Twitter down for hours of 'planned maintenance'

AP - 8/1/2010 1:28 AM

By 2010-08-01T08:28:40Z
NEW YORK (AP) -- The microblogging site Twitter Inc. was out of commission early Sunday for the roughly 100 million users around the world....

Congressman: too much dispersant used in oil spill

AP - 8/1/2010 1:17 AM

By H. JOSEF HEBERT and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN 2010-08-01T08:17:02Z
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- As BP inched closer to permanently sealing the blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico, congressional investigators railed the company and Coast Guard for part of the cleanup effort, saying too much toxic chemical dispersant was used....

Chelsea Clinton weds at exclusive New York estate

AP - 8/1/2010 12:03 AM

By MICHAEL HILL 2010-08-01T07:03:52Z
RHINEBECK, N.Y. (AP) -- It was high society inside and high security outside as Chelsea Clinton wed her longtime boyfriend at an elegant estate in a Hudson River village where several prominent guests were spotted beforehand, but the husband-and-wife-to-be stayed out of sight....

NBA Rookie of the Year going 120-130 mph on video

AP - 7/31/2010 11:37 PM

By 2010-08-01T06:37:47Z
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The basketball court isn't the only place where Sacramento Kings player Tyreke Evans apparently likes to move fast....

3 inmates escape from northwest Arizona prison

AP - 7/31/2010 11:37 PM

By AMANDA LEE MYERS 2010-08-01T06:37:22Z
PHOENIX (AP) -- Police used helicopters and dogs Saturday to search for three convicted murderers who escaped from a northwest Arizona prison, kidnapped two semi-truck drivers at gunpoint and used the big rig to flee....

Crews gain ground on wildfire north of Los Angeles

AP - 7/31/2010 11:07 PM

By 2010-08-01T06:07:52Z
PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) -- A wildfire smoldered in the high desert north of Los Angeles Saturday, spewing plumes of thick smoke that promted air quality warnings as hundreds of firefighters worked to contain the 2-day-old blaze....

Ex-Cons Help To Rehab Baltimore Blight

NPR - 7/31/2010 9:15 PM - Around the Nation

Abandoned row houses are a common sight in downtown Baltimore, a city that also has a high incarceration rate. A pilot project is bringing former inmates together to save these homes by deconstructing them piece by piece.

Black Techies Find Niche Online

NPR - 7/31/2010 9:01 PM - Technology

Angela Benton is working to help fill one online void with Black Web 2.0, a website designed for African-Americans engaged in technology and new media. Benton hopes to grow the site's multicultural audience. She is one of this year's recipients of the National Urban League's Woman of Power award.

Feds warned company in Mich. spill about pipeline

AP - 7/31/2010 6:56 PM

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER and JOHN FLESHER 2010-08-01T01:56:49Z
DETROIT (AP) -- U.S. regulators earlier this year demanded improvements to the pipeline network that includes a segment that ruptured in southern Michigan, spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River, according to a document released Saturday....

Human Trafficking In The U.S.: One Woman's Story

NPR - 7/31/2010 4:25 PM - Around the Nation

This year, for the first time ever, the U.S. included itself in the State Department's annual report on human trafficking. The report said the U.S. is a source country and a destination for victims. One woman, whose name was withheld to protect her and her family, tells her story about being lured from East Africa to Seattle -- into a bad situation.

Informant says WikiLeaks suspect had civilian help

AP - 7/31/2010 3:12 PM

By DAVID DISHNEAU 2010-07-31T22:12:06Z
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- An Army private charged with leaking classified material to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks had civilian help, a key figure in the case said Saturday....

Diplomat: 'Ghosts In The Room' Plague U.S., Iran

NPR - 7/31/2010 12:36 PM - Middle East

John Limbert, who spent 444 days as a hostage in Tehran, stepped down as head of the State Department's Iran desk on Friday. Limbert says that while the White House has made persistent efforts to change the tone of America's relationship with Iran, conflicts between the two nations are deeply ingrained.

US, allies complete Pacific military training

AP - 7/31/2010 12:22 PM

By MARK NIESSE 2010-07-31T19:22:13Z
HONOLULU (AP) -- Monthlong military drills in the Pacific, which conclude this weekend, were intended only as training exercises to combat terrorism and piracy - and were not meant to send a message to North Korea, the commander of the drills says....

Secrets, Leaks And Access

NPR - 7/31/2010 12:00 PM - National Security

As observers, friendly and otherwise, sift through the 91,000 Afghan war documents released by WikiLeaks, host Guy Raz sifts through the debate over leaks and secrecy. He talks with Richard Clarke, the former White House counterterrorism chief, who still fumes about what he says was a leak that cut off contact with Osama bin Laden. Raz also speaks with former Pentagon reporter Jamie McIntyre and Associated Press editor Ted Bridis about the wire service's investigation of Freedom of Information delays in the Department of Homeland Security.

Ansel Adams Or Not? The Answer's Worth Millions

NPR - 7/31/2010 11:57 AM - Photography

It's an irresistible story. A building painter in Fresno, Calif., announces negatives he bought for $45 at a yard sale were taken by Ansel Adams. But the renowned photographer's family thinks the story is too good to be true, and the heat's on to prove the negatives' authenticity.

LA pushing to become nation's mass transit leader

AP - 7/31/2010 11:45 AM

By DAISY NGUYEN 2010-07-31T18:45:25Z
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The region famous for jilting the street car to take up a love affair with the automobile is trying to rekindle its long ago romance with commuter rail....

This IS His Grandfather's Bug, But Now It's Electric

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Technology

If the Chevy Volt's $40,000 price tag sounds a bit too steep, you could always go the do-it-yourself route of Oregon teenager Ashton Stark. He just finished a yearlong conversion of his grandfather's 1972 Volkswagen Beetle into an electric car.

Hackers Convene At Def Con 18

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Digital Life

Even Wikileaks is unlikely to penetrate the secrecy surrounding Def Con 18. That's not some Department of Homeland Security designation; it's the 18th annual convention of hackers going on this week in Las Vegas. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent and senior writer at Cnet.com, about the conference.

By Hiring Gulf Scientists, BP May Be Buying Silence

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Science

For months now, local scientists have been out on Gulf waters, advising the cleanup and measuring the damage. But there is growing concern that some of the best minds are being sidelined, since they've signed on as paid consultants to BP.

Saving Wildlife From The Midwestern Oil Spill

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Animals

A response effort is under way on the Kalamazoo River in western Michigan, where the EPA reports that a pipe belonging to Enbridge Inc. has spilled more than 1 million gallons of oil. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with Michigan Radio's Rebecca Williams about efforts to save river animals.

'Trek In The Park': Drama In The Final Frontier

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Theater

Shakespeare in the Park is a common summer event, lending outdoor picnics a touch of classic drama. In Portland, Ore., a local theater company has taken the concept from Elizabethan England to the 23rd century. Atomic Arts is midway through its second year of Trek in the Park, faithfully re-enacting episodes of the original Star Trek for an outdoor audience.

Obama Attempts Jump Start In Detroit

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Business

President Obama went to Michigan on Friday, the "ground zero" of the recession, to kick off a campaign highlighting the turnaround in the U.S. auto industry.

Alternative Energy And Ideas For The Auto Industry

NPR - 7/31/2010 5:00 AM - Business

The long-term recovery of the U.S. auto industry will depend largely on American automotive creativity and innovation. Many industry watchers expect a new fleet of electric and hybrid cars to help buoy the U.S. car industry's comeback. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with Ray Wert, editor-in-chief of Jalopnik.com, about the restructured U.S. auto industry and the importance of design innovation and creativity.

WikiLeaks: An Editor-In-Chief Or Prolific Source?

NPR - 7/30/2010 9:12 PM - Media

WikiLeaks' latest disclosure relied on journalistic heavyweights to do the lifting of sorting through and presenting documents. WikiLeaks' executive editor sees the unveiling as collaboration between peers, but some journalists still consider WikiLeaks a source and not an objective partner.

Tight Times Force Small Towns To Cut Police Services

NPR - 7/30/2010 9:00 PM - Around the Nation

People who live in sparsely populated areas understand that a call to 911 doesn't always mean a quick response. But no reply at all? The difficult economy has forced police departments in a growing number of small towns to close.