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This week the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is in Washington defending President Obama's plan for increasing the U.S. troop presence in that country. The general sat down to talk with Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep.

Harvard announces it will end its early admissions program, a move that is sure to send ripples through the world of elite colleges and universities -- and through high schools where competition to get into the schools is fierce.

Prosecutors investigating the leak of the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame will reportedly not bring charges against top White House adviser Karl Rove. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has already secured a criminal indictment against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

In 1989, 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be became the first album declared legally obscene, and the group's legal battles set a precedent for the rappers that followed.

Nat Read says he has ridden every mile on the Amtrak rail network, and he's never grown tired of looking at the country through a train window.

Oysters, cocaine, fine wine, love triangles: Stephanie Danler's debut novel Sweetbitter follows a year in the life of a young woman working at a top-tier Manhattan restaurant.

David Jaher's account of Harry Houdini attempt to debunk Boston society psychic Mina Crandon mixes history with high-wire theatricality — even though most readers will know who came out on top.

Dangerous heat and elevated risks of wildfires are present in parts of the West, with climate change and El Niño both playing a role. Meanwhile, thunderstorms threaten the Midwest and the East Coast.

The former president's foundation ended years of secrecy by naming its donors. The information dump came about to stave off problems that could sink Hillary Clinton's Cabinet job. The list included enough big money and enough big names to catch the attention of conservatives, journalists and bloggers.

As Russia swears in a new president, observers question whether the leader, Vladimir Putin's successor, will have real power to chart his own course for the country. He takes over a nation with a booming oil economy, and many serious problems.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, faced tough questions on Iraq from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

President Obama has said health care will top his agenda for the next several weeks in hopes of getting a bill through each house of Congress by the august recess. Although he praised lawmakers Wednesday for moving forward on health care overhaul, there is still a long way to go.

The House voted against the $700 billion emergency rescue package Monday, ignoring urgent pleas from President Bush and congressional leaders to quickly bail out the staggering financial system. What went wrong?

President-elect Barack Obama has named John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett and Pete Rauss co-chairs of his transition team. He has also named William Daley, Carol Browner, Federico Pena and Janet Napolitano to his advisory panel. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel has been offered the job of White House chief of staff.

Just two weeks into President Obama's administration, Russia is moving to reassert its influence over former Soviet republics in Central Asia. Moscow is pushing military cooperation and offering financial aid in what some say is reminiscent of the Kremlin's client-state relationships during the Cold War.

President Obama took his budget agenda to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to round up skeptical Democrats. He seemed prepared to go along with changes as long as Congress' budget preserves down payments on his grand plan.

Author Ann Kirschner first read Anthony Trollope's Palliser series as a graduate student. Now, returning to it after more than 20 years, she finds her impression of the Victorian tale has transformed along with her life.

Tell Me More Producer Rob Sachs and his wife are eagerly expecting their second child. Besides diaper duty and a soon-to-be little one to love, the Sachses are facing a dilemma — what should they name the baby, whose gender they've chosen not to know before birth? Sachs talks about his search for the perfect baby name.

When a video game store closed in 1998, hundreds of sealed Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis cartridges were stored and forgotten. Now, a collection of the top-graded items has been appraised.

The city of Miami has two commission seats to be decided by voters in a Nov. 21 runoff election. At the same time, Miami Beach voters must also choose between two candidates for mayor.