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The world you inhabit as a teenager has a way of digging its claws into you. Hear All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton talk about the universal themes on Okkervil River's new album.

Retailing giant Wal-Mart has announced it will extend comprehensive medical benefits to domestic and legally married same-sex partners beginning next year. Wal-Mart is the single biggest U.S. employer outside of the federal government.

The wildfire near Yosemite National Park has scorched more than 180,000 acres since it erupted on Aug. 17. Renee Montagne talks to Corinna Loh, whose family owns the Iron Door Saloon in Grovedale, Calif. She has lost two homes to the Rim Fire and is struggling to keep her business open.

Vermonters may not have believed their eyes when they saw this magazine headline: Autumn In Arizona & Why It's Better Here Than It Is In Vermont." Arizona Highways made the claim for that states fall colors. The publisher says the story was an effort to show that Arizona isn't just desert

U.S. authorities are pressing JPMorgan Chase to settle lawsuits over bonds backed by subprime mortgages, according to a report. The Federal Housing Finance Agency is looking in the range of $6 billion to settle those suits.

The U.S. says it is still committed to working with Russia to bring together the warring factions in Syria for a peace conference. Washington, however, postponed a planning meeting as it weighs military options to respond to an alleged chemical weapons attack. Russia says a U.S. strike will only create more problems, and that rebels will have no incentive to negotiate with the Syrian government.

The Obama administration says any military action in Syria would not be intended to bring the war to an end, to overthrow Bashar Assad or even help the opposition. Officials say the goal would be to show the Assad regime that the use of chemical weapons will not be tolerated.

Kim Stanley Robinson's latest novel, Shaman, paints a vivid portrait of life in 30,000 B.C. It's the story of young Loon, who's destined to become the new shaman of his tribe. Reviewer Alan Cheuse says the world of Shaman is so authentic, he dreamed he was living in it.

Also: The website of the New York Times' is still out for many users; the Ft. Hood shooter has a last chance to offer a closing argument in the penalty phase of his trial; and the online Oxford English Dictionary adds 'twerking" and "selfie" to its word list.

A London man got quite the wake up call Tuesday morning. He rolled over in bed to find himself face to face with a fox. It seems the animal had gotten in through the cat door.

The most famous building from the 1970's scandal is the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. A close second has to be the parking garage nearby, where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met his source "Deepthroat." But now that historical location is about to become history — it's being torn down and going condo.

Here's where to see or listen to coverage of Wednesday's ceremony. Among those scheduled to speak: President Obama; former presidents Carter and Clinton; and Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the nation's 35th president.

The Freedom Singers, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez were some of the people who provided the soundtrack at the March on Washington. The Freedom Singers' Rutha Mae Harris tells host Michel Martin why the civil rights movement couldn't exist without music.

Two new albums, by the veteran industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails and the young rapper Earl Sweatshirt, offer distinct visions of anxiety and isolation. One is confrontational and cathartic, the other sly, inward and static.

The United States and other Western countries are considering military action against Syria in response to last week's apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians outside Damascus. That could happen even without a United Nations Security Council resolution to authorize it. Would that be legal? To better understand what international law has to say about whether intervention is allowable, Melissa Block talks to John Bellinger, former legal adviser at the State Department in the George W. Bush administration. He's now with the Council on Foreign Relations and a partner at the law firm, Arnold Porter LLP.

Researchers in Sweden have confirmed the existence of element 115. It sticks around for a surprisingly long time. Scientists believe it may bring them closer to the mythical "island of stability" a whole slew of super-heavy elements that could last for days or even years.

American teenager Victoria Duval pulled off a first round upset at the U.S. Open last night when she beat the 2011 tennis champ Samantha Stosur.

Melissa Block has an exit interview with Kelly McEvers, who's ending a grueling years-long assignment in the Middle East that included coverage of Iraq, Syria and beyond. McEvers and her NPR colleague Deborah Amos, won four major awards in 2012 for coverage of the Syrian conflict.

This week, we visited the factory in Indonesia where U.S. cotton was spun into yarn for the Planet Money T-shirt.

One billion dollars. That's what production companies have spent filming in the state since 2007. Now here's another number: $100 million. That's about…