Search results for

NPR's John Ydstie reports that once again the economy has outperformed expectations. The nation's gross domestic product increased five-point-two-percent in the second quarter, a much faster pace than most economists expected and a bit faster than growth in the first quarter. But even as overall growth sped up, inflation cooled off.

NPR's John Burnett reports on the case of Cesar Fierro, a Mexican national who is on death row for killing an El Paso taxi driver. Fierro confessed to the crime - but now, even the prosecutor in the case admits that the confession was coerced. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the error was harmless, and Fierro's chances at a new trial are remote.

Noah Adams speaks with John Powers, who covers the Olympics for the Boston Globe. Powers has been following the series of arbitration cases by American athletes who say they should not have been passed over for the US Olympic team. Major cases include athletes in wrestling, cycling, and softball. Powers says a lot of the cases involve the way in which athletes are chosen for the teams.

Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush spent a second day barnstorming California today, bringing along the man who nearly derailed him back in the primaries. Once a rival, Arizona Senator John McCain has become a cheerleader for Bush, and the two are showing off their newfound camaraderie. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Linda from Salinas, California.

NPR's John Burnett reports that as the bottom falls out of the Texas ranch economy, ranchers are turning to economic diversification -- such as ranch tourism -- to preserve their holdings. Tourism includes hosting mountain bike events or charging for admission to the bat cave. Some put a twist on the Tom Sawyer story by charging visitors to help with the ranch work.

There have been many political dynasties in the United States, but only two presidential sons have risen to be nominated for president in their own right. John Quincy Adams... and George W. Bush. The Bush clan never uses the word dynasty, of course, but it's hard to miss the importance of family in this political year. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports on the importance of being a Bush.

The longest continuously running radio program in the world ended today. Rambling with Gambling was 75 years old. It had been on WOR in New York City since 1925 -- always hosted by someone named John Gambling: father, son and grandson. It was a morning program that started as an exercise show and became light talk, music, news and traffic & weather.

NPR's John Ydstie reports Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan gave an upbeat assessment of the U.S. economy today. Greenspan told members of the Senate Banking Committee the economy shows signs of slowing to a more sustainable pace and that reduces the risk of accelerating inflation. Stock and bond markets both rallied on the suggestion that Fed might leave interest rates alone when it meets next in August.

The Bush administration issues long-awaited revisions to clean-air regulations, allowing utilities, refineries and manufacturers to avoid having to install expensive new anti-pollution equipment when modernizing plants. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

David Rockefeller, grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller and a chief architect of the family's philanthropic efforts, has published his memoirs at age 87. He speaks with NPR's Scott Simon.

Chris Baty believes everybody has a novel within them. Some people simply still need to get it down on paper. He's organized National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, to try to encourage that. John Ydstie talks with Chris Baty about NaNoWriMo.

NPR's John McChesney reports that Visa and Mastercard have agreed on a single technical standard that they say will allow for secure purchases over the Internet. The two credit card giants had been pursuing different systems with conflicting security specifications. Today's announcement means banks and consumers will not have to worry about choosing one system over the other.

NPR's John Ydstie reports the Federal Reserve cut short-term interest rates by a quarter-point today. Policymakers at the Fed cut the Fed Funds rate -- the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans -- to 5.25 percent. It was the third time in the last six months the Fed has moved to lower rates over concern about weakness in the economy.

Five years ago this weekend, the U.S. was about to go to war with Iraq. For the record, we play excerpts from the Congressional debate that preceded a vote authorizing President George Bush to use force. We hear from republican Robert Michel, who was Senate Minority Leader; and from Congressman John Lewis, a democrat from Georgia.

NPR's John McChesney reports the online service Compuserve says it plans to reopen access to nearly 200 sexually-oriented discussion groups to all but its German customers by the end of the month. Compuserve closed the forums after prosecutors in Germany said some of the material in the groups violated German obscenity laws.

Medical ethicist ART CAPLAN. Director of the Center for Bioethics and Trustee Professor of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. This is a continuation of yesterday's interview with CAPLAN. His most recent book is "Moral Matters: Ethical Issues in Medicine and the Life Sciences." (John Wiley & Sons). (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW

Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary apologized today for mismanaging her expensive overseas official travel. But she also defended the trips, in her testimony before the House Commerce investigations subcommittee. O'Leary said her missions abroad generated business for American firms and benefitted U-S foreign policy. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that Iraq's acceptance of a U.N. plan that would allow Iraqi oil producers to export 2 billion dollars' worth of oil likely won't bring an immediate drop in the world's oil prices. But experts say U.S. consumers can expect to see lower prices at the gasoline pump in coming months as a result of the plan.

NPR's Deidre Berger reports from Berlin where Pope John Paul the Second celebrated mass yesterday in the stadium Adolf Hitler built for the Olympics of 1936. The Pope beatified two German priests for their resistance to the Third Reich. The Pope omitted some phrases of his prepared speech that claimed the "entire" Roman Catholic church had fought against the tyranny of the Nazis.

The U.S. trade deficit increased to its highest level in eight years as imports increased and exports failed to keep pace. NPR's John Ydstie talks with Robert about whether the widening of the nation's trade deficit is a good or a bad thing and what the prospects are for the future.