American Falls District Library

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to rule out a separate vote on abortion restrictions in health overhaul legislation as the House Rules Committee worked to set the terms for floor debate and a final vote Sunday.

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The strongest sandstorm so far this year hit the country's north, delaying some flights at Beijing's airport and prompting a dust warning for South Korea's capital. China's expanding deserts now cover one-third of the country because of deforestation, urban sprawl and drought.

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You'd think it would take an army to truth-squad the rapid-fire rumors of the World Wide Web. But at Snopes.com, that task falls to husband-and-wife myth debunkers David and Barbara Mikkelson.

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A Lehman Brothers whistleblower warned his bosses that accounting gimmicks the bank used before its collapse may have been illegal, his lawyer said Friday.

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Pope Benedict XVI rebuked Irish bishops Saturday for "grave errors of judgment" in handling clerical sex abuse and ordered a Vatican investigation into the Irish church to wipe out the scourge.

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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says there are representatives who have not publicly indicated that they will support this legislation, but will step forward to give it the 216 necessary votes for passage.

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At the South by Southwest Music Festival this week in Austin, Texas, one of the most exclusive events was an unofficial, invitation-only concert — at the Travis County Correctional Complex. Wayne Kramer of MC5, Billy Bragg, and others were there to launch a music therapy initiative called Jail Guitar Doors.

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Washington was swept up in drama this week as the health care debate finally came to a vote. Obama also signed his jobs bill, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Russia. Host Scott Simon reviews the week's news with NPR News Analyst Juan Williams.

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The Catholic bishops have lobbied hard to get Catholic members of Congress to oppose the current health care bill because of language it says could allow some federal funding of abortion. The Catholic hospital group differs on the interpretation of the abortion language and the relative importance of the rest of the bill.

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The arrest of senior Afghan Taliban figures in Pakistan ended secret talks between the Taliban and the United Nations, according the former head of the U.N. mission in Kabul. U.N. representative Kai Eide, who stepped down this month, says the capture of more than a dozen Taliban members, some through joint U.S. Pakistan operations, effectively derailed the possibility of continuing dialogue about settling the war in Afghanistan. But Pakistan says there was no intention to sabotage anything.

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President Barack Obama packed the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Friday for one more health care rally. Speaking to students in a swing state, Obama hoped to put a bit of his campaign magic on the legislative drive to overhaul the nation's health care system.

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A big rally demanding comprehensive immigration reform is expected Sunday, but don't expect much action from Congress on the issue. Comprehensive reform is not a winner in an election year for Democrats; they'll have to give it a nod, but they are unlikely to take it on along with health care, financial regulations and jobs.

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President Obama has a sure vote in Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House Majority Leader, who is trying to rally and convince any wavering Democrats. Host Scott Simon talks to Hoyer about the revised health care bill.

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As parts of South Dakota struggle with flooding due mostly to extremely heavy snowmelt, some residents are struggling to stay in their towns. Roads leading into the town of Claremont, population 500, are under water and residents are using tractors and ATVs to access their town. Jenifer Jones of South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports.

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For all the talk of unity and reconciliation, many Iraqi citizens are in for a shock when the new parliament swears in. Several of the winners, including top vote-getters, are believed to have committed mass murder during Iraq's sectarian civil war. One of the names bandied about as a compromise candidate for prime minister allegedly managed a secret prison where Sunnis died by electric drill. Another is a famous death squad leader. With the results finally crystallizing, it's not at all clear that this election will heal any of Iraq's wounds.

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The NCAA men's basketball tournament featured more surprises as first-round play continued Friday. Cornell, Missouri and Georgia Tech were all underdog winners.

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U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ripped into the $657 million deal to compensate workers sickened by ash and dust from the collapsed World Trade Center. He said the figure was too low and workers did not have enough time to decide whether to accept the deal. "I will not preside over a settlement that is based on fear or ignorance," he said.

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Swedish artist Lars Vilks has lived with a $100,000 bounty on his head since 2007 for a drawing he made depicting the Prophet Muhammad. But unlike the angry protest that erupted in 2005 after similar cartoons were published in Denmark, Swedes have remained largely silent on the controversy.

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All of the 33 children that U.S. missionaries tried to take out of Haiti after the deadly January earthquake have been returned to their parents. But at least one mother says that she would consider giving up her children for a better life elsewhere than subject them to the desperate living conditions in Haiti.

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Dodgers Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully was released from a hospital Friday after a night of observation following a fall and a bumped on the head. Scully, 82, issued a statement thanking people for their thoughts and prayers and apologizing for any concerns he caused.

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