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The Code Switch team is embarking on a monthlong exploration of the subject of interracial and cross-cultural love. Chime in with your insights, stories and questions.

A new Pew Research Center report finds that African-Americans trail behind whites when it come to internet usage. But is the gap wide enough to hurt African-Americans in the long-run? Host Michel Martin speaks with #NPRLatism and #NPRBlacksinTech contributors Ana Roca Castro, Roxann Stafford, and Mario Armstrong.

In an increasing number of states, one party controls both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office. While both parties have contributed to the trend, the Republicans have had a lot more success with it. Reporter Nicholas Confessore credits the foresight of GOP strategists.

People like the convenience of checking their blood pressure at free machines in pharmacies and supermarkets. But at least one company is selling the contact information of people who use its machines to health insurers seeking new customers.

Supernatural, a TV show about a duo of demon-fighting brothers, doesn't have the most viewers. But it's lasted nine seasons so far — partly because of its passionate fans, who take their love to Twitter, Tumblr and fan fiction websites. That raises a question: What matters more, ratings or fans' enthusiasm?

Who could hate a mascot? Well, apparently some Chicago Cubs fans hate their new one. Clark the Cub was introduced this week, and social media roiled in anger — but why? Melissa talks to Chicago-based sportswriter Wayne Drehs for some answers.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has released a new bipartisan report on the 2012 Benghazi attack. The report finds that the attack was preventable. According to the committee, fault lies with the State Department for failing to provide adequate security or heed warnings about a deteriorating security situation. The committee claims that individuals associated with al-Qaida affiliates participated in the attack, but it stops short of saying the attack was pre-planned. The report also does not implicate the "core" al-Qaida leadership.

General Motors announced this week that for the first time in nearly six years it will begin to pay cash dividends to its shareholders. GM stopped paying out dividends in 2008 as it struggled to save money through the recession, bankruptcy and a government bailout.

Apple has agreed to refund the purchase of some apps because they were made without the knowledge of parents. Apple has agreed to pay back $32 million.

Security tech company 3VR has unveiled an in-store video camera that allegedly uses facial recognition to gauge your age, gender and mood. Retailers could use real-time information to customize digital signs — just as you are passing.

Just after Christmas, the Indian Ocean tsunami killed nearly a quarter of a million people. Among the worst hit areas was the Indonesian province of Aceh, where more than 175,000 people died. Have the victims been able to rebuild their lives over the last nine years?

Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole has always used Twitter in creative ways. He recently asked a few dozen followers to tweet one line each, which he turned into a short story. Cole tells host Michel Martin more about the project.

Sandy Pollock and Crystal Cook, aka the Casserole Queens, pass along a recipe for King Ranch Casserole. Sandy grew up with the cheesy Tex-Mex dish and says the traditional quick-fix doesn't need updating. Never mind if the casserole's origins have gotten mixed up along the way: This one's a keeper.

NPR's Ari Shapiro, who recently arrived in London, reports that all the wonders of modern technology have somehow not managed to reduce the time or the maddeningly high costs of transferring money across national borders.

Nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday. American Hustle and Gravity got 10 nominations each, including nods for best picture, best director and best actress.

Health insurance markets vary across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each one is implementing the health law with varying degrees of failure, success, enthusiasm and hostility. The differences in sign-ups tell the tale.

Omaha is more than a city in Nebraska, it's also a signal that Denver Bronco's quarterback Peyton Manning called out repeatedly last weekend during a playoff game. Some Omaha companies will donate $500 to Manning's foundation every time he shoults out Omaha this weekend.

The Weather Channel and DirecTV are in a contract dispute. At midnight on Monday, DirecTV dropped the Weather Channel and replaced it with a smaller producer of weather programming. The move raises the question: How much weather information do TV viewers need when they can get it from other sources?

E.L. Doctorow's new novel Andrew's Brain takes the reader deep into the mind of a cognitive scientist who's struggling with both scientific questions and personal tragedy. Critic Heller McAlpin says the book, which takes the form of Andrew's monologue to a doctor, is "a real head-scratcher."

Bunker Roy shares stories from a school in India that equips rural women for leadership by training them to become solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors.