State and National News

Recent news of concussions, brain disease and suicides of former pro players have youth coaches rethinking the game of football. Host Michel Martin discusses new questions about safety with youth football coach Kim Deane and high school football coach Jamey Dubose.

Football may be the nation's most popular sport, but are hard hits on the field ruining players' health and the game's reputation? Host Michel Martin speaks with NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith to tackle issues about the league's scandals and safety.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm Michel Martin. The Tony Awards are this Sunday. They recognize excellence in American theatre and you might be interested to know that a number of African-American performers and plays that deal with race are nominated for honors, plays such as "Clybourne Park," an edgy take on integration and gentrification in a fictional Chicago neighborhood; and a new interpretation of a classic, the Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess."

Oscar Robertson had his legacy enshrined when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame back in 1980. But more recently, he began advocating for regular cancer screenings after beating the disease. Robertson shares the tunes that continue to inspire him for Tell Me More's regular series, "In Your Ear."

Led by Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt, ethereal folk-rock group The Pines makes its first appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live at the Paramount Theater in Bristol, Tenn./Va. As a young boy growing up Iowa, Ramsey watched as his father — producer and guitarist Bo Ramsey — helped craft the definitive alt-country sound alongside Lucinda Williams.

This week I'm reading Lone Survivors, a new book in which British anthropologist Christopher Stringer reports that some Homo sapiens wore shoes as early as 40,000 years ago.

The accused killer of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin goes back to court June 29. That's when a judge will review whether to increase the bail amount for George Zimmerman. He returned to prison over the weekend after his bond was revoked last week. The judge determined Zimmerman and his wife hadn't told the full truth about how much money they had, and were able to pay a lower bail.

United Nations monitors in Syria were shot at with small arms fire today as they tried to reach the scene of another alleged massacre, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said this morning.

At the U.N. General Assembly, Ban also condemned today's "shocking and sickening" reports about the killings of dozens. And, NPR's Michele Kelemen reports, he called this yet another "pivotal moment" that could see Syria fall into a full-blown civil war.