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Birmingham Mayor Hobbled By Kickback Charges
Since Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford took office late last year, he's been a man on a mission. His city has an annual budget of about $430 million, yet he's proposed more than a billion dollars in new projects. But Langford's ambitious agenda has been hobbled by charges that he accepted kickbacks in the past.
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Iranian Nuke Talks End In Deadlock
Representatives from the United States and Iran sat down at the same table in Geneva on Saturday to talk about Iran's nuclear program. It was a historic moment, but didn't produce a diplomatic breakthrough. What is clear is that Iran faces a new deadline and the threat of more sanctions.
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Emmy Nods Show Viewership May Not Count
Must-see TV is not seen by many it seems. Television critic Ed Bark talks about why many of this year's Emmy nominees have small niche audiences.
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Diplomat Offers Glimpse Behind Closed Doors
American diplomat Winston Lord was involved in secret negotiations with Vietnam during the height of the war and also in secret talks with China. He talks about how to open a dialogue and negotiate with enemies of the United States.
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Loan Officer Flies To The Rescue Of Baby Ducks
A story is making the rounds through e-mail about a man who saved a nestful of baby ducklings from jumping off a second-story awning by catching them just before they hit the sidewalk. "Duck Hero" Joel Armstrong talks about the rescue.
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Obama Arrives In Afghanistan
Afghanistan is the first stop on a week-long overseas trip during which Sen. Barack Obama also plans to visit Iraq. His presence there is considered part of a congressional delegation and not part of his presidential campaign.
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Bill Would End U.S. Ban On Visas For Those With HIV
This week, the Senate approved a $48 billion extension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Included in the bill was a provision that would lift a ban, in place since 1987, on visas for people with HIV.
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Iran Says It Won't Suspend Enrichment Program
Multilateral talks aimed at curbing Iran's uranium enrichment program began Saturday in Geneva. But any hope that the Bush administration's decision to send a high-ranking envoy to the talks will change Iran's position faded when an Iranian official said Iran would not stop enriching uranium.
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South Carolina Miffed By U.K. 'Gay' Ads
London recently held its annual gay pride festival. A tour operator who promotes gay-friendly tourism to several U.S. cities bought some ad space for posters that said, "South Carolina is so gay." South Carolina caught wind of the ad campaign and was not happy.
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For Die-Hard Fans, A Cubs-Themed Cemetery
Being a Chicago Cubs fan isn't always easy. For true die-hards, parting with the perennial also-rans, under any circumstances, is unthinkable. Now they won't have to — ever. How? A Wrigley Field-themed cemetery, of course.
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Can The Fed Help Control Inflation?
Scott Simon talks to Alan Binder, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, about whether the Fed can bring inflation under control in the face of spiraling energy and food prices.
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Mayors Urge Municipal Bans On Bottled Water
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has passed a resolution urging governments to phase out bottled water in city buildings. Scott Simon talks with Martin J. Chavez, mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., and one of the co-authors of the resolution.
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Raids On Recycling Bins Costly To Bay Area
In Northern California, organized crews of poachers are raiding residential recycling bins, sometimes threatening homeowners who get in the way. San Francisco alone estimates it is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to recycling bandits.
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New Orleans Wants FEMA Trailers Out Of Town
Three years after Hurricane Katrina, there are more than 3,000 trailers left in the city. City officials want to get residents out of FEMA trailers and back into their houses. Housing inspectors are hoping to get residents motivated to fix their homes.
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Independent Groups Step Up On-Air Ads
Independent groups have yet to unveil an ad as damaging as the Swift Boat Veterans spot that hurt Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004. But as the summer goes on, more groups are producing radio and TV spots targeting the presidential race and key Senate battles.
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