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Since his reelection, President Obama has talked a lot about the importance of addressing climate change and promised action. Environmentalists have criticized him for not doing more to confront the issue. In the coming weeks he'll announce a new agenda promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Gay spouses of service members have long been denied the substantial benefits available to heterosexual couples. Now, Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act means gay married couples can look forward to more equal treatment from the Pentagon.

Senators have reached a deal to build 700 miles of border fence along the Mexican border and increase patrols. The agreement could deliver a big, bipartisan vote to pass an immigration overhaul.

Secretary of State John Kerry is planning another trip to the Mideast. Among his priorities is reviving Mideast peace talks. Robert Siegel speaks with Aaron David Miller, vice president for New Initiatives and Distinguished Scholar at the Middle East Program with the Woodrow Wilson Center, and the author of The Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace for more.

Being able to throw stones with power and precision must have been fun for humans' early ancestors. It was essential, too, since we lack the the fangs and claws of other predators. A recent study suggests the ability to fire rocket fastballs depends on shoulder anatomy that chimps don't share.

A pigeon that set out on what was to be a 600 mile race in Japan, lost his way and ended up landing 5,000 miles across the Pacific in Canada. When it was found on Vancouver Island, the bird was exhausted and very skinny.

New York City became the most populous place in the United States to require businesses to give employees paid sick leave. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had previously vetoed this requirement, but has now been overruled by the City Council.

At the turn of the 20th century, visiting a drug store meant going to a soda counter with a pharmacist. If you wanted to go shopping, you would go to a department store. Now that trend is reversing: drug stores are battling to keep consumers in the store for longer.

Many Midwest farmers are behind in planting corn and soybeans, thanks to a cool spring and heavy rain. Now, they're getting a chill from Congress, too, as the House voted down a new farm bill last week. In Iowa, some farmers say they're disappointed and frustrated that farm policy is on hold, largely because of arguments over nutrition programs they think shouldn't even be in the farm bill.

NPR's Uri Berliner gets a taste of the commodities market with a $227 wager on coffee. The futures price for coffee has tumbled for more than three years. But as he learns from interviews with coffee roasters and a futures broker, trying to predict coffee prices is not for the faint of heart.