Morning Edition

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. Seth Horvitz says all he wanted was a TV. The Washington, D.C. resident was expecting it to be shipped through Amazon. Instead, he received a military-grade, semi-automatic rifle. Mr. Horvitz complained to Amazon, UPS and the seller. Nobody took responsibility. But police were happy to take the gun, which is illegal in the nation's capital. The Second Amendment assures the right to bear arms, not to ship them to the wrong address. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

A small incident in Tunisia hints at some of the larger strains in the revolutions we call the Arab Spring. Police arrested an activist and journalist named Sofiene Chourabi. He was a prominent figure in Tunisia's uprising against a longtime ruler. But he differed with the new government that came to power, which is dominated by an Islamist party. Chourabi found himself under arrest after he criticized a proposed blasphemy law that he saw as a restriction of free speech. We talked about this with Tunisian journalist Asma Ghribi.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Oh, the famed Sturgis motorcycle rally is wrapping up its 72nd year in South Dakota this weekend. And as the rally ages, so do many of the riders. NPR's Amy Walters was there with some rally old-timers - rally old-timers - checking out what's new on three wheels.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOTORCYCLE ENGINE)

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with a Justice decision.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Denny's Corp. is opening a flagship restaurant in downtown Las Vegas. It will take up 6,400 square feet and include a full bar and wedding chapel. And of course, it will be open 24-7.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, at the same time that Adam Steltzner's team was waiting for news from Curiosity, tens of thousands of people around the world were waiting for some news from the rover's own Twitter feed. One week after landing, nearly 900,000 followers are getting to know the unique personality of Mars Curiosity. That's the rover's name on Twitter.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Here are a couple of Curiosity's tweets so far: You asked for pics from my trip, here you go: my first look of many to come of my new home, Mars.

The allegations this week against London-based Standard Chartered Bank raise questions, not just about the bank's viability but also about the efficacy of U.S. laws when it comes to foreign banks. Standard Chartered allegedly violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, and regulators said the bank's executives lied to investigators as part of a cover-up.

The case serves as yet another reminder that U.S. regulations, which have strengthened since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, apparently did not deter foreign banks from laundering money through their U.S. operations.

The Mars rover Curiosity is beginning its fifth day on the red planet, and it's been performing flawlessly from the moment it landed.

That's been especially gratifying for NASA landing engineer Adam Steltzner. Last Friday, while Steltzner was still on pins and needles waiting for the landing to take place, I told the story of Steltzner's decision as a young man to give up his life as a rocker and go for a career in space engineering.

Zoe Chace and Robert Smith are reporting from European borders this week. This is the third story in a four-part series.

The eurozone was supposed to create one big labor market by making it easy to cross borders for work.

But Gerhard Wiegelmann, a CEO in Stuttgart, Germany, can't find enough workers to staff his company — even with unemployment in Spain over 20 percent. He's had to turn down projects because he can't hire enough people.

The tragic shooting at a Sikh house of worship in Wisconsin this month has turned the spotlight on the Sikh faith and the nation's Sikh community.

Earlier this year, Surinder Singh and his son Rupinder visited a StoryCorps booth in San Francisco, where they reflected on their own experiences standing out among their peers and neighbors.

Both practicing Sikhs, Surinder and Rupinder wear turbans, and maintaining that tenet of their faith has made for some difficult experiences.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NBC's coverage of the London Olympics is a ratings hit, which can present a problem for other networks looking to lure viewers, especially those dedicated to broadcasting sports.

John Ourand is a media reporter for Sports Business Daily and he's been checking to see what else is on.

More than 20 percent of online retailers have referred to the Olympics in their promotional materials in recent weeks. But unless they're official sponsors, they can't directly use trademarked Olympic symbols or even the word Olympics. So many have had to get creative, using language such as "go for the gold," "podium" or "world-class" to catch the attention of fans.