The novel is about two sisters, aged 12 and 15, who travel cross-country after their mother abandons them. Reviewer Meg Wolitzer says that not only the characters are adrift in this book, the story itself seems unsure of what it wants to be.
The recent leak about the National Security Agency's spying program has put attention on the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the courts which oversee the programs. The largely-secret FISA courts began in 1978 but have expanded and changed greatly since then. Melissa Block talks with journalist and author Tim Weiner about the history and process of the FISA court.
The streets of Cairo are relatively quiet now — protests have died out and a political impasse is settling in. The embattled Egyptian president is facing a groundswell of frustration as people ask about the promises of revolutionary reform and when will they see the change in their own lives. Summer power cuts are increasing, price hikes continue and a planned election for parliament still has no date. But people's frustration with President Mohammed Morsi doesn't mean they have faith in a divided and weak opposition.
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin last year. Zimmerman saw Martin walking through his neighborhood at night, in the rain and wearing a hoodie. The two fought and the case centers on whether it was murder or self-defense. The racially-charged trial also drew its share of protesters at the courthouse.
The 10-person ensemble is one of the best-known choirs from the island nation. On its newest album, Santiman, the choir sings songs in tribute to its Haitian ancestors from West Africa, who were enslaved in the Caribbean region.
Who is Edward Snowden? The National Security Agency contractor says he leaked information on secret surveillance programs to spark public debate over the reach of government monitoring.
