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1:29 am
Wed July 4, 2012

Stated: The Declaration Of Independence

Originally published on Sat December 15, 2012 11:45 am

Twenty-four years ago, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: hosts, reporters, newscasters and commentators reading the Declaration of Independence.

It was 236 years ago this Wednesday that church bells rang out over Philadelphia, as the Continental Congress adopted Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Below is the original text of the Declaration, alongside photos of the NPR staff members and contributors who performed the reading.

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Those Who Serve
1:29 am
Wed July 4, 2012

Grandfathers' Stories Inspire Military Service

Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 8:04 am

A very small percentage of Americans are now serving in the military — fewer than 1 percent. Some are looking for direction. Others are inspired by a sense of patriotism or by a family member who served in an earlier war. On this Independence Day, we continue with an occasional series, Those Who Serve, a look at the men and women wearing their country's uniform during a time of war.

Capt. Jared Larpenteur is from Cajun Country in Louisiana. His family never expected he'd make the military his career.

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Deceptive Cadence
1:27 am
Wed July 4, 2012

From 'Glee' To Gettysburg: Brian Stokes Mitchell Speaks For Lincoln

Credit Doriane Raiman / NPR
Brian Stokes Mitchell records A Lincoln Portrait at NPR's Studio 4A in April.

Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 3:08 am

Aaron Copland is considered one of America's greatest composers. Among his most famous works is a tribute to an iconic figure in American history. In 1942, Copland wrote A Lincoln Portrait, which features a full orchestra playing while a narrator reads excerpts from Lincoln's speeches and other writings.

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Music Interviews
1:13 am
Wed July 4, 2012

Neil Young's Fascination With 'Americana'

Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 9:08 am

Sweetness And Light
8:03 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Joe Paterno's Legacy: Protect Players At All Costs

Credit Chris Szagola / AP
Joe Paterno walks the sidelines during warm-ups before a game between his Penn State Nittany Lions and the Temple Owls in Philadelphia last September. Paterno, who died in January, was fired on Nov. 9, four days after Jerry Sandusky was initially arrested on charges of sexually abusing 10 boys.

Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 6:39 am

It is not facetious to say that dying may not have been the worst thing to happen to Joe Paterno this past year.

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It's All Politics
5:27 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Did Roberts Flip On The Health Care Decision?

Credit Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Since the Supreme Court's health care ruling, there's been a lot of speculation about whether Chief Justice John Roberts changed his mind during the course of deliberations.

Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 12:00 pm

In the days since the Supreme Court's historic health care ruling, there has been a good deal of speculation about whether Chief Justice John Roberts changed his mind in the course of deliberations, deciding late in the game to uphold the constitutionality of most of the law.

Even before the decision was announced, conservative writers railed that liberals and the so-called mainstream media were trying to intimidate the chief justice.

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It's All Politics
5:00 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Michigan's GOP Governor Keeps To Middle Of The Road, Vetoes Voter ID Law

Credit John Flesher / AP
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed voter ID legislation on Tuesday.

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 5:15 pm

At first blush, it seems like a man-bites-dog story: a Republican governor vetoing voter ID legislation decried as voter suppression by Democratic critics of the bills.

But when you consider that the chief executive who wielded the veto pen Tuesday was Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan, the news becomes somewhat less surprising.

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Shots - Health Blog
4:15 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

New Home Test For HIV May Cut Down New Infections

Credit Chuck Zovko / AP
The Food and Drug Administration just approved the OraQuick test, which detects the presence of HIV in saliva collected using a mouth swab.

Originally published on Thu July 5, 2012 8:38 am

No infectious disease has ever been detectable by a test that consumers can buy over the counter and get quick results at home. But HIV isn't just any infection. It's a stubborn pandemic virus that's still making people sick and killing them 31 years after it first appeared – even though infection is easily prevented and effectively treated.

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Planet Money
3:59 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Does Medicaid Make People Healthier?

Credit Karen Roach / iStockphoto.com

Originally published on Wed July 11, 2012 3:08 pm

A while back, Robin Boros lost her job, and she and her husband couldn't afford health insurance.

One time, Boros passed out, and her husband called an ambulance.

"The hospital bill, it was atrocious," she says. "We couldn't pay it."

They never figured out why Boros passed out. But after that, she and her husband avoided going to the doctor. At times, she says, she even bought blood pressure medication on the street.

"That was awful," Boros says. "But you do what you got to do."

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Law
3:59 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Did The Chief Justice 'Evolve' On Health Care?

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 4:57 pm

Chief Justice John Roberts has been called to task by conservatives for siding with the more liberal justices to uphold President Obama's health care law. This week a CBS reporter said Roberts switched his views after at first siding with conservatives. Justices sometimes change their minds after the initial conference on a case as they circulate draft opinions, consult with colleagues and think about the issues. What's unusual was the leak which was an apparent attempt to undermine the chief justice. Nina Totenberg talks to Robert Siegel.

Latin America
3:16 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Colombia Relives Escobar's Reign Of Terror, On TV

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 6:21 pm

A generation ago, he terrorized Colombia with a wave of bombings and assassinations that nearly brought the state to its knees.

Now, nearly 20 years after Pablo Escobar was shot dead following a long manhunt by Colombian and American agents, the flamboyant chief of the Medellin cocaine cartel is being resurrected by Colombian television.

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The Two-Way
3:00 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Proposed California Bill Would Allow For More Than Two Parents

Credit Rich Pedroncelli / AP
State Sen. Mark Leno.

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 3:52 pm

It seems that around the country, the most fervent legal debate around modern families revolves around gay parents.

A California lawmaker is adding to that debate by challenging the notion that a child only has two parents. A bill proposed by Sen. Mark Leno would allow a child to have multiple parents, The Sacramento Bee reports.

Currently California law permits no more than two parents per child.

The Bee adds:

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The Two-Way
2:30 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Woman Sentenced To Read The Bible? Yes, But There's More To The Story

Credit iStockphoto.com

There's news from South Carolina that's beginning to get attention because of headlines like this:

-- "Judge Sentences Woman To Read Bible For Drunk Driving Conviction." (CBS Local in Charlotte)

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Middle East
2:26 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Tensions Grow Between Former Allies Syria, Turkey

Originally published on Tue July 3, 2012 5:06 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THING CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. Tensions are growing along the border between Turkey and Syria. Turkish troop reinforcements and anti-aircraft gunners were dispatched to the frontier after Syria shot down a Turkish military jet over the Mediterranean on June 22nd. The circumstances of the shoot-down are still in dispute.

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