Detroit, and not just for people with perfect credit. Chrysler and other companies are targeting customers with subprime credit, and giving them interest rates well above what you might imagine. Host Michel Martin speaks with NPR's Sonari Glinton about who's doing it, and what it might mean for the economic recovery.

World
11:44 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Racial Tensions Boil Over In Israel

Originally published on Sun June 3, 2012 8:31 am

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, the auto industry is bouncing back and at least some of that recovery is thanks to subprime lending. We talk to NPR's Sonari Glinton about which carmakers are floating loans to customers with less than pristine credit. We'll talk about whether that's a problem or not.

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World
11:44 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Is Kofi Annan's Mission Dead In Syria?

There's new shelling in the Syrian city of Homs, just one day after the government was widely condemned for a massacre of more than 100 people in Houla. Also Egyptians protest election results. Host Michel Martin gets the latest developments in the Middle East and North Africa from Al Jazeera International's Abderrahim Foukara.

The Two-Way
10:57 am
Wed May 30, 2012

'I Could No Longer Bear Witness To Such Barbaric Crimes,' Syrian Says

Credit University of California Irvine Foundation
Hazem Chehabi.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 2:22 pm

The man who has represented the interests of Syrians living in Southern California as honorary consul general there has resigned from the volunteer position because he "could no longer bear witness to such barbaric crimes" by the regime of President Bashar Assad.

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World Cafe
10:51 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Yann Tiersen On World Cafe

Credit Jeff Rabillon

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 4:34 pm

The music of multi-instrumentalist Yann Tiersen breaks the constraints of form, yet each track is built around poignant, emotional melodies. Tiersen quickly abandoned the academy training of his early childhood, smashing his violin and adopting the electric guitar instead. He began recording in the summer of 1993, and first found commercial success in his native France with 1998's Le Phare, recorded in two months on the island of Ouessant.

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Shots - Health Blog
10:36 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Employers Less Likely To Drop Coverage Than You Might Think

Credit iStockphoto.com
Employers are bruised by health costs, but most aren't thinking about dropping coverage just yet.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 3:52 pm

When it comes to businesses providing health coverage for employees, there's a mad dash for the exits, right?

Maybe not, according to a recent survey of more than 1,300 U.S. employers of varying sizes. Consultants at Oliver Wyman's health practice wondered how employers are weighing the increasing costs of providing health insurance and the potential exit strategy paths available under the federal health law (if it survives the Supreme Court).

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It's All Politics
10:33 am
Wed May 30, 2012

For Romney, The People May Trump The Money In Associating With The Donald

Credit Mary Altaffer / AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney walks past Donald Trump's airplane as he arrives in Las Vegas on Tuesday, where he met with Trump for a fundraiser.

Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 12:52 pm

The latest variant of the presidential election parlor game we call "What Were They Thinking?" asks why Mitt Romney chose this moment in his quest for the White House to become involved with Donald Trump.

Here's a contrarian guess by way of an answer: populism. Bear with me for a moment of explanation.

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The Two-Way
10:06 am
Wed May 30, 2012

White House Offers Regrets For President Referring To 'Polish Death Camp'

Credit Keystone / Getty Images
The gates of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, Poland. (1965 file photo.)

President Obama misspoke Tuesday when he referred to a "Polish death camp" and "we regret the misstatement," White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor has told reporters.

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The Two-Way
9:31 am
Wed May 30, 2012

Ex-Rutgers Student Offers First 'Clear Apology' For Spying On Roommate

Credit Mel Evans / AP
Dharun Ravi in court on May 21.

"I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices" and apologize "to everyone affected by those choices." With those words, Dharun Ravi has offered what's being called his first "clear apology" for setting up a webcam to spy on his gay roommate in September 2010.

That spying shortly preceded roommate Tyler Clementi's suicide.

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