Talk of the Nation

Mon - Thu, 1pm - 3pm

Monday through Thursday, you're invited to discuss areas of topical interest, including politics and public service, education, religion, music, and healthcare.  Become part of the conversation by calling 1-800-989-TALK.  Each Friday, journalist Ira Flatow is joined by listeners and studio guests to explore science-related topics, from subatomic particles and the human genome to the Internet and earthquakes.

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NPR Story
12:52 pm
Wed May 8, 2013

What We Want From The Boston Marathon Bomber Trial

Originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 9:33 am

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

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NPR Story
12:52 pm
Wed May 8, 2013

Iowa's Open Senate Seat And Rumbles About 2016

Originally published on Wed May 8, 2013 1:22 pm

Iowa is home of the first electoral test for anyone seeking the White House. As 2016 contenders begin to test the waters, NPR Political Junkie Ken Rudin talks with Iowa Democratic Party chair Tyler Olson and Iowa Republican Party chair A.J. Spiker about the election ahead.

Around the Nation
1:27 pm
Tue May 7, 2013

A Look Ahead To The Future Of New Orleans

Originally published on Tue May 7, 2013 2:38 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. The recession and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico hit New Orleans hard, and that was after Katrina. The population has yet to return to pre-hurricane levels. Some houses lie empty, some properties abandoned, and the city continues to suffer from crime and unemployment.

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World
1:25 pm
Tue May 7, 2013

The History And Politics Of Humanitarian Intervention

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan.

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Around the Nation
1:22 pm
Tue May 7, 2013

The Cleveland Case And Missing Persons Investigations

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. In Cleveland last night, a dramatic call for help.

(SOUNDBITE OF 911 CALL)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Cleveland 911. Do you need...?

AMANDA BERRY: I need police. Help me. I'm Amanda Berry.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Do you need police, fire or ambulance?

BERRY: I need police.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: OK, and what's going on there?

BERRY: I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here, I'm free now.

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From Our Listeners
1:05 pm
Tue May 7, 2013

Letters: Sign Painters, Favoritism And Unemployment

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

It's Tuesday and time to read from your comments. Yesterday we spoke with Rutgers Professor Nancy DiTomaso about her argument that favoritism drives minority unemployment.

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Middle East
1:04 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

Could Syria's Civil War Become A Large Regional Crisis?

Originally published on Sun May 12, 2013 7:26 am

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. In a strange way, Barack Obama and Bashar al-Assad find themselves in the same dilemma today: initiate military action that both would prefer to avoid or look weak, even hypocritical. The American president faces a chorus of criticism after he decided to wait for more proof that Syria's government has crossed his red line on chemical weapons, while Syria's president must now decide whether to respond to Israeli airstrikes on his capital or leave his supporters to wonder why not.

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Health Care
12:50 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

Bedside Manner: Conversations With Patients About Death

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 1:29 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. All of us prefer to be told the truth - at least we say we do - even when the diagnosis is terminal. And doctors believe they have an obligation to deliver bad news except that often they don't. In a survey of nearly 2,000 physicians by the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, a majority said they believe they should never lie to a patient, and yet more than half delivered a rosier prognosis than warranted, and 10 percent outright lied.

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Technology
12:50 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

How Technology Is Transforming Archaeology

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 1:40 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

Legend has it that the rainforest of Mosquitia hid La Ciudad Blanca, the White City. For centuries, explorers tried to find the fabled city in the jungle of Nicaragua and Honduras. Protected by white water, coral snakes, stinging plants and brutal topography, the White City remained an archeologist dream. But with a new application of recent technology, a documentary filmmaker, not an archeologist, found the White City.

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NPR Story
9:49 am
Fri May 3, 2013

Living Inside the Box

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Here with us now is Flora Lichtman, our correspondent and managing editor for video. Flora, welcome.

FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: Hi.

FLATOW: What wonderful stuff do you have for us this week?

LICHTMAN: Well, from the less practical or the no practical application to the very practical in this week's Video Pick.

FLATOW: Ooh.

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NPR Story
9:49 am
Fri May 3, 2013

Ancient Earth May Have Smelled Like Rotten Eggs

Originally published on Fri May 3, 2013 12:03 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. Imagine stepping onto the Earth two billion years ago, taking a stroll along the shores of an ancient beach near the northern edge of what today is Lake Superior. You wouldn't see any trees. They didn't hit the scene until, oh, another billion-and-a-half years. What you might see, though, if you had a microscope, were tiny bacteria-like organisms on the shore having a ball eating each other.

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NPR Story
9:49 am
Fri May 3, 2013

Scientists Seek To Take The Measure of Antimatter

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY.

Up next, another installment in the continuing quest to understand antimatter, that stuff that's supposed to be the opposite of matter. It's supposed to have been created during the Big Bang in equal amounts as normal matter, but for some reason, it's all disappeared. No one knows why - yeah, that stuff or actually that anti-stuff.

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Medical Treatments
1:23 pm
Thu May 2, 2013

Lessons In Emergency Preparedness After Boston Bombings

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Three people died from the blast and shrapnel of the pressure-cooker bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Hundreds more were injured, many severely. But as bad as it was, it could have been much, much worse.

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Poetry
1:20 pm
Thu May 2, 2013

'Poems To Learn By Heart': The Merits Of Memorizing Verse

Credit Disney Hyperion Books
Caroline Kennedy's other works include of A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children and A Patriot's Handbook.

Originally published on Fri May 3, 2013 12:17 pm

Caroline Kennedy's latest book comes with an agenda: to encourage a return to poetic memorization and recitation that both families and schools once considered routine.

In Poems to Learn by Heart, Kennedy stresses the importance of memorizing poetry and presents a collection of poems that she believes everyone should internalize.

"I think there's something in it for all ages," she tells NPR's Neal Conan. "I realized this shouldn't be just for kids because older people are the ones that are really working on keeping their memories going strong."

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Digital Life
1:14 pm
Thu May 2, 2013

A Look Ahead At The Future Of Tech

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan, in Washington. Technology's already changed our lives in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago, and now seems ready to reinvent our future. As we continue our series of conversations looking ahead, we've invited Farhad Manjoo to join us - he's Slate's technology columnist and a frequent guest on this program - on the latest gadgets, on the business of consumer electronics and on how we've adapted our lives, our jobs and our manners to all these changes.

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