Mark Memmott

Rupert Murdoch And Wife Wendi Are Divorcing

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:53:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjjUhelc81o

Will Rain-Disrupted U.S. Open Be Too Easy, Or Hard As Ever?

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:15:00 +0000

After being suspended less than two hours after the first players teed off, play is set to resume early Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Open golf championship, which this year is being held at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., outside Philadelphia.

Positive Signs: Jobless Claims Drop, Retail Sales Rise

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:38:00 +0000

The number of first-time claims for unemployment insurance has dropped back down to one of its lowest levels since January 2008, the Employment and Training Administration says.

According to that agency, there were 334,000 initial claims filed last week, down 12,000 from the week before.

Also Thursday morning, the Census Bureau reported that retail sales rose 0.6 percent in May from April.

Natural DNA Cannot Be Patented, Supreme Court Rules

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:48:00 +0000

In a decision that could have broad-reaching effects on the future of science and medicine, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that:

-- "A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated."

-- But, synthetically created "strands of nucleotides known as composite DNA (cDNA)" are "patent eligible" because they do not occur naturally.

The case, TMZ.com broke the news that Aldrin let loose with his real opinion during taping of Spike TV's Guys Choice awards, which airs Thursday at 9 p.m.

At Least 93,000 Syrians Have Died During Conflict, U.N. Says

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:08:00 +0000

"The constant flow of killings continues at shockingly high levels," the U.N.

Colorado Fires: New Evacuations, More Homes Burned

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:07:00 +0000

Update at 7:15 p.m. ET. Two Deaths Reported:

The El Paso County Sheriff says that two bodies were recovered Thursday in the burn area of the Black Forest fire near Colorado Springs. A "coroner investigation is ongoing," the department says.

The sheriff's office also says that the Black Forest fire is 5 percent contained, with 15, 700 acres in the burn area. Some 38,000 people have been evacuated from 13,000 homes, the department says.

VIDEO: Gov. Christie Slow Jammin' The News With Jimmy Fallon

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:36:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCRUHePqyU4

Thriller On The Ice: Blackhawks Beat Bruins In Triple OT

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:14:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYQlSRdsJ9k

So Far Not So Bad As Storms Head East, But Threat Remains

Mark Memmott — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:26:00 +0000

The good news is that "a massive storm system originally forecast to affect one in five Americans from Iowa to Maryland surged Thursday toward the Mid-Atlantic after largely failing to live up to its billing in ferocity through the Upper Midwest."

The bad news, The Associated Press adds, is that "while the Midwest dodged a derecho, several tornadoes, large

Legos Are Getting Angrier And That's Not Funny, Study Says

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:28:00 +0000

This is not from The Onion:

"The number of happy faces on Lego toy mini-figures is decreasing and the number of angry faces is increasing, a University of Canterbury robot expert says."

That's correct.

50 Years Later, Medgar Evers' Widow Relives The Pain

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:39:00 +0000

As NPR's Debbie Elliott has reported for Morning Edition and on the Code Switch blog, "for Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain NAACP leader Medgar Evers, the memories of 1963 are still raw."

"Medgar became No. 1 on the Mississippi 'to kill' list," Evers-Williams told NPR. "And we never knew from one day to the next what would happen. I lived in fear of losing him.

Soccer Star Lionel Messi And His Father Accused Of Tax Fraud

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:43:00 +0000

Lionel Messi, the Argentine superstar who is generally thought of as the best soccer player in the world these days, has been accused of tax fraud by Spanish authorities.

Reuters reports that Messi and his father are suspected of filing false returns.

Public's Opinion Of George W. Bush Is Turning Positive

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:58:00 +0000

For the first time since 2005, when George W.

Live Blog: Boston Gangster Whitey Bulger Goes On Trial

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:36:00 +0000

Whitey Bulger is finally getting his day in court.

Our colleagues at WBUR are in the courtroom Wednesday as the infamous gangster's trial begins. He's accused of 19 murders and racketeering. As we wrote last week, James "Whitey" Bulger was captured in California nearly two years ago — after 16 years on the run.

Colorado Fires: Thousands of Homes Evacuated, Prisoners Moved

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:01:00 +0000

More than 900 prisoners were evacuated from a state prison near Colorado Springs, Colo., early Wednesday as one of four wildfires across the Front Range moved toward the facility, The Associated Press writes.

About 2,500 homes and businesses in northeast El Paso County have also been evacuated, according to The Denver Post.

Colorado Public Radio's Megan Verlee tel

Spurs Blow Out The Heat, Take 2-1 Lead In NBA Finals

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:03:00 +0000

The Spurs were red hot Tuesday night, not the Heat.

San Antonio blew out Miami in Game 3 of the NBA finals, winning 113-77 and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Led by Danny Green and Gary Neal, the Spurs went on a tear — hitting a Finals record 16 shots from beyond the three-point arc.

Experts Doubt NSA Leaker's Claim About Wiretaps

Mark Memmott — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:40:00 +0000

Edward Snowden's claim that as systems administrator for a defense contractor in Hawaii he had the authority "to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president," just isn't plausible, says a former national security lawyer at the Justice Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

On Morning Edition, NPR's Steve Henn zeroed in on some of the things surveillance and data-collection programs being run by the National Security Agency.

Described most succinctly as a "columnist on civil liberties and U.S.

Booz Allen Says It Fired NSA Leaker Snowden On Monday

Mark Memmott — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:18:00 +0000

The defense contractor that most recently employed self-proclaimed NSA leaker Edward Snowden says it fired him on Monday, one day after the 29-year-old went public about his claims and the classified information he says he gave to news outlets:

"Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, was an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, ass

Is New England The Right Fit For Tim Tebow?

Mark Memmott — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:40:00 +0000

The New England Patriots' website just confirmed the news that quarterback Tim Tebow is joining the team.

So the stories by NFL.com, The Boston Glo

See-Through Pants Problem Behind Her, Lululemon CEO To Leave

Mark Memmott — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:08:00 +0000
Saying that "now is the right time to bring in a CEO who will drive the next phase of Lululemon's development and growth," the yoga and athletic clothing company's chief has announced she's stepping down.
Christine Day will stay on in her job until a successor is found, Lululemon says.
Her decision comes as the company is restocking its stores with newly redesigned black yoga pants secrets he has revealed about the nation's surveillance programs includes:
-- "He appears to have vanished," NPR's Dina Temple-Raston tells our Newscast Desk. Snowden, she reports, "was in a hotel on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong until Monday.

In Istanbul, Police Move Against Anti-Government Protesters

Mark Memmott — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:00:00 +0000
Update at 8:42 p.m. ET. Unrest May Continue All Night:
As Tuesday night wore into Wednesday morning, Turkish riot police were clashing with demonstrators in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Barrages of tear gas were fired into the square, where several fires burned on vehicles and other material. Some protesters were equipped with gas masks.
Speaking on television Tuesday, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he will not bend to the protesters' demands.

With Nod To 'Texts From Hillary' Guys, Clinton Joins Twitter

Mark Memmott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:59:00 +0000

"Thanks for the inspiration @ASmith83 & @Sllambe - I'll take it from here...

For Bobby Fischer, WikiLeaks & NSA Leaker, Iceland Is Haven

Mark Memmott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:50:00 +0000
Edward Snowden, the former CIA and Booz Allen computer security technician who says he leaked information about National Security Agency surveillance programs, has told The Guardian that he wants "to seek asylum in a country with shared values."<

No Decisions Yet On The Most-Anticipated Supreme Court Cases

Mark Memmott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:32:00 +0000
There's no big news again today from the U.S. Supreme Court — which is sort-of big news in itself because it means we're still waiting for the justices' decisions on these major cases:
-- Fisher v. University of Texas, a key test of affirmative action in higher education.
-- Shelby County v.

Top Stories: NSA; Santa Monica Killings; Immigration Debate

Mark Memmott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:02:00 +0000
Good morning.
Our early headlines:
-- Who Is Edward Snowden, The NSA Leaker?
-- Trayvon Martin Killing: 2 Sides Want Very Different Jurors.
-- After Igniting In 2nd Half, Heat Easi

Trayvon Martin Killing: 2 Sides Want Very Different Jurors

Mark Memmott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:42:00 +0000
Nearly 16 months after the shooting death of African-American teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., the man charged with second-degree murder is due in court Monday for the start of his trial.
According to experts interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel, the prosecution and defense will be looking for very different kinds of people to sit on th

After Igniting In 2nd Half, Heat Easily Beat Spurs In Game 2

Mark Memmott — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:50:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7hHcrm7xlc