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Theater
8:30 pm
Sun April 1, 2012

A Mud-Slinging Political Drama Returns To Broadway

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Credit Joan Marcus /
William Russell (John Larroquette, right), a blue-blooded, Harvard-educated former secretary of state, matches wits with rival presidential candidate Joe Cantwell (Eric McCormack), a scrappy conservative senator in the Broadway revival of The Best Man.
Credit Joan Marcus /
Candice Bergen (right) plays William Russell's estranged wife, while Angela Lansbury plays the chairperson of her party's women's division.
Credit Joan Marcus /
James Earl Jones plays former president Arthur "Artie" Hockstader.
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Originally published on Fri May 11, 2012 8:33 pm

It's July 1960 in Philadelphia and a political party has gathered to nominate a presidential candidate — but both leading contenders are flawed, and the convention is deadlocked. Who's the best man for the job?

Gore Vidal's 1960 play The Best Man, which is getting a Broadway revival, will strike audiences as surprisingly timely.

One candidate is an intellectual liberal, the other a populist conservative. Director Michael Wilson says Vidal, the outspokenly liberal author of the play, wrote it with a very specific agenda in mind.

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Around the Nation
2:36 pm
Sun April 1, 2012

Fla. Cases Test 'Stand Your Ground' Law's Limits

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Originally published on Sun April 1, 2012 8:25 pm

Since the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin made Florida's Stand Your Ground law the subject of national debate, one of the legislators who helped write it, Rep. Dennis Baxley, has been adamant in his belief that the law simply doesn't apply in this case.

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Arts & Life
2:15 pm
Sun April 1, 2012

'Did Jesus Exist?' A Historian Makes His Case

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Credit DAN SEARS UNC-Chapel Hill / Dan Sears UNC-Chapel Hill
Bart Ehrman, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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So, did Jesus really exist? With his new book, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, Bart Ehrman, historian and professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, wanted to provide solid historical evidence for the existence of Jesus.

"I wanted to approach this question as an historian to see whether that's right or not," Ehrman tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.

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Strange News
1:38 pm
Sun April 1, 2012

N.Y. Preschool Starts DNA Testing For Admission

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At the Porsafillo Preschool Academy, there are 32 spots but more than 12,000 applications.
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Originally published on Sun April 1, 2012 3:11 pm

For years, New York parents have been applying to preschools even before their youngsters are born. That's not new, but the approach one prestigious pre-school on the Upper West Side is.

At the Porsafillo Preschool Academy, all applicants must now submit a DNA analysis of their children.

The preschool is housed in a modern glass and steel building designed by IM Pei. It's situated in a leafy corner of the Upper West Side. On a recent afternoon, Headmaster Rebecca Unsinn showed off "Porsafillo Pre," as it's called.

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World
1:34 pm
Sun April 1, 2012

Do Israeli-Azeri Ties Portend Conflict With Iran?

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A secret agreement came to light this week between the Israel and the Central Asian nation of Azerbaijan: The Azeri government has granted Israelis access to eight air bases, located just a couple hundred miles north of Israel's foe Iran.

Allowing Israeli fighter jets and bombers to land and refuel so close to Iran raises questions: Could this mean Israel and Iran are one step closer to war? Or are Azerbaijan and Israel just looking to strengthen their relationship?

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