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Judging The Health Care Law
3:54 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

TRANSCRIPT & AUDIO: Supreme Court: The Health Care Law And Medicaid Expansion

Originally published on Wed April 11, 2012 5:17 pm

  • Listen to Wednesday Afternoon's Supreme Court arguments

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the last of three days of oral arguments on the fate of President Obama's health care law. A transcript of Wednesday afternoon's arguments, as prepared by the court, follows.


CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: We will continue argument this afternoon in case 11-400 Florida v. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mr. Clement. ORAL ARGUMENT OF PAUL D. CLEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE PETITIONER MR. CLEMENT: Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the Court:

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Latin America
3:40 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Pope Wraps Up Cuba Visit With Mass, Castro Meeting

In the last public event of his three-day visit to the island, Pope Benedict XVI called on Cuba, and the world, to change and choose a path of "love, reconciliation and brotherhood."

After the Mass, the pontiff met with Fidel Castro for a half-hour before departing for Rome, wrapping up a weeklong trip to Mexico and Cuba.

The pope did not meet with Cuban dissidents during his trip, however, drawing criticism from Castro opponents in Cuba and abroad.

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Shots - Health Blog
3:08 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Supreme Court Cheat Sheet Day 3: Scalia Unplugged

On the final morning of its three-day health care law extravaganza, the U.S. Supreme Court wrestled with the question of whether parts of the 2010 federal statute can survive if the justices strike down its central tenet: the individual insurance requirement.

In other words, if the nine justices find the insurance mandate unconstitutional when they rule by June, would that mean that the entire law also fails the constitutionality test?

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It's All Politics
3:02 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Sign Of The (Wisconsin) Times: Gov. Scott Walker For President

Credit Don Gonyea / NPR
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's future is a bigger deal to many in his state than Tuesday's presidential primary.

There's a Republican presidential primary next Tuesday in Wisconsin. But as the accompanying photo taken by NPR political correspondent Don Gonyea in Delafield, Wisc. suggests, a lot of Wisconsinites have other political matters on their minds.

As Don writes in an e-mail:

"Note that the recall coming up on June is the big political story here. Not Tuesdays presidential primary."

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NPR Story
3:00 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Teen's Death Slows Push For 'Neighborhood Watch' Film

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Sometimes, Hollywood and the real world collide in unhappy ways. That's what's happening to Fox Pictures. They're releasing a comedy this summer that stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. The title, "Neighborhood Watch."

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH")

BEN STILLER: (as Character) Sergeant, he assaulted us with eggs.

JONAH HILL: (as Character) Look at me.

STILLER: Look at me. Look at him and listen to me.

HILL: Listen. Listen to my words and hear his face.

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NPR Story
3:00 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

For Health Care, Will One Part's End Be The End-All?

Credit John Rose / NPR
Linda Dorr (left) and Keli Carender chant along with other demonstrators in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Originally published on Thu March 29, 2012 9:11 am

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

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NPR Story
3:00 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Decisions, Decisions: How Will The Justices Make Them?

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

So what happens now? For a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what the justices do between now and when they issue a ruling, I'm joined by a former Supreme Court clerk. Chris Walker clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy from 2008 to 2009. Chris, welcome to the program.

CHRIS WALKER: Great to be here.

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NPR Story
3:00 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Sold: Dodgers Get New Owners

Originally published on Fri March 30, 2012 2:14 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

It's the day Dodger fans have been waiting for. The Los Angeles team has new owners, provided a bankruptcy judge approves. Current owner Frank McCourt has agreed to sell for a record $2 billion. As NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates reports, Los Angeles couldn't be happier with the new management team and one man in particular.

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Shots - Health Blog
2:58 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Medicaid Expansion Caps Supreme Court Arguments

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
Supporters of the health care law rally in front of the Supreme Court Wednesday, the final day of arguments over its constitutionality.

The last argument on the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court could have consequences far beyond health care.

The key issue is whether the health law's expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor unfairly compels the participation of states. Many considered this to be the weakest part of the states' challenge to the health law, and during Wednesday afternoon's arguments, that seemed to be the case.

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Mental Health
2:52 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

Staff Sgt. Bales Case Shows Stigma, Paradox Of PTSD

Originally published on Fri March 30, 2012 2:14 pm

The case of Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier charged with killing 17 Afghan villagers, has led the Army to review how troops are screened for post-traumatic stress disorder. The Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs say they have invested heavily in the treatment of PTSD to deal with a growing caseload.

But the stigma associated with the disorder continues to complicate efforts to treat it. It has also fueled serious misconceptions about its effects — such as the notion that PTSD causes acts of extreme violence.

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