Space Shuttle Atlantis sits on launch pad 39 at Kennedy Space Center after being rolled out atop the crawler transporter on April 22, 2010. (Matt Stroshane/Getty)
Pennsylvania elections as a barometer of the national mood; Arizona governor signs law banning particular ethnic studies classes; job prospects for those whose skills are increasingly obsolete; last trip to orbit for the space shuttle Atlantis; why third parties don't catch on in American politics; what happens as media becomes less strictly scheduled and more fluidly on-demand.
Executive News Director at WHYY in Philadelphia, Chris Satullo, on the race; headlines.
Two key political contests slated for next Tuesday in Pennsylvania may offer some insight into whether a growing anti-incumbent sentiment will be enough to shift the political landscape nationwide.
(You can follow Todd on Twitter @Todd_Zwillich)
Later today, President Obama heads to Western New York as a part of his “White House to Main Street” tour.
He is scheduled to tour Industrial Support, Inc. and talk with employees from the small manufacturing company in downtown Buffalo. This comes on the heels of Wednesday’s announcement by Senators John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn) to unveil a long awaited energy bill that they hope will create millions of energy related jobs throughout the country.
So while jobs are at the top of Washington’s agenda, the question we’re asking is: What happens to those people whose job skills are for positions or industries that are becoming obsolete?
The experience of holding a tablet or eReader is so different from using a computer that it's changing our attitudes toward paying for digital media. A new consumer survey from the Boston Consulting Group finds that tablets are nudging consumers to give up their cheapskate ways and pay for content, but it has to include extras and come at the right price.
After decades of inflexible TV schedules, American home entertainment is swiftly shifting from something we watch live, at a scheduled time, to something we watch on-demand, whenever we choose. And the changes are visible almost everywhere. Our gaming consoles now offer us ESPN-on-demand. Netflix allows us watch movies instantly. This week, the FCC announced that they'll be paving the way for home viewers to watch theatrical film releases on opening day, and Comcast announced yesterday that they’ll be tripling the number of films they make available on-demand.
But how do all these on-demand technologies work, and how will they affect our entertainment options outside the home?
A teacher at a Tucson Magnet school, Curtis Acosta, teaches Chicano literature; headlines.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill on Tuesday that will effectively eliminate a particular school district's ethnic studies program. The bill specifically targets Tucson school district's Mexican-American studies program. That district superintendent, Tom Horne, has pushed the bill for years and says he believes ethnic studies programs promote hate and teach Latino kids to believe they were oppressed by white people. This new law makes headlines just weeks after Gov. Brewer put her signature to one of the most controversial immigration bills in the country.
Do you think there's a place for ethnic studies in U.S. history classes?»
In Great Britain this week, a center-left political party — the Liberal Democrats — played the power broker in recent elections, teaming up with new PM David Cameron's Conservative Party to create the first coalition government in Britain in 70 years. Could a third party ever play kingmaker here, in the United States?
A new NBC/WSJ poll suggests that many people wouldn't object: More than 80 percent see problems with America's two-party system, and nearly one third of the country believes that America needs a third party.
After passing State Senate Bill 191 at 12:00 am this morning, Colorado is at the heart of a national debate on teacher performance. The bill removes some job protections for tenured faculty, and aims to increase student performance. It was an emotional fight, with teachers facing the possibility of losing job security.
NASA has begun counting down to its last scheduled launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. We wanted to know: Do all the shuttles have the same type of cup holders and is taking off on Atlantis any different from launching in Discovery?
Here’s a cracking idea! Aardman Animations, the makers of the Oscar-winning animation series Wallace and Gromit, have opened their first animation academy, hoping to train the next generation of world-class animators.
Nothing unusual so far, except this academy is in a South African township – a place where any opportunities to receive world-class training are thin on the ground.
Afghan poppy fields are being hit by a fungus, which may reduce this year's opium crop by as much as a quarter, according to a UN office on drugs and crime. The country produces almost all of the world's opium. The strange fungus has led to rumors among farmers that Afghan and foreign authorities caused the fungus by spraying their crops. The BBC's Mark Dummett brings us more details from Kabul.
Today's Takeaway: Obesity Among the Homeless, Egyptian Elections, Morgan Stanley in Hot Water, and Have College Students Stopped Studying?
Why Increased Immigration is the Solution for America's Ailing Economy
Is the Private Era in Space Officially Upon Us?
Archer Records Keeps Vinyl and Detroit's Techno Scene Alive
Today's Takeaway: Over 50 and Unemployed, Texting in Class, The Future of Yemen, and Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America
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