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President Obama formally kicks off his campaign Saturday with a pair of rallies: one in Richmond, Va., and one in Columbus, Ohio. NPR's Scott Horsley joins host Scott Simon to talk about the day.

Cash-strapped states are embracing the millions of dollars in new tax revenue coming from shale oil and gas development. But there aren't enough inspectors to make sure the sites aren't polluting. The problem seems especially apparent in Colorado, which now has more than 47,000 active oil and gas wells but the state employs just 17 inspectors.

In the final days before the French presidential runoff, the hunt is on for voters who supported far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. She came in third place, with nearly a fifth of the electorate. Now, the two remaining mainstream candidates are doing their best to court them.

The real estate market has turned around in some parts of the U.S., but many buyers aren't seeing true bargains anymore. Investors are driving up prices, and inventory is low, especially for homes priced under $250,000. That's not great news for anyone hoping to buy an affordable house to live in.

Alec MacGillis of The New Republic applauds the success of the German program of kurzarbeit,keeping workers on the rolls, typically at reduced hours but only slightly reduced pay, in the face of increasing calls for austerity.

Forget language genes or innate linguistic universals; language is not only learned, it's also powerfully shaped by the culture we live in. Fieldwork among Brazilian Indians led linguist Dan Everett to see culture as the leading determinant of language.

For Joel Sartore, it's a race against the clock to photograph as many animals as he can — before it's too late.

While Romney's surrogates on the tax-return conference call with reporters may be right that he did all that was legally required, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a political problem. It will be a tall order for Romney, whose net worth has been estimated at between $190 million and $250 million, to defend paying federal taxes at an effective rate so much lower than those paid by millions.

President Obama's critics say he has blocked domestic oil production. But under his administration, a steady uptick in U.S. drilling operations, combined with falling overall consumption, has led to a steep drop in the percentage of oil the U.S. imports. Analysts say by 2035, the U.S. will import a little more than a third of its oil, down from 60 percent in 2005.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to fend off accusations that he should wear the scarlet "L" — for "lobbyist." He's released two consulting contracts and says they didn't call for any lobbying. But where's the line between consulting and lobbying?