5:48pm

Thu March 22, 2012
It's All Politics

Obama Returns To Oklahoma Talking Oil

Credit Tom Pennington / Getty Images

Thursday marked the first time President Obama has visited Oklahoma since running for the White House in 2008. He didn't win the state four years ago, and he's not expected to carry the traditionally red state this November, either.

But one Oklahoma town took center stage Thursday as Obama wrapped up a two-day tour of four states promoting his energy policy.

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5:45pm

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Afghan Suspect To Be Charged With 17 Counts Of Murder

Credit Spc. Ryan Hallock / AFP/Getty Images

The Army soldier suspected of going on a shooting rampage in Afghanistan will be charged with 17 counts of murder, the AP, NBC News and Reuters are reporting.

The news organizations are pinning the report on unnamed U.S. officials.

NBC News reports Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will face six additional counts of assault and attempted murder in connection the March 11 massacre in southern Afghanistan.

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5:36pm

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Top Executives Quit Komen After Planned Parenthood Controversy

There have been several high-profile resignations from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure amid calls for the group's founder and chief executive to resign, media reports say.

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5:22pm

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Or Maybe They're Just Throwing Darts

Originally published on Thu March 22, 2012 6:14 pm

Credit AP

Why do economists keep getting it wrong?

For months, the job market's strength has been exceeding economists' predictions. It happened again today: the Labor Department's weekly report on first-time jobless claims came in at just 348,000 — the lowest level in four years.

Most economists had predicted about 355,000 people had applied for unemployment benefits in the week ended March 17. So why do they keep missing the mark?

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5:03pm

Thu March 22, 2012
Law

Canadian Asked For Death, But Now Wants Life

Credit Courtesy of Montana State Prison

The only Canadian on death row in the United States is in the Montana State Prison, about an hour and a half southeast of Missoula. After almost three decades, he is asking the governor of Montana for mercy. The request for clemency is the last chance Alberta native Ronald Allen Smith has of avoiding execution.

"I've been here for 29 years," says Smith, who has spent more of his life inside the state's maximum security block than he has spent outside of it. He has tried to think about his crime as little as possible.

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4:56pm

Thu March 22, 2012
Shots - Health Blog

Answers To Your Questions About The Health Care Overhaul Law

Credit iStockphoto.com

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — the health care overhaul law that President Obama championed and Republicans rejected — turns two on Friday.

The law is headed to the Supreme Court on Monday, where the Justices begin hearing three days of arguments about the constitutionality of the law. Ahead of the big day, we asked for questions from our audiences online and on air. Here's a sampling of questions, edited for clarity and length, and the answers.

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4:30pm

Thu March 22, 2012
Movie Reviews

'Hunger Games': Mortal Combat As Appointment TV

Credit Lionsgate

Hungry for a good dystopia? Well, as you may be gathering from reports of the millions of tickets sold before prints were even shipped to theaters, author Suzanne Collins has a feast for you in the first movie installment of her young-adult trilogy The Hunger Games.

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4:30pm

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Coroner: Whitney Houston's Death Ruled Accidental Drowning

Credit Getty Images / Getty Images

The Los Angeles County coroner's office is saying that pop star Whitney Houston drowned in her hotel room tub on Feb. 11.

USA Today reports the coroners listed the cause of death as: "drowning and effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use."

They add:

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4:17pm

Thu March 22, 2012
The Two-Way

Goldman Sachs Scours Emails To Hunt For 'Muppets'

Credit Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

In the aftermath of the "take this job and shove it" scandal, Goldman Sachs has embarked on a muppet hunt.

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4:13pm

Thu March 22, 2012
It's All Politics

As Health Care And Politics Collide At Home, Obama Heads Abroad

As the Supreme Court debates the constitutionality of his signature domestic policy achievement next week, President Obama will be keeping his distance from the events in Washington.

A coincidence of timing puts the president in South Korea for a global nuclear security summit on Monday and Tuesday, as the Supreme Court holds the first two of its three days of historic oral arguments on the new national health care law.

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