The idea surfaced at a web page that lets you petition the White House. Most race drivers wear outfits covered with the names of sponsors. This plan would require lawmakers to be covered with patches announcing the names of their major donors.

The town board in Riverhead, New York, made news by banning people from booing at their meetings. Apparently this met with criticism, since Newsday reports they have revised the rule.You may boo at meetings, but there's still a prohibition against disruptive behavior.

Opponents of gay marriage have long argued that children's best interests require both a mom and a dad. Recently, however, the children of same-sex couples have started speaking for themselves, advocating for gay marriage.

President Obama is urging both Israelis and Palestinians not to abandon long-stalled peace talks. The president has been practicing some low-key shuttle diplomacy this week.

This week, Morning Edition has been marking the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Steve Inskeep talks to Inspector General Stuart Bowen about his audit report on U.S. spending and waste in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Harvard has given the NCAA men's basketball tournament its first dose of March Madness. The 14th seeded Crimson stunned No. 3 New Mexico 68-62.

National attitudes and electoral demographics are changing so fast on issues like gay marriage and immigration that the GOP is struggling to keep up without alienating its social conservative base.

The Census Bureau is out with a new report on the debt and wealth of Americans. It shows the economic turmoil of the past decade shredded the financial fortunes of many Americans. The report shows debt burdens higher and wealth lower than in the year 2000.

Lexington, Ky., is one of four sites where the NCAA men's basketball tournament is being played. The visiting teams have been amazed by the locker suite. The $3.1 million facility was paid for with private donations.

The Real Estate website Zillow is describing the Cold War-era bomb shelter in South Florida as the ultimate man cave. It's listed for $499,500. The listing agent describes the property as "something out of an old Japanese Godzilla movie."

This week on Morning Edition, we've been hearing from women who have served on the battlefield and on bases here at home. In the final report in the series, we learn more about women and identity in the military.

The tiny Mediterranean island-nation of Cyprus is teetering on the edge of insolvency after rejecting a tax on bank deposits imposed by the E.U. and IMF in exchange for a bailout. Cyprus has until Monday to approve a new bailout plan.

The Chicago public school district says closing underutilized facilities would free up resources as it faces a $1 billion shortfall. But parents and the teachers union say the plan will endanger children, and they plan to fight to keep the schools open.

At a heavy metal concert five years ago, physicist Jesse Silverberg had a "eureka" moment: The jumping, raucous fans at the show seemed to be moving about like molecules in the air we breathe. So he and friend Matt Bierbaum set out to understand the patterns within mosh pit motion.

Showbiz info is everywhere now, making it harder to sustain Hollywood's slang-filled must-read as a daily print publication. The magazine printed its last daily this week but will continue online and in a weekly edition. Cultural historian Neil Gabler explains why this shift is significant.

Schmidt, who recently traveled to North Korea, will be the first senior executive of a major U.S. tech firm to visit Myanmar since it began political and economic reforms. Myanmar plans to vastly expand its telecom infrastructure. But sanctions remain against members of the military, many of whom hold positions in the telecom sector.

Gears of War is one of those hard-core military video games with spectacular graphics and epic stories. It's not something you'd expect to work on a smartphone or with a download, but that's just where designers are planning to take these types of games.

In 2007, NPR told the story of two sisters who had lost their parents. The older sister wore conservative clothes and recited poetry. The younger sister, just 13 at the time, appeared on the verge of becoming a prostitute. Now, 10 years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, we hear what happened to them.

Lucinda Marker and her husband, John Tull, fell ill when fleas carrying the bacterial infection bit them in 2002. The plague is so rare in the U.S., they were suspected of being terrorists or bioterrorism victims.

The writer, actor and producer has a starring role in the new movie Admission. She speaks with Linda Wertheimer about comedy, being in control and — now that her long-running sitcom, 30 Rock, has ended — why she really means it when she says she's taking a pause to spend more time with her family.