Search results for

In the coming weeks we're going to be reporting on urban life in the early 21st century. All Things Considered hosts Melissa Block and Audie Cornish call out to listeners for their input. Stories in this series begin next week.

Renee Montagne talks with Wall Street Journal economics editor David Wessel about the issues separating President Obama and congressional Republicans in the high-stakes budget talks.

Melissa Block speaks with Dan Friedman, who covers Washington for the New York Daily News, about how a question he asked of a source on Capitol Hill became the centerpiece for an explosive story spread by conservative media. Friedman says that in asking whether Chuck Hagel, who's been nominated to be secretary of defense, had received speaking fees from controversial groups, he made up the name "Friends of Hamas" as a farcical example. That name later surfaced on Breitbart.com, despite the fact that the group does not exist.

Spain has had more than its share of corruption stories, and they have the added sting of coming at a time of economic crisis. The king's son-in-law, accused of stealing millions in public funds, faces a judge this weekend.

A Dublin-based company is offering to rent the vehicle that carried Pope John Paul II during his visit to Ireland. The owner thinks it would be ideal for bachelor or bachelorette parties — for about $390 an hour, plus tax. It seats 15 and has a papal throne and an outdoor deck.

Japan's new Prime Minster Shinzo Abe will meet with President Obama on Friday. Security issues are likely to be high on the agenda; Japan's relations with China are at a low point because of their confrontation over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The Labor Department said the U.S. economy added 69,000 jobs last month — far fewer than analysts expected. The unemployment rate also rose to 8.2 percent, up from 8.1 percent in April. The monthly jobs report is an important weather vane for anyone trying to get a bead on which way the economic winds are blowing.

Robert Siegel and Audie Cornish read a comment from a listener about Monday's analysis of the trial of an ex-Rutgers student — and what sentence a cyberbully deserves. And on a lighter note, we correct two pop culture mistakes.

For months, Spain's borrowing costs have been hovering near levels that sent Greece, Ireland and Portugal into bailouts. Spain will have to cough up nearly $40 billion to pay interest on its debts this year alone. That's many times what's been cut from things like health and education, which has Spaniards so upset. But the only alternative to raising money on markets is simply to stop spending it. Last week, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy signaled he may simply give up, and try to rely on tax revenue alone.

Poet and novelist Herta Muller won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009 — the year her German-language novel was first published. Now it's been published in English as The Hunger Angel.