Talk of The Nation

Neil Conan

Each day, Talk of the Nation combines the award-winning resources of NPR News with the vital participation of listeners. The result is a spirited and productive exchange of knowledge and insight that delves deeply into the news and ideas of the day.

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Politics

1:05 pm

Wed May 1, 2013

The Race For South Carolina's Congressional Seat

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JOHN DONVAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm John Donvan in Washington. Mass momentum for Markey, Sanford's ears and what they can't always hear, and Obama's sequester quest for an understanding with the GOP. It is Wednesday and time for a...

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Trapped in a Taylor Swift album...

DONVAN: Edition of the political junkie.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDINGS)

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: There you go again.

VICE PRESIDENT WALTER MONDALE: When I hear your new ideas, I'm reminded of that ad: Where's the beef?

NPR Story

1:58 pm

Tue April 30, 2013

'Sign Painters': A Close-Up Focus On An Endangered Art

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Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Marquee painted by Norma Jeanne Maloney on "Honky-tonk Row" in Nashville, Tenn.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

The workshop of San Francisco-based typographer Jeff Canham.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Sean Starr runs Starr Studios in Denton, Texas.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Marquee painted by Norma Jeanne Maloney on "Honky-tonk Row" in Nashville, Tenn.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Phil Vandervaart paints the building of Clockwork Active Media Systems in Minneapolis.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

An ad for Vans Apparel painted by Colossal Media.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

A sign for a Hero Shop in Brooklyn, painted by Stephen Powers.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

The sign for Norma Jeanne Maloney's business in Austin, Texas.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Sean Barton painting in Seattle.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Members of Colossal Media's Sky High crew work across the street from Yankee Stadium in New York.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

Colossal Media's Sky High crew working across the street from Yankee Stadium.

Credit Faythe Levine and Sam Macon / Princeton Architectural Press

A sign by San Francisco-based sign painter Caitlyn Galloway.

By Priska Neely

Originally published on Tue April 30, 2013 4:31 pm

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Before the age of computers and vinyl printers, sign painters worked by hand to illustrate storefronts, billboards and banners. Local craftsmen often developed a signature style that could distinguish a neighborhood, or even a city.

But technology made creating signs less expensive — and less expressive. Sign Painters, a new book and documentary written and directed by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon, focuses on dozens of artists who are keeping the art alive.

NPR Story

1:05 pm

Tue April 30, 2013

To Avoid Or To Embrace: How Actors Navigate Stereotypes

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Credit Colleen Hayes/NBC

Retta as office manager Donna Meagle on NBC's Parks and Recreation.

Credit Tyler Golden/NBC

Retta plays office manager Donna Meagle on NBC's Parks and Recreation.

By Priska Neely

Originally published on Wed May 1, 2013 1:26 pm

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On NBC's Parks and Recreation, former stand-up comedian Retta plays office manager Donna Meagle. Donna is mostly in the background of the show, but is known for obsessing over her Mercedes SUV and for creating the Parks and Rec Treat Yo Self holiday.

Retta says this character is quite different from the roles she was offered in the beginning of her acting career.

NPR Story

12:59 pm

Tue April 30, 2013

The NBA Has An Openly Gay Player: What Changes?

Originally published on Tue May 7, 2013 12:40 pm

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NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan.

With just a few words, NBA journeyman, Jason Collins, made sports history. I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black and I'm gay. With that announcement in the May 6th edition of Sports Illustrated, Collins became the first man still active in a major team sport to come out. Most reaction has been positive. Earlier today, President Obama actually returned to the microphones at the end of that news conference to say a few words.

(SOUNDBITE OF NEWS CONFERENCE)

NPR Story

12:49 pm

Tue April 30, 2013

An Intimate Portrait Of The Tsarnaev Family

Originally published on Tue April 30, 2013 1:58 pm

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NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. As the investigation continues into the Boston Marathon bombings, countless questions remain about the two prime suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. This past Sunday, the Washington Post ran a long profile that offers a complicated portrait of the family.

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