A shooting spree that left three African-Americans dead in Oklahoma and the death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin have renewed public debate about hate crime laws. Host Michel Martin speaks with law professor and former federal prosecutor Paul Butler about hate crime statutes and whether they're necessary.
A quarter of U.S. teens between ages 16 and 19, who are looking for work, can't find it. Michael Saltsman of Employment Policies Institute says teen unemployment isn't just about buying pizza on Friday nights. The cash teens earn is often essential for supporting themselves and their families. Saltsman speaks with host Michel Martin.
For the last three summers, the teen unemployment rate has been above 20 percent. As high school students start making summer plans, the moms weigh in on whether its good for teens to work. Host Michel Martin speaks with regular moms Jolene Ivey, Aracely Panameno and Dani Tucker.
As part of Tell Me More's series for National Poetry Month, host Michel Martin shares a poetic tweet from writer and artist Heather Feaga from Phoenix, Arizona. Listeners are invited to tweet original poems of 140 characters or less to #TMMPoetry.
As he's been reporting for NPR.org in recent months, Alan Greenblatt has noticed something unusual: he's increasingly being asked to prove who he is and that he is, in fact, a journalist. Here's what he found when he started to ask why that's happening:
How many people would bother to impersonate a reporter? Enough, apparently, to cause some government officials to do preliminary background checks on people to whom they grant interviews.
The World Bank has been led by an American since its founding in 1946. Now, two candidates from developing countries, including Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, say their experiences make them better candidates. Okonjo-Iweala speaks with host Michel Martin about why the World Bank should open up its selection process.
Now there's fresh evidence that CT scans to detect early lung cancer belong on the short list of effective cancer screening technologies — at least for people at high risk.
Researchers conclude that spiral CT, which makes 3-D pictures of lungs, could reduce lung cancer deaths by 35 percent at a cost of $19,000 to $26,000 per year of life saved.