3:14pm

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Costa Concordia Captain To Face Manslaughter Charges

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images

A judge in Italy on Wednesday ordered the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, to face charges of manslaughter.

Francesco Schettino, 52, is accused of negligence that led to the grounding of the ship and for abandoning the vessel while a rescue of the 4,200 passengers and crew was still underway.

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3:14pm

Wed May 22, 2013
Politics

Scandal Politics: The Downstream Effect

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 3:26 pm

Credit Olivier Douliery / Pool/Getty Images

Add this to the list of Democratic worries surrounding the wave of Obama administration scandals: the downstream effect.

It's prime candidate-recruiting season right now — the period in the two-year election cycle when officials in both parties fan out across the map in hopes of persuading prospective candidates to run for Congress. Issues and money always get plenty of attention, but the ability of party leaders to attract strong, capable candidates is vital to success on Election Day.

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3:11pm

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

London Attack Deemed Likely Terrorist Incident

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 3:55 pm

A man has been killed in what reports described as a machete attack in London, and police have shot two suspects in what British Prime Minister David Cameron says is likely a terrorist incident.

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2:48pm

Wed May 22, 2013
Parallels

Riots In Sweden. That's Right. Sweden

Credit Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP/Getty Images

Sweden is one of the wealthiest, most stable and smoothly running countries in the world.

Which would explain why the country's 9.5 million residents may be shocked by the events of the past few days.

For the past three nights, hundreds of youths have been rampaging through parts of the capital, Stockholm, torching cars, setting fires, and throwing rocks at police and fire trucks.

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2:14pm

Wed May 22, 2013
Shots - Health News

Polio Outbreak In Kenya: A Threat To Global Eradication

Kenya has recorded its first case of polio in two years, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

A 4-month-old girl came down with paralysis on April 30, and then two healthy kids nearby also tested positive for the virus.

But this handful of infections with poliovirus has the potential to set back global efforts to eradicate polio, WHO spokeswoman Sona Bari tells Shots.

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2:06pm

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Oregon's Cash-Strapped Counties Reject Public Safety Levies

Credit Amelia Templeton / OPB

Two Oregon counties have reportedly rejected property tax increases that would have funded law enforcement and public safety services. The counties once received federal timber subsidies, but those days are over — and now they're scrambling to pay for essential services.

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2:04pm

Wed May 22, 2013
Planet Money

Go East, Young Marijuana Dealer

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 4:20 pm

Credit David McNew / Getty Images

Chuck used to sell marijuana in California. But the legalization of medical marijuana in the state meant he was suddenly competing against hundreds of marijuana dispensaries. So he moved to New York, where marijuana is still 100 percent illegal. Since making the move, he says, he's quadrupled his income. (For the record: His name isn't really Chuck.)

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12:30pm

Wed May 22, 2013
Top Stories

Tenn. Woman's "Fresh Start" Ends in Tragedy

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/WMOT) — A Tennessee woman who moved to North Carolina two weeks ago for a new job and a fresh start is dead and charges have been filed in her murder.

Authorities in Wake County, North Carolina, say they've found no prior connections between Melissa Dawn Huggins-Jones and the three people charged with killing her.

Huggins-Jones' 8-year-old daughter found her mother covered in blood inside their new home and sought help from construction crews working nearby.

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12:24pm

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Male Sergeant May Have Filmed Female Cadets At West Point

Credit Greg Mathieson / MAI /Landov

A male sergeant at West Point has been accused of secretly videotaping at least a dozen female cadets, sometimes when they were showering, The New York Times reports.

Gen. John F. Campbell, the army's vice chief of staff, tells the Times that "once notified of the violation, a full investigation was launched, followed by swift action to correct the problem."

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12:18pm

Wed May 22, 2013
Shots - Health News

Research Reveals Yeasty Beasts Living On Our Skin

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 4:20 pm

Scientists have completed an unusual survey: a census of the fungi that inhabit different places on our skin. It's part of a big scientific push to better understand the microbes that live in and on our bodies.

"This is the first study of our fungi, which are yeast and other molds that live on the human body," says Julie Segre, of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who led the survey.

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