Talk of the Nation

Weekdays at 2pm
Neal Conan

Each day, Talk of the Nation combines the award-winning resources of NPR News with the vital participation of listeners. The result is a spirited and productive exchange of knowledge and insight that delves deeply into the news and ideas of the day.

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NPR Story
1:46 pm
Thu June 13, 2013

India.Arie Returns To Start A New 'SongVersation'

Credit Courtesy of the artist
India.Arie reinvents herself on her new album, SongVersation.

Originally published on Thu June 13, 2013 5:25 pm

When singer-songwriter India.Arie broke through in 2001, her debut album Acoustic Soul went double platinum, and her music and influence continued to gain momentum in the years that followed. Since her debut, she's been nominated for 21 Grammys — and won four — while selling 10 million albums worldwide.

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Science
1:46 pm
Thu June 13, 2013

What Flocks Of Geese And Fish Can Teach Us About The Future

Originally published on Thu June 13, 2013 4:19 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

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

We've all seen a flock of birds shift direction instantaneously mid-flight, or a school of fish swirl in what looked like tightly choreographed maneuvers. That's called collective behavior and it fascinated and baffled scientists. Why do they do it? How? Telepathy? Now technology is revolutionizing the way researchers can track, visualize and even create swarms, and what they're finding will make you go wow.

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Movies
1:46 pm
Thu June 13, 2013

From 'Casablanca' To 'Toy Story': Famous Farewells In Film

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 3:17 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

And today, film farewells. We consider the great goodbye scenes in movie - boy loses girl for good; hero sets off to certain doom; or a Mother's Day remembrance from Jimmy Cagney.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "WHITE HEAT")

JAMES CAGNEY: (as Cody Jarrett) Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

(EXPLOSION)

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Politics
2:11 pm
Wed June 12, 2013

The Legacy Of Watergate And The Semantics Of Scandals

Originally published on Wed June 12, 2013 2:34 pm

Forty years after the Senate committee hearings on the Watergate scandal, Political Junkie Ken Rudin talks with Lowell Weicker, who served on the Senate Watergate committee. Former White House speechwriters Paul Glastris and Peter Robinson talk about writing speeches amid scandal.

Medical Treatments
1:59 pm
Wed June 12, 2013

Life Resumes: Looking Ahead With Suleika Jaouad

Originally published on Wed June 12, 2013 4:43 pm

Two years after Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, she is cancer free. A month before her 25th birthday, she is starting to travel and think about her career again. As part of TOTN's "Looking Ahead" series, Jaouad reflects on regaining a bit of normalcy.

Health
1:59 pm
Wed June 12, 2013

Fighting To Breathe: Living With COPD

Originally published on Wed June 12, 2013 2:21 pm

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that slowly robs sufferers of the ability to breathe. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., surpassed only by cancer and heart disease. There are treatments, but no cure for the disease.

Interviews
3:08 pm
Tue June 11, 2013

As An Indie Musician, Chad Lawson Finds 'The Space Between'

Originally published on Wed June 12, 2013 11:19 am

Transcript

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

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NPR Story
3:03 pm
Tue June 11, 2013

'One And Only': The Argument For Raising Just One

Originally published on Thu June 13, 2013 1:54 pm

In 1907, the first president of the American Psychological Association called only children "sickly, selfish, strange and stupid." He concluded that "being an only child is a disease in itself."

In her book One and Only: The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One, journalist Lauren Sandler takes on these stereotypes and sifts through a huge body of research that debunks many of the worst myths about only children.

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Law
2:20 pm
Tue June 11, 2013

Justice And Jury Selection: Judging Jurors Before A Trial

Transcript

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Lynn Neary in Washington; Neal Conan is away. For the second day in a row, lawyers questioned potential jurors in the George Zimmerman trial. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, last year.

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NPR Story
1:38 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

'Matilda' Star Mara Wilson On Why Child Actors 'Go Crazy'

Originally published on Wed June 12, 2013 8:50 am

After years in movies and TV shows, some child actors end up making headlines later in life for stints in rehab, or ongoing legal battles. But not all former child stars become tabloid fodder. Some leave Hollywood behind and pursue other careers.

Mara Wilson, who starred in Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle on 34th Street, was able to avoid the drama. Wilson, 25, graduated from New York University in 2009 and is now a writer and playwright based in New York.

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