Morning Edition

As the nation gets closer to Election Day, the addition of Rep. Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket will present the public with a dramatic choice about the role the government should play in health care.

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Over the weekend, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney named Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. David Greene talks to Ryan Lizza, a reporter for The New Yorker, who recently profiled Ryan for the magazine.

The addition of Rep. Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket is certain to elevate health care as a campaign issue this fall.

One factor that has kept Poland somewhat insulated from the eurozone crisis is domestic consumer spending. Poland had more than 4 percent growth last year while the rest of the continent was mired in negative or flat growth. Poles have more discretionary income than ever before, and they're using it to buy things in swank malls cropping up all over the country.

When it comes to a healthy diet — especially for women, and especially after menopause — nutritionists, doctors, everybody it seems, will tell you: calcium, calcium, calcium.

Federal health officials recommend that women and men younger than 50 consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day. The recommendation goes up to 1,200 milligrams after age 70 for men and after menopause for women, when a major drop in estrogen causes bone loss.

Many of us experience heartburn, or reflux, from time to time — and when we do, we're quick to point the finger at heavy, fatty meals. But that burning, uncomfortable feeling may also be the result of what we're drinking: namely, coffee and other caffeinated beverages, and alcohol.

"Alcohol has a direct effect" on heartburn, says Kevin Ghassemi, a gastroenterologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Temporarily, of course."

A former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood occupies Egypt's presidential palace, leaving many of the country's Coptic Christians deeply anxious about their future.

Now, a new group calling itself the Christian Brotherhood has emerged, vowing to stand up for the rights of Copts.

On a Cairo rooftop recently, members of the new Christian Brotherhood are debating how to respond to the first major outbreak of Muslim-Christian violence since President Mohammed Morsi came into office in June.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. In the spirit of the Olympics, the London Zoo is presenting its own games: Animal Athletes in Action. Bob the Owl's 100-centimeter sprint has been a big hit. Adoring crowds cheer on the penguins in diving, otters in swimming and zebras in long-distance running, all competing, not for medals, but tasty morsels. Personal favorite: the insects weightlifting 850 times their body weight. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Steve Inskeep talks to Tunisian journalist Asma Ghribi about threats to personal freedoms and human rights under the Islamist-led government. Amnesty International released a report after a journalist critical of the government was arrested on "public morals" charges for drinking on a beach.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The famed Sturgis motorcycle rally is wrapping up its 72nd year in South Dakota this weekend. As the rally ages so do many of the riders. We look at what's new on three wheels.

A Senate panel found last year that Goldman Sachs marketed four sets of complex mortgage securities to banks and other investors, but failed to tell clients the securities were very risky. The Justice Department said the "burden of proof to bring a criminal case" could not be met.