NPR News

During the nearly two-year-old battle that has cost tens of thousands of lives, the U.S. has not given direct assistance to those who oppose President Bashar Assad's regime. Now, news outlets say, the U.S. may send body armor, vehicles and other such goods.

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With a reputation for conservative views, the pontiff's musical tastes run, not surprisingly, straight down the center of the meat and potatoes repertoire.

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During the nearly two-year-old battle that has cost tens of thousands of lives, the U.S. has not given direct assistance to those who oppose President Bashar Assad's regime. Now, news outlets say, the U.S. may send body armor, vehicles and other such goods.

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Target 4Q adj. profit beats Wall Street's view

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Syrian forces clash with rebels around Aleppo

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Also: Drag queen is uninvited to Dr. Seuss reading; course syllabi of famous authors; and Russell Brand is working on a new book.

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A huge crowd gathered Wednesday for Pope Benedict XVI's final general audience before his resignation takes effect on Thursday. In his remarks, the pope indirectly acknowledged that his nearly 8 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church have not always been easy.

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Pope Benedict XVI greeted the Catholic masses in St. Peter's Square Wednesday for the last time before retiring on Thursday. He made several rounds of the square as crowds cheered wildly and stopped to kiss a half-dozen children brought up to him by his secretary.

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Secular activists launched the uprising in Syria two years ago, but ultraconservative Muslims are becoming a more potent force as the war grinds on. The sides have little in common besides their opposition to President Bashar Assad's government.

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Most Americans are earning more money than their parents, according to a new study from Pew's Economic Mobility Project. But that doesn't tell the whole picture: It often takes two incomes to surpass the one salary that was enough for the younger generation's parents.

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Only about 800 women younger than 40 get the kind of breast cancer that has spread to bones or other organs by the time it's diagnosed. But that number tripled in a generation, and scientists are left wondering what's the cause.

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Many parents struggle to find the time to get their kids the exercise they need. Hectic lives are often filled with shuttling children from one sports activity to the next. But some parents are trying to make walking and biking part of their daily lives, not something they have to schedule.

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The provision at issue in Wednesday's case before the court applies to parts of the U.S. where discriminatory voting practices were once rampant. The formula that covers those areas hasn't changed since 1975. The crux of the case: whether times have changed so much that Congress violated the Constitution when it reauthorized the law in 2006.

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Elected in 1956, Wisconsin state Sen. Fred Risser is the longest-serving state lawmaker in the country. He may not use Facebook, Twitter or email, but he's gotten a lot done over the years. Considered an "institution within an institution" by some, he was just re-elected for another four years.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Tuesday legalizing Internet gambling, hours after the state legislature passed a revised bill that made the changes he wanted. They included setting a 10-year trial period for online betting, and raising the taxes on the Atlantic City casinos' online winnings from 10 to 15 percent.

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Former Illinois legislator Robin Kelly captured the Democratic nomination Tuesday in the race to replace disgraced ex-U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. The nomination all but assures that Kelly will sail through the April 9 general election because the Chicago-area district is overwhelmingly Democratic.

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Student-athletes are really sucker-athletes under the organization's structure, says sports commentator Frank Deford. Will no college president speak the words that will break the organization's spell?

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The lawsuit alleged Apple allowed children to make in-app purchases without the consent of an adult. Apple has agreed to give $5 of iTunes credit to about 23 million customers.

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Those who serve low- and middle-income people warn that cuts required by the looming sequester will hurt programs that many Americans rely on, like meals for seniors, heating assistance and nutritional aid for expectant mothers. But supporters of the sequester say those fears are overblown.

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Conventional wisdom holds that summertime — when medical students graduate and become first-time doctors — is the most dangerous time to check into a hospital. But a recent study of surgeries at 1,700 hospitals suggests the fear of newbie docs is overblown.

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