National

Pages

StoryCorps
2:58 am
Fri August 17, 2012

A Murder, A Secret, And A Mother's Attempt To Atone

Credit StoryCorps
In 1988, Julie Sanders was present at a racist murder. A lot has happened since then, she says — but forgiveness isn't included. She visited StoryCorps with Randy Blazak in Portland, Ore.

Originally published on Fri August 17, 2012 11:06 am

At 40, Julie Sanders is a mother of three from Portland, Ore. But when she was 16, Sanders belonged to a white supremacist group — and one night in 1988, she witnessed a murder. Since then, she's kept the event a secret from most of her friends and family.

Before she sat down to talk about the incident with her friend Randy Blazak at StoryCorps, Sanders says, she had rarely talked about her past at all. She started out by recalling what her life was like in her teen years.

Read more
Dead Stop
2:57 am
Fri August 17, 2012

How Congressional Cemetery Got Its Name

Originally published on Fri August 17, 2012 11:06 am

Back at the turn of the 19th century, Uriah Tracey was something of a trendsetter. The Connecticut senator was one of the first to fight in the Revolutionary War — and then one of the first to attempt secession from the Union. And in 1807, he was the first member of Congress buried in what later became known as Congressional Cemetery, in Washington, D.C.

Read more
Law
2:47 am
Fri August 17, 2012

When The Lawyer Becomes The Object Of Prosecution

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images
U.S. Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer says Charles Daum, a longtime lawyer, betrayed his profession.

Originally published on Fri August 17, 2012 11:06 am

For more than 30 years, Charles Daum made a living by defending people accused of run-of-the-mill crimes. Then he met a charismatic Washington, D.C.-area man charged with distributing cocaine.

What happened next is a plot worthy of a television crime drama.

The accused drug dealer, Delante White, turned the tables and helped convict his own defense lawyer of manufacturing evidence and putting on false testimony to help the drug dealer's case.

Read more
Economy
2:46 am
Fri August 17, 2012

Low Mortgage Rates Boost 'Serial Refinancers'

Originally published on Fri August 17, 2012 2:35 pm

Refinance activity continues to boom, fueling the home-loan market. Low interest rates have created a class of "serial refinancers" — those lucky enough to borrow at lower rates — and given them new opportunities to spend their freed up cash.

Settlement attorney Robert Gratz never used to be on a first-name basis with his clients.

"In the past, our practice was such that you'd see people, and that was the end of it," he says.

Gratz now sees the same faces all the time, of clients refinancing again and again — these days in the mid-3 percent range.

Read more
U.S.
5:25 pm
Thu August 16, 2012

Drivers Wonder Where Price Of Gas Will Go Next

Credit Grant Hindsley / AP
Teresa Jones tanks up in Los Angeles. The high price of crude oil, combined with refinery problems in California and the Midwest, have helped drive up the price of gas nationwide.

Originally published on Fri August 17, 2012 2:39 pm

If you plot out a chart of 2012's average gasoline prices, you get what looks like a roller coaster. There's a steady increase from January to April, the spring peak around $4 per gallon, and then a steady decline in May and June.

By the beginning of July, the national average was hovering around $3.42.

But since then, that roller coaster chart has been heading into its second big climb. Prices have been going up since July 1, and are now approaching $3.80.

So, many drivers are now wondering if we should soon expect to pay even more — or if we're near the peak.

Read more
Law
5:18 pm
Thu August 16, 2012

States Aren't Submitting Records To Gun Database

Originally published on Thu August 16, 2012 6:24 pm

A federal database with the names of mentally ill people barred from buying guns still lacks millions of records it needs to be effective. A new report from Mayors Against Illegal Guns points to gaps in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

The problem is that 14 years after NICS was put in place, states still aren't submitting all the required mental health records.

Read more
Health
5:18 pm
Thu August 16, 2012

Recording Hepatitis C: A Patient's Treatment Journal

Originally published on Thu August 16, 2012 6:19 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Ana Johnson of San Marcos, Texas, underwent treatment for hepatitis C last year. She believes she contracted the disease after receiving a blood transfusion during a C-section. Johnson lived with the diagnosis for 17 years before seeking treatment. She says her mind changed because her treatment options changed.

Read more
Law
5:18 pm
Thu August 16, 2012

Is 'Deferred Action' A Real Change For Ariz. Youth?

Originally published on Thu August 16, 2012 6:19 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Here's the latest flashpoint in the between the state of Arizona and the federal government over immigration policy. Yesterday, the U.S. government began accepting applications for Deferred Action, a temporary reprieve from deportation for young, undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Just hours later, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed an executive order denying state benefits to those who qualify. That includes obtaining a driver's license.

Read more
Sports
5:18 pm
Thu August 16, 2012

Third Time's Still A Charm For Mariners

Originally published on Thu August 16, 2012 6:52 pm

Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez threw a perfect game Wednesday in a 1 to 0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. That makes it the third perfect game this season. Melissa Block has more.

It's All Politics
4:32 pm
Thu August 16, 2012

Romney Says He Paid A Tax Rate Of At Least 13 Percent

Credit Evan Vucci / AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney writes on a whiteboard during a news conference Thursday in Greer, S.C.

Originally published on Thu August 16, 2012 5:15 pm

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday revealed a bit more about his tax history, telling reporters: "I never paid less than 13 percent" in the past 10 years.

The Obama campaign's response: "Prove it."

Romney's statement came during an appearance in South Carolina and followed weeks of demands — mostly from Democrats, but also from some Republicans — that Romney release several years of his tax returns.

Read more

Pages