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The End Of The Space Shuttle Era
2:02 pm
Mon April 16, 2012

Shuttle Discovery To Make Final Flight, Atop A 747

Credit Kim Shiflett / NASA
The space shuttle Discovery is loaded onto the back of a modified 747 at Kennedy Space Center on April 15. The plane will ferry the shuttle to Washington, D.C., on April 17, where it will be permanently installed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

On Tuesday morning, space shuttle Discovery will become the first of NASA's three shuttles — plus a shuttle prototype — to travel to its new retirement home.

NASA flew its last shuttle flight in July. Since then, it's been prepping the spaceships to become museum displays. And even though the shuttles are headed to places like Los Angeles and New York rather than the space station, figuring out how to get them there has still been a major undertaking.

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Interviews
1:55 pm
Mon April 16, 2012

'Our Challenges Are Complex,' First Lady Says

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
First lady Michelle Obama says raising her two daughters in the White House "has been less stressful than I would have imagined." Seen here at the White House in March, the first lady's new project aims to help military veterans and their families.

Originally published on Tue April 17, 2012 8:52 am

First lady Michelle Obama wears many hats in the White House. In addition to being President Obama's closest confidante, she's also a mother whose two daughters are growing up in one of the most public homes in America.

And as first lady, Mrs. Obama has taken on her own signature public issues, as well.

Her Let's Move campaign has brought attention to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. She has encouraged children to eat right and get plenty of exercise.

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Shots - Health Blog
1:42 pm
Mon April 16, 2012

Plastic Surgeons Say Demand Is Surging For Chin Enhancements

Credit Maciej Laska / iStockphoto.com
Plastic surgeons see a surge in demand from those of us without naturally chiseled chins.

Originally published on Wed April 18, 2012 1:26 pm

Chin up. Literally.

A big group of plastic surgeons say that chin enhancement was the fastest growing surgical procedure they performed for cosmetic purposes in the U.S. last year — up 71 percent to 20,680 operations.

Now, it's still a small number, overall, compared with breast augmentation, the No. 1 procedure at 307,180. But those surgeries rose only 4 percent in 2011 compared with 2010.

Chin work was most popular out west, which is true for most cosmetic procedures. The Northeast came in second.

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Governing
1:40 pm
Mon April 16, 2012

Expert: Proud Secret Service 'Furious' Over Incident

Credit Carolyn Kaster / AP
President Obama speaks at the San Pedro Claver church in Cartagena, Colombia, on Sunday. An expert on the Secret Service tells NPR that Obama's security was never breached in the incident that led to 11 U.S. Secret Service agents being sent home amid allegations that they hired prostitutes in Cartagena.

The Secret Service, which has been offering protection to presidents since 1902, has long enjoyed one of the most sterling reputations of any government agency.

That reputation has been tarnished by allegations that agents hired prostitutes in Colombia in advance of President Obama's trip there.

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The Record
1:00 pm
Mon April 16, 2012

Andrew Love Of The Memphis Horns Has Died

Credit Gilles Petard / Redferns
Andrew Love (left) and Wayne Jackson pose for a studio portrait in 1965.

Saxophonist Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns has died. Love, who had Alzheimer's disease, died on April 12 at his home in Memphis. He was 70 years old.

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Around the Nation
12:38 pm
Mon April 16, 2012

For One Soldier, Rap Is A Powerful Postwar Weapon

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 7:53 am

When Jeff Barillaro came home from fighting the war in Iraq, he felt lost, like thousands of veterans do. He didn't have a mission anymore.

But now, through music, he's found one: Under the stage name Soldier Hard, Barillaro raps — about how war has changed troops and their families. Other vets and their family members are now turning to his music, because they say he's speaking to them.

On a recent morning, the National Guard Armory in Evansville, Ind., looks and sounds like any military base in the country.

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The Two-Way
11:35 am
Mon April 16, 2012

Pulitzer Prizes Coming Up

(The awards were announced just after 3 p.m. ET.)

For its "distinguished ... reporting on significant issues of local concern," reporter Sara Ganim and The Patriot News of Harrisburg, Pa., have won a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for uncovering the so-called Penn State scandal.

Other prize winners, which were just announced, include:

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NPR Story
11:22 am
Mon April 16, 2012

Op-Ed: North Korea Gets Too Many Second Chances

The United Nations Security Council issued a strong condemnation after North Korea's failed satellite launch attempt. Such condemnations were also issued in 2006 and 2009. In a piece in Foreign Affairs, Dartmouth College government professor Jennifer Lind argues that North Korea gets too many second chances.

The Salt
10:41 am
Mon April 16, 2012

Fast Food In The U.S. Has Way More Salt Than In Other Countries

Credit iStockphoto.com
In the United States, you get the extra salt for free.

Originally published on Mon April 23, 2012 12:46 pm

Want extra salt with that fast-food meal? Then buy it in the United States, where chicken dishes, pizzas, and even salads are loaded with far more salt than in Europe and Australia, according to new research.

The McDonald's Chicken McNuggets in the United States have more than twice as much salt as their sister nuggets in the United Kingdom. That's 1.6 grams of salt for every 100 grams of American nugget, compared with 0.6 grams in the U.K.

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The Two-Way
10:15 am
Mon April 16, 2012

World Bank Chooses U.S.-Backed Kim To Be Its Next President

The World Bank's executive directors have chosen Dr. Jim Yong Kim to be the development agency's next president.

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