State and National News

Can't afford the gas to take a road trip this summer? Not willing to spend a month's rent flying somewhere that's probably overcrowded and rainy anyhow? Empty pockets forcing you to embark upon that unholy phenomenon — gulp — the staycation?

If Death Grips isn't the fourth horseman of a hip-hop apocalypse, its music at least tests the genre's threshold of extremity: The trio's abrasive, jittery style teeters on the edge of palatability, and plays toward a morbid curiosity to which many listeners won't succumb. From The Money Store, "I've Seen Footage" seems to run the beats from Tone Loc's "Wild Thing" and Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It" through a rusty meat grinder. Meanwhile, MC Ride tells a forceful story, as he catalogs the paranoia and police brutality that drove him to the insanity the song exemplifies.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now, same-sex marriage is just one reason the Vatican has issued a strong criticism of a book. It's written by a prominent American Catholic theologian, Sister Margaret Farley. That rebuke from the Vatican comes as leaders of an organization of American nuns are in their own dispute with Rome. And to understand what's behind these tensions among Catholics, we called up John Allen, senior correspondent with the National Catholic Reporter.

Just a note for our listeners: Part of this conversation deals with mature themes.

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NPR's business news starts with yet another setback for Spain.

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And the U.S. bailout of General Motors and the auto industry in 2009 has worked its way into the presidential campaign. Republican Mitt Romney says he'd sell the government stock in GM quickly if he wins the White House. A White House spokesman counters that Romney isn't credible on the issue, since he opposed the bailout that rescued the industry.

NPR's Sonari Glinton has the story.

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So far this year, 25 states have ended the Extended Benefits program. That program made sure people out of work for long periods of time continued receiving financial assistance. But there was a catch: if a state's unemployment rate improved, the money would stop flowing. The fact that some states are seeing lower unemployment may seem like a good sign for the economy. It's no comfort to the people who are still out of work.

Susie An from WBEZ in Chicago has that story.

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Congressional redistricting has reshaped many elections this year. In New Jersey, it forced two friends into battle against one another. Veteran Democratic Congressman Steve Rothman lost primary yesterday to fellow Democrat, fellow Congressman Bill Pascrell. They became opponents after New Jersey lost a congressional seat following the last census. Nancy Solomon from New Jersey Public Radio has the story.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And our last word in business this morning is: litigious days.

(SOUNDBITE OF "HAPPY DAYS" THEME SONG)

MONTAGNE: That, of course, is the theme from "Happy Days," the hit sitcom from the 1970s and '80s. These days, not everyone is so happy. Several cast members from the show are battling with CBS and Paramount, for unpaid royalties.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Here a couple of the more alarming warnings coming out of the eurozone this week. Greece says it could go broke by July. Spain says it probably can't raise money from investors because they're demanding interest rates that are too high.

Despite all these troubles, one country is still eager to join the eurozone: Latvia. In fact, all three Baltic States remain supportive of the euro.