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Saturday

Ham Radio Volunteers Worry About Spectrum Plan

Amateur radio operators are helping to restore emergency communication in some of the areas hardest hit by the tornadoes in the South. But those volunteers say their ability to provide that help is threatened by a new bill in Congress.

Ham Radio Volunteers Worry About Spectrum Plan

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A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

Defense Secretary Robert Gates talks with troops during a visit April 7 at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Federal Budget Crunch

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

As Congress and the White House set a higher priority on cutting the budget deficit, a retired military man sees ways to reap major savings. In a plan he acknowledges as "somewhat radical," former Army Col. Douglas Macgregor proposes slashing the defense budget by 40 percent in just three years.

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

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In Alabama, Looking For Strength Among The Ruins

The death toll from this week's tornadoes has topped 340 — and 28 of them came from one small Alabama town. Very little of Rainsville, population 5,000, remains. And yet, survivors continue the difficult task of picking up the pieces. One family, the Hamiltons, struggles to figure out what to do next.

In Alabama, Looking For Strength Among The Ruins

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Deadly Tornadoes Remain Hard To Predict

Residents survey the destruction after a tornado hit Pratt City, Ala., on April 27. Short-term forecasting of twisters like the ones that swept the South this week has grown increasingly accurate, but long-term forecasting remains highly unreliable. Butch Dill/AP hide caption

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Butch Dill/AP

Science

Deadly Tornadoes Remain Hard To Predict

Short-term forecasting of twisters like the ones that swept the South this week has grown increasingly accurate. But long-term forecasting remains highly unreliable. Meteorologists are working on ways to improve that.

Medicare Math Problem: Taxes - Benefits = Trouble

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., right, hears from a constituent during a "listening session" Tuesday at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wis. Ryan's plan to fundamentally restructure Medicare and cut social safety net programs has proved to be a tough sell to many Republican voters the last few weeks. Jeffrey Phelps/AP hide caption

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Jeffrey Phelps/AP

Health Care

Medicare Math Problem: Taxes - Benefits = Trouble

An average 66-year-old couple kicks in about $100,000 in Medicare taxes over the course of their lives. They've paid in, so they expect Medicare to pay out. — and it does, to the tune of $300,000, on average. So how did the system become so unbalanced?

Medicare Math Problem: Taxes - Benefits = Trouble

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Politics

Rep. Tim Walz Vows A Hard Vote On The Debt Ceiling

When it comes to the debt ceiling, most lawmakers would rather take a salary cut than vote to raise it. But Democratic Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota is not one of them. True, he's among the dozen House Democrats the GOP considers most beatable next year. Walz is back in his swing district trying to keep his balance, and NPR's David Welna travels with him.

Rep. Tim Walz Vows A Hard Vote On The Debt Ceiling

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History

Gregory Peck Stamp Delivers 'Mockingbird' Memories

The U.S. Postal Service debuted its Gregory Peck stamp as part of the Legends of Hollywood series this week. The stamp premiers just as a new documentary called Hey Boo also comes out. The film is about how To Kill A Mockingbird, which starred Peck, has influenced generations of Americans. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates reports.

Gregory Peck Stamp Delivers 'Mockingbird' Memories

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Politics

GOP Candidates Flirt With N.H. Voters

Five potential Republican candidates for president shared a stage Friday night in Manchester, N.H. Their agenda was jobs, the economy and courting core GOP activists before the state holds its first-in-the-nation primary early in 2012. Josh Rogers of New Hampshire Public Radio reports.

GOP Candidates Flirt With N.H. Voters

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Sports

Sacramento's Last-Ditch Effort To Keep Its NBA Team

The Sacramento Kings have until Monday to ask the NBA for permission to leave town. The team's owners are negotiating a move to Anaheim, which would give the Los Angeles area three NBA teams and leave California's state capital without a single big-time sports franchise. Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler reports on the man leading Sacramento's effort to keep the Kings: Mayor Kevin Johnson, himself a former NBA All-Star.

Sacramento's Last-Ditch Effort To Keep Its NBA Team

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Small Towns Struggle After Storms' Destruction

A damaged truck in a tornado-ravaged area near Rainsville, Ala. Mark Almond/AP hide caption

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Mark Almond/AP

Small Towns Struggle After Storms' Destruction

Three days after tornadoes hit Alabama, people are trying to cope. While the damage and destruction in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham have received plenty of attention, many of the state's smaller communities, also blitzed by tornadoes, have their own challenges. NPR's Kathy Lohr reports.

Small Towns Struggle After Storms' Destruction

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Stunned Residents Wander Tuscaloosa's Rubble

It was a deadly week across the South as some 300 people were killed in a rash of tornadoes that ripped through the region. Guest host Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Debbie Elliott about the damage sustained in parts of Alabama.

Stunned Residents Wander Tuscaloosa's Rubble

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Animals

'Brood 19' Cicadas Poised To Swarm The South

They've been developing underground for 13 years, and now billions of Brood 19 cicadas are set to emerge with a bang, or a buzz in states including Georgia, South Carolina and Oklahoma. American Entomologist Editor-in-Chief Gene Kritsky lays out what we can expect with host Linda Wertheimer.

'Brood 19' Cicadas Poised To Swarm The South

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Sports

Whatever Your Sport, It's Time To Get Your Game On

It's a great time for sports fans, because there's something going on for everyone right now. There's the NFL draft, NHL and NBA playoffs, and the baseball season is under way. Guest host Linda Wertheimer talks sports with NPR's Tom Goldman.

Whatever Your Sport, It's Time To Get Your Game On

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Politics

How Log Cabin Republicans Keep Out Of The Closet

This weekend, the Log Cabin Republicans are holding their annual convention in Dallas, Texas. The group bills itself as the nation's only organization of Republicans that supports gay and lesbian rights. Guest host Linda Wertheimer speaks with the group's executive director, R. Clarke Cooper.

How Log Cabin Republicans Keep Out Of The Closet

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Wis. Political Split Hardens Into Great Divide

A Tea Party supporter, left, argues with a critic before a rally where former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison on April 16. Darren Hauck/Getty Images hide caption

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Darren Hauck/Getty Images

Wis. Political Split Hardens Into Great Divide

No state may be more polarized right now than Wisconsin. That follows the effort by Republican Gov. Scott Walker to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of most public workers there. The gap is most apparent between Wisconsin's biggest cities and its smallest towns.

Wis. Political Split Hardens Into Great Divide

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