Movie Interviews
11:01 am
Thu April 12, 2012

'Chico & Rita': An Animated Film With A Cuban Beat

The animated film Chico and Rita is set in 1940s Havana, at a time when Cuban musicians were starting to leave the country and join the jazz scene in New York. It was also a time when musical styles were fusing — and changing the Afro-Cuban jazz scene entirely.

The film tells the story of Chico, one of the best piano players in Havana, and Rita, his sultriest singer. They're lovers, and eventually their migration takes them past New York to Paris — criss-crossing continents to make music while struggling to keep themselves and their relationship afloat.

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The Two-Way
10:35 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Trayvon's Mother Wants Justice, But Also Believes Death 'Was An Accident'

Update at 1:15 p.m. ET, April 13: Since we first published this post, Sybrina Fulton has gone on other news programs to clarify her comments. We have a new post here, headlined "Trayvon's Mother: Encounter Was An Accident, Shooting Was Not."

Our original post:

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Around the Nation
10:31 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Sue Me? Not A Chance This Year

Credit Shen Hong / Xinhua /Landov
In Iowa, cutbacks in the state's judicial staff have led to long waits for retrieving documents from courthouses like this one in Muscatine.

If you feel like suing somebody, you'd better be patient.

Due to state budget woes, courts all across the country are cutting back on personnel and the number of hours or even days that they're open. That's causing long delays, especially when it comes to civil litigation.

"There's no question that there's been a pretty devastating impact in lots of states in how we deliver services," says Kevin Burke, president of the American Judges Association.

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U.S.
10:24 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Where Does America Get Oil? You May Be Surprised

Since the Arab oil embargoes of the 1960s and 70s, it's been conventional wisdom to talk about American dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf. But the global oil market has changed dramatically since then.

Today, the U.S. actually gets most of its imported oil from Canada and Latin America.

And many Americans might be surprised to learn that the U.S. now imports roughly the same amount of oil from Africa as it does from the Persian Gulf. African imports were a bit higher in 2010, while Persian Gulf oil accounted for a bit more last year.

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The Two-Way
10:00 am
Thu April 12, 2012

'Fox Mole' At Gawker Is Revealed, Suspended

Credit Gawker
The Fox Mole, before his suspension.

We had steered clear of this topic the past few days because his posts certainly haven't been family-friendly material.

But now "The Fox Mole" who was filing dispatches for Gawker from inside Fox News Channel's operations in New York City has been uncovered.

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The Two-Way
8:40 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Jobless Claims Rose By 13,000 Last Week

There were 13,000 more first-time claims for jobless benefits last week than the week before, the Employment and Training Administration just reported.

The agency says there were 380,000 such applications, up from 367,000 (a number that has been revised upward; previously, the agency had estimated there were 357,000 claims in the week ended March 31).

Claims had been running at the lowest pace since March and April 2008. At 380,000, the pace is the lowest since June 2008.

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The Two-Way
8:00 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Suspect In USS Cole Bombing Wins One Legal Battle

Credit Reuters/Landov
Al-Nashiri, pictured in 2002, is being held at the Naval base in Guantanamo Bay.

The man accused of masterminding the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, won a key battle at Guantanamo on Wednesday — a judge said he could meet with his lawyers without having to wear restraints.

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The Two-Way
7:40 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Prosecution's Choice Of Charge Complicates Case Against Zimmerman

Credit John E. Polk Correctional Facility
Authorities released this "booking photo" of George Zimmerman after his arrest Wednesday.

By charging George Zimmerman with second-degree murder rather than manslaughter, prosecutors have chosen a path that presents them with some steep legal hurdles, experts tell The Associated Press.

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The Two-Way
7:00 am
Thu April 12, 2012

Troops And Tanks Remain, But Truce Begins In Syria

The early word from Syria is that "flashpoints of the 13-month uprising against President Bashar Assad were quiet Thursday ... suggesting a U.N.-brokered truce was starting to take hold and the regime was keeping a pledge to halt its assault on opposition strongholds," The Associated Press reports.

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