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Rundown 12/16

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Senate Closes in on Health Care Bill

What's left in the Senate health care reform bill, now that the public option and an expansion of Medicare have been dropped from the measure? We speak with Gail Chaddock, congressional correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.

History According to Howard Zinn

Historian, teacher, author, and activist Howard Zinn now brings his reading of history to video. The People Speak, featuring Matt Damon and other stars, aired on The History Channel. It's a visual presentation Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

Small Town Police Accused of Murder Cover-Up

The police chief and two officers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania are facing federal charges for allegedly covering up evidence in the 2008 beating death of a Mexican immigrant. The men are accused of tampering with evidence and lying to the FBI to protect a group of popular, white high school football players. The young men allegedly killed 25-year-old Luís Ramírez during a fight. Two teens, who were convicted of only minor charges earlier this year, have also been charged with federal hate crimes. Mike Urban of the Reading Eagle brings us the latest on the case.

Yemen

When President Obama outlined his Afghanistan strategy, he mentioned Yemen as a haven for Al Qaeda. That may be, but the country has many other security problems, including a civil war in the North and a secessionist movement in the South. The BBC's Owen Bennett Jones is there.

Nearsightedness On the Rise

A study in the latest Archives of Opthamology found that nearsightedness also known as myopia has skyrocketed since the 1970s.  We speak with Susan Vitale, of the National Eye Institute who is lead author of the study.

Heavy Metal Choir

The band performs at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston in November 2008. (My Lush Life/Flickr)
The band performs at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston in November 2008. (My Lush Life/Flickr)

If you're getting weary of the omnipresent piped-in Christmas music this time of year, we have a break for you - a heavy metal choir. Here and Now's Andrea Shea profiles Bang Camaro, a Boston based group which consists of two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and as many as 20 lead male singers.

Music from the show

  • Paul Simon, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"
  • Thelonius Monk, "Caravan"
  • Moby, "Inside"
  • Fred Hirsch, "Desafinado"
  • Radiohead, "There There"
  • Ahmad Jamal, "Patterns"

This program aired on December 16, 2009.

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