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If you think that government and the financial industry are a bit too friendly in the U.S., try England. London's version of Wall Street is called the City. And in the City, the line between government and corporate interests gets even blurrier. Critics say it's time for change.

Ceiling fans help keep you cool — unless you're in Washington, where a battle over energy-efficiency standards for ceiling fans is raising temperatures between the White House and congressional Republicans.

For many poor rural Indians, their children represent their hopes and dreams for the future — and the education they scrimp and save for represents the hope that their children might relieve their burden of poverty. But for many villagers who lost their children in last week's poisoning incident in the state of Bihar, their circumstances are so dire and their life experience so crushing, that they lack any faith that they will get justice or that they can ever raise their voice effectively.

David Green says capitalism practiced with empathy is the right way to make health care available to the masses. The social entrepreneur is working on medical devices and services that can make a difference in the developing world.

Texas is one of several states that have passed laws tightening standards for clinics and doctors who provide abortions. Proponents say the laws make the procedure safer. But abortion rights advocates say the tightened requirements are unnecessary and driven by ideology, not safety concerns.

The job of postmaster general was once one of the country's most politically powerful. But now Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe finds himself continually caught in the political crossfire. Donahoe is tangling with unions and members of Congress over how to manage the Postal Service's future.

Congress goes on its annual August break Friday afternoon. And for the first time in recent years, members will leave town without a full-on crisis over must-pass legislation. No debt-ceiling meltdown, no fiscal cliff, not even a government shutdown. At least, not yet.

Tig Notaro walked onstage hours after finding out she was diagnosed with cancer, and talked about it in a standup comedy set that Louis C.K. described in a tweet as masterful. Notaro spoke with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the set, titled Tig Notaro: Live.

A year after Massachusetts ended lifetime alimony, groups in a number of states are pushing similar legislation. They say alimony laws are outdated, based on a time when most women didn't work. But family lawyers say the proposals would punish those who've sacrificed their own career to help a spouse advance.

Novelist Colum McCann decided to write about the ties that bind his homeland, Ireland, with the United States, where he now lives. But he wanted to stay far away from cliches about being Irish-American. The result? His new novel, featuring historical figures searching for freedom, adventure and peace.