Retail hiring is up this holiday season, at least compared with last year. And numbers released this week show that retail sales rose in November, too. But in spite of the good news, merchants remain worried about holiday shopping — they can't get a read on the mood of their customers. Full Story »
Pilot Chesley Sullenberger's wild ride started this year when he landed a US Airways jet plop-solid perfect onto the icy surface of the Hudson River on Jan. 15, saving all 155 passengers on board. He's a hero to the nation, but Sullenberger says his story is really more about a nation in need of a hero. Full Story »
The drones are used to target senior al-Qaida operatives and Taliban in Pakistan's tribal area along the border with Afghanistan, but the agency has never publicly confirmed its role in the operation. Full Story »
A federal grand jury in New York is beginning to look at the evidence in the case against the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as well as four other men. The judge for the case could be selected in a very old-fashioned way: by the spin of a wheel. Full Story »
The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday hoping to prevent lawmakers from ever having to approve multibillion dollar programs to save Wall Street. The bill creates an agency to protect consumers from abusive credit practices and establishes a council to get a handle on those financial companies considered too big to fail. Full Story »
The New York Times reported Friday that Blackwater employees took part in CIA raids against suspected insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mark Mazzetti, national security correspondent for the newspaper, discusses the story. Full Story »
The legislation is designed to address the shortfalls that led to last year's calamitous financial meltdown, with new powers giving the government the right to break up big, risky companies. Full Story »
A landmark lawsuit is challenging the patents Myriad Genetics holds on the so-called breast cancer genes — patents that make Myriad the sole provider of a crucial genetic test. Do patents on genes spur research and innovation, or harm patients? Two experts share their views. Full Story »
Former First Lady Barbara Bush showed a movie recently for some 200 friends, family and colleagues in Houston. And the movie she picked was 'Precious.' Mrs. Bush, who has spent many years promoting literacy, says 'Precious' offers an example of how learning to read can change a person's life. Full Story »
Reza Aslan, author of the bestselling books "No God But God" and "How to Win a Cosmic War," conducted extensive research in Europe, looking into the cases of Dutch, English and French Muslims who defected from their home countries and joined transnational jihadist movements. Host Michel Martin talks with him about the parallels and differences he sees between what is happening in Europe and in the United States. Full Story »
