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Farmers and ranchers continue to suffer from one of the country's worst droughts in 50 years. President Obama recently announced the government will buy up to $170 million of meat from farmers. But some say it's too little too late. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with Virginia farmer John Boyd and Harvest Public Media reporter Peggy Lowe.

The man some Republicans once hoped would be their party's 2012 presidential nominee, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, will instead deliver the keynote speech at the national convention that will make Mitt Romney the GOP's official standard-bearer.

Christie has won plaudits from Republicans for an everyman style, for taking on the New Jersey teachers unions, and for generally not suffering lightly those he considers fools — whether they're voters, members of the media or even some members of his own party.

We expect that most folks won't need to look up the definition. But just in case, "f-bomb" now has its own entry in the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

While a Colorado judge on Monday kept sealed most key documents in the case against Aurora movie theater shootings suspect James Holmes, the materials that have been made public do "hint at the evidence being marshaled," The Denv

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A listener to sports radio station WWL noticed an uncanny resemblance. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is the spitting image of the late U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes. That is, long before the 19th president grew that long grey beard.

A quarter of the state is classified as being under "exceptional drought" — the highest level recorded. As creeks and riverbeds dry up, farmers are drilling deeper wells to get water for their crops. Now the state is cutting back its permits because of environmental concerns.

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On a Tuesday, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

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And I'm Renee Montagne.

Paul Ryan's addition to the Republican ticket brings a number of advantages, including youth and conservative credentials. One thing he doesn't add is racial diversity. Yesterday, Mitt Romney was campaigning in Florida, a state where more than a third of eligible voters are minorities. NPR's Ari Shapiro offers this look at whether a ticket of two white men is a disadvantage in 2012.

President Obama continues his campaign bus trip across Iowa. He's traveling from west to east, drawing sharp contrasts with the Republican ticket. Obama warned some jobs could be in jeopardy if a wind power tax credit is allowed to expire, as Romney has proposed.