Search results for

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS reports firefighters in rural San Diego County, California are beginning to make progress today against a wildfire that's scorched more than 10-thousand acres and destroyed a handful of backcountry homes. The fast-moving blaze temporarily closed two Indian casinos, and halted mail delivery in the area for the first time in more than a decade.

Two more U.S. soldiers are killed in Iraq -- one in an area controlled by Shiites that has until now been relatively calm. And an American special operations soldier dies after a "hostile fire" incident in Afghanistan. A U.S. plea for military help from U.N. allies to restore order in Iraq is not gaining much support. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

NPR's Edward Lifson reports on the rebuilding of Bosnia. The area has been quiet for nearly a year and hopes for easing unemployment lies heavily on the reconstruction. The United States has loaned money, as has the Islamic community. Glass is being installed, roofs are being built over burnt out houses. The rush is on to beat the winter weather. But Bosnians know that rebuilding their country will be a long-term struggle.

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS in San Diego reports that California residents may face higher gas prices as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision yesterday. The court upheld a patent held by Unocal Corp on the reformulated gasoline that is used in California and in many other urban areas around the country. Now the major oil companies will have to begin paying royalties to Unocal.

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi vows to hold parliamentary elections in January, as planned. U.S. forces are planning an all-out offensive on insurgent-held areas to help ensure elections can take place, according to a report in The New York Times. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden, retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner, and professor Fawaz Gerges.

Hollywood's biggest night --- the 81st Annual Academy Awards — is just around the corner. This year's nominees represent a broad range portrayals, from growing up in India's poorest areas and a man who ages backwards, to a mother who is facing an unthinkable family tragedy. Author and film historian Esther Iverem takes listeners inside the race for the Oscars, and looks at nominees of color.

Grand Rapids Area Library Children's Librarian Tracy Kampa has been giving us her book recommendations throughout the fall and she's been counting the days until the Newbery and Caldecott book awards, which were just announced on Monday. Tracy joins our staff librarian and What We're Reading producer Tammy Bobrowsky to go over the results.

Angry civilians attacked U.N. offices in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing U.N. peacekeeping troops of failing to protect them. Rebels are making gains against government troops in the region. Michael Kavanagh, a reporter trapped in a U.N. base in Goma, says the U.N. troops are too few in number to protect the vast area of 8 million people.

Authorities confirm that the white powder found Monday in the offices of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is the deadly toxin ricin. Three Senate office buildings have been closed; Senate staffers and Capitol Hill police officers who were near the area where the ricin was discovered Monday have reportedly not been exposed to dangerous levels of the poison. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

News of Thursday's bomb attacks in London meet with condemnation in Kabul. A moderate former Taliban official says he watched the TV coverage with anger -- like many in his area, he has relatives in London. But he also believes that the attacks will strengthen terrorist organizations, providing it's another reminder to their grassroots supporters that al Qaeda is capable of mounting sophisticated attacks on Western powers.

Catholic worshippers across the country express their feelings about last week's meeting between American cardinals and Pope John Paul II. Some parishioners are satisfied with the Church's statements on sexually abusive priests -- while others feel more should be done. We hear voices from Washington, D.C., as well as reports from Missy Shelton from member station KSMU in Springfield, Missouri, and Bellamy Pailthorpe from member station KPLU in Seattle.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Kathryn Blume, co-founder of The Lysistrata Project, a coordinated schedule of world-wide readings of the play Lysistrata on March 3, 2003. The ancient Greek play tells the story of a woman who organizes a stand against war, getting women on both sides of a conflict to withhold sex from their husbands until the men agree to sign a peace treaty. She hopes the readings will mobilize an international theatrical voice against the Bush administration's war on Iraq.

NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports on the diplomatic tangle with China over its failure to curb counterfeiting of American intellectual property. Computer software, CDs, and numerous other easily copied goods continue to pour out of China a year after the Chinese government agreed to crack down on this trade. American companies say they're losing billions, but they don't speak with one voice. Microsoft, for example, wants sanctions, but Boeing fears the Chinese will retaliate by buying planes elsewhere.

Singer Patty Griffin has released three albums. Her latest, 1,000 Kisses, is the most spare, the most acoustic, and perhaps the most heart-wrenching. Host Howard Berkes talks to Patty Griffin about the sadness in her voice and her lyrics. They also talk about Bruce Springsteen, singing in Spanish, and the power of a good Texas rain. (1,000 Kisses is on ATO Records. www.atorecords.com. Patty Griffin's website is www.pattygriffin.com.)

Bob Mondello interviews a performance artist who has written an article in the latest issue of the academic quarterly "Theater Magazine." It recounts the months he insinuated himself into various right-wing militia organizations for the purpose of creating performance art. He used disguises and subtrefuges, costumes, voices, false names. He then made films to document his encounters. He is continuing this pursuit, and so elected not to use his real name for NPR's interview, and uses the pseudonym he used for the article -- Blanche Davidian. He talks to Bob about his dual role as activist and artist, about the links between art and social change, politics, and grassroots discussion, and about his technique and performances. (12:30) (S

This week, members of Congress looked at some so-called "smart guns" that are being manufactured by different companies. Linda speaks with Doug Weiss, author of the "Smart Gun Technology Project Final Report" about the various new technologies available which could prevent anyone except the owner of a gun from using it. Weiss discusses fingerprint identification, voice recognition, and touch memory. He says the most promising technology is radio frequency tags. But he warns that even that technological solutions have many problems.

Citizens in Dearborn, Mich., get a chance to voice their opinions on media deregulation Tuesday. The town hall meeting is one in a series of efforts to deal with a public outcry over an action by the Federal Communications Commission. Last year, the FCC voted to allow single companies to own more TV and radio stations ... and to own a newspaper and broadcast outlet in the same market. The F-C-C received more than 2 million letters protesting the vote. Hear reporter Paul Ingles.