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Shots - Health News
2:39 am
Wed January 23, 2013

Rules Would Retire Most Research Chimps

Credit Save the Chimps
Two chimps groom each other at the Save the Chimps facility in Florida. The National Institutes of Health owns about 360 chimpanzees that aren't yet retired and that are living at research facilities; new guidelines say most of its chimps should be retired.

Originally published on Wed January 23, 2013 2:56 pm

The National Institutes of Health should retire most of its chimps that are currently living in research facilities, according to a working group put together by the NIH to look at the future need for biomedical research on chimps.

The group did recommend keeping a small number of chimps in reserve in case they are needed for studies later on. But it also laid out a detailed description of the kind of living conditions that would be needed for those chimps, and said any proposed research should go through a review committee that includes members of the public.

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Around the Nation
2:36 am
Wed January 23, 2013

Schussing Down Slopes Can Snowball Into A Search-And-Rescue Bill

Originally published on Wed January 23, 2013 8:02 am

Fresh snow lures a lot of people to do some outdoor exploring, but sometimes that exploring can go too far. When snowmobilers or skiers wander off or get in over their heads, many call 911, putting a strain on already underfunded search-and-rescue budgets.

In Vermont, state police have had to help find 50 lost skiers in the past four weeks.

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National Security
2:35 am
Wed January 23, 2013

Obama's Promise To Close Guantanamo Prison Falls Short

Originally published on Wed January 23, 2013 7:13 am

In one of his first acts as commander in chief, President Obama in 2009 signed an executive order to close the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

It was part of a campaign promise the president made, to close the camp and "determine how to deal with those who have been held there." But four years on, the controversial prison remains open.

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The Salt
2:33 am
Wed January 23, 2013

Farmers And Their Cooperative Settle Lawsuit On Fixing The Price Of Milk

Credit Peggy Lowe/Harvest Public Media
This 5-foot plexiglass piece of art resembling a freshly poured glass of milk sits near the door at Dairy Farmers of America headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.

Originally published on Wed January 23, 2013 8:01 am

Farmers who had hoped to get some answers on why prices for their raw milk went into free fall a decade ago were disappointed Tuesday by the settlement of a case accusing Dairy Farmers of America Inc. of creating a milk monopoly in the Southeast.

Dairy farmers and industry observers had hoped for their day in court after years of delays in the large class-action suit. But the day before the trial was to start in federal court in Tennessee, DFA announced a $158.6 million deal, saying it didn't want to risk going to trial.

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Shots - Health News
2:29 am
Wed January 23, 2013

Painkiller Paradox: Feds Struggle To Control Drugs That Help And Harm

Originally published on Wed January 23, 2013 12:38 pm

A few years ago, a doctor started prescribing Michael Israel painkillers for bad cramps in his gut. Israel had been struggling with Crohn's disease, a chronic digestive disorder, since he was a teenager.

"So he was prescribed, you know, Lortab, or Vicodin or whatever. You know, they would flip-flop it from one to another," says Avi Israel, Michael's father.

Then one day, Michael confessed that something was wrong.

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Sports
9:03 pm
Tue January 22, 2013

Sports Calendar's Black Hole Gives Us Time To Reflect On Sportswriters

Credit Tim Larsen / AP
According to commentator Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King — shown here during an event at Seton Hall Preparatory Academy in Dec. 2005 — is the champion model of sportswriters.

Originally published on Wed January 23, 2013 7:13 am

Sports fans are jealous of sportswriters, because it's a dream job where you get to watch games free, which is, above all, what sports fans want.

Once upon a time this was true. The sportswriters watched games, keeping score, me. . .tic. . . u. . . lous. . . ly, and then wrote it all up, so that the poor devils who had real jobs could read about the games.

Well, that's the way it was.

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It's All Politics
5:12 pm
Tue January 22, 2013

NAACP President On 'Commonality' of Selma, Seneca Falls and Stonewall

Originally published on Tue January 22, 2013 7:48 pm

In his inaugural address, President Obama made reference to historic events in the women's rights movement, the black civil rights movement and the gay rights movement.

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The Two-Way
5:11 pm
Tue January 22, 2013

Gen. John Allen Cleared In Inquiry Stemming From Petraeus Scandal

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
Marine Gen. John Allen.

Originally published on Tue January 22, 2013 5:57 pm

Marine Gen. John Allen has been cleared in a misconduct inquiry prompted by the extramarital-affair scandal that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus.

The Washington Post, which broke the story, reports:

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U.S.
4:52 pm
Tue January 22, 2013

States Become Battlegrounds For Nation's Deep Abortion Divide

Credit Orlin Wagner / AP
Abortion opponents march to a rally at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka, Kan., on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Kansas is among several states that have enacted new restrictions on abortion in recent years.

Originally published on Tue January 22, 2013 7:48 pm

Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Thousands of activists on both sides of the issue are holding rallies marking the day at state capitals across the country.

In the decades since the decision, abortion has been one of the most debated and legislated issues in the nation. And state legislatures, which are increasingly passing laws restricting abortion, have become the debate's key battlegrounds.

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The Two-Way
4:42 pm
Tue January 22, 2013

U.N. Security Votes To Tighten Sanctions On North Korea

Credit AFP/Getty Images
This picture taken by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on December 12, 2012 shows North Korean rocket Unha-3, carrying the satellite Kwangmyongsong-3.

In response to a December rocket launch, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously today to tighten sanctions on North Korea.

The United States said the new sanctions are an appropriate response to a "reckless" act.

NPR's Michele Kelemen filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"The security council resolution condemns the launch in December and adds North Korean companies, individuals and the the country's space agency to a sanctions list. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice says the council is sending a strong and united message.

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