Law
7:20 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Justices Limit State Liability Under Medical Leave Act

Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Daniel Coleman outside the U.S. Supreme Court after oral arguments in his case in January. On Tuesday, the justices ruled against Coleman, holding that that states cannot be sued for money damages for failing to give an employee time off to recover from an illness under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that states cannot be sued for money damages for failing to give an employee time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act to recover from an illness. The vote was 5 to 4 with no legal theory commanding a clear majority.

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It's All Politics
6:54 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Illinois: Live Blog And Results

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:56 am

With a decisive victory in Illinois, Mitt Romney is firmly in the driver's seat of the Republican presidential nomination contest.

In a victory speech in Schaumburg, Ill., the former Massachusetts governor thanked his Republican opponents, but very quickly pivoted to the general election against President Obama.

"It's time to say this word," said Romney. "Enough. We've had enough... We need a president who believes in us."

This Romney speech even sounded different. With Romney restating the big ideals of his campaign, it sounded like an acceptance speech.

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The Salt
5:44 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

At The Community Garden, It's Community That's The Hard Part

Credit Courtesy of Denver Urb Gardens
One of the community gardens divided up into individual plots run by Denver Urb Gardens.

Originally published on Wed March 21, 2012 11:20 am

You may think that the great historic debate between communism and private property is over.

Well, it's not. Not at your local community garden.

Take, for example, the experience of Campos Community Garden in Manhattan's East Village.

Eight years ago, the garden was decrepit and abandoned. Beverly McClain walked by it all the time, on the way to her daughter's school. And one day, she and a motley group of fellow gardeners decided to revive it.

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The Two-Way
4:59 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Southern Miss Revokes Scholarships Of Band Members For 'Green Card' Chant

The University of Southern Mississippi announced that it took disciplinary action against five of its pep band members today.

The five students were involved in one of the more controversial moments of the NCAA tournament, when they chanted "Where's your green card?" as Angel Rodriguez, a Latino player from Kansas State, took a free throw.

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Sports
4:48 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

The Rodeo Circuit: Bucking Bulls And Broken Bones

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:56 am

It's spring, and that means rodeo season is ramping up, especially in the American West. Some professional cowboys will soon be competing almost every night in bull riding, calf roping or steer wrestling.

But along with the trophy buckles and cash prizes, cowboys also bring home injuries — some of them severe. Some rodeo events are more dangerous, and less lucrative, than football and other contact sports.

An Unsteady Paycheck

The 2012 Houston Rodeo begins with a prayer and the national anthem, followed by the first event: calf roping.

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It's All Politics
4:48 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Robert DeNiro's Racial First Lady Joke Was A No-No, White House Says

Credit Michael Tran / Getty Images
Actor Robert De Niro with his wife, Grace Hightower, in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4, 2011.

Maybe Robert De Niro didn't know. Or maybe he forgot.

But when the superstar actor joked at a New York Obama campaign fundraiser Monday evening which Michelle Obama attended about the country not being ready for a white first lady, he got into dangerous territory for President Obama.

According to an Obama campaign pool report, De Niro deadpanned:

"Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?"

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Middle East
4:43 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Turkey Resists Calls To Arm Syrian Rebels

Credit Anonymous / AP
Syrians living in Turkey and human-rights activists stage a protest on Feb. 4 outside the Syrian consulate in Istanbul to condemn the killings in Syria. Calls are growing louder for Turkey to intervene in the violence in neighboring Syria by helping the rebels and civilians there.

The rising civilian death toll in Syria is accompanied by mounting calls to arm the Syrian opposition. And Turkey, a NATO country that shares a long, rugged border with Syria, is often mentioned as a likely transit point.

Turkey has become increasingly critical of the Syrian regime, but Ankara is thus far reluctant to send significant arms across the border or use its large military to create a humanitarian corridor inside Syria.

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Shots - Health Blog
4:36 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Is Anesthesia A Luxury During Colonoscopy?

Credit Ted Thai / Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
No anesthesia here: A patient watches his colonoscopy as it happens at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York.

Doctors often let patients decide how much sedation they'd like when they have a colonoscopy.

But whether you're put under by an anesthesiologist may depend a lot more on where you live and who gets paid than patient preference, according to a new study.

Big bucks are involved. It would cost an extra $8 billion a year if anesthesia services were used for all 20 million endoscopies and colonoscopies performed each year, because an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist has to be paid, too.

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The Salt
3:54 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

There's More To Fixing Food Deserts Than Building Grocery Stores

Credit Tim Boyle / Getty Images
Concepsion Alcantar-Alvarez looks through her cart in the check-out line at a Food 4 Less store in Chicago.

There has been a lot of talk about what's wrong with food deserts. First lady Michelle Obama, for one, says far too many people can't access the fruits and vegetables they need to be healthy.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:44 pm
Tue March 20, 2012

Medicaid And A Tale Of Two Miami Hospitals

The federal health law's expansion of Medicaid will cover some 16 million more Americans in the government program for the poor, if that part of the law survives the legal challenge it faces in the Supreme Court beginning next week.

Florida is leading 25 other states in that challenge, but that hasn't stopped two of Miami's most prominent hospitals from preparing for the Medicaid expansion.

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