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The U.S. "not only has a higher percentage of political ambassadors, but has a higher percentage ... who don't seem to be temperamentally or intellectually suited for the work," says an ex-diplomat.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers gave Americans a much-needed on-screen escape in the 1930s. You can find their dance numbers online, but critic Bob Mondello recommends you watch their films in full.

Now's the time for cheerful reads, so we've picked three — including Emma Straub's latest and two lively culinary memoirs — that'll help transport you to a happier place for a few hours.

"Today, 75 years later, we are forced to commemorate alone, but we are not alone!" Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says, celebrating international unity in the post-war era.

Edward Snowden handpicked Barton Gellman as one of three journalists he would work with to reveal government secrets. Gellman's book is an in-depth look at where he agreed and disagreed with Snowden.

As thousands of Europeans turn to bicycling during the coronavirus crisis, our correspondents in Paris and London report on how those two cities have responded to the new demand.

Paul Tremblay's new novel, about a viral outbreak that locks down New England, hits close to home. Taking place over just a few hours, it's both a zombie horror tale and a focused, personal drama.

Some Americans, fearing food shortages from COVID-19, have cleaned out supermarket shelves. Yet there's too much food in some places. Farmers are dumping milk and vegetables that they can't sell.

Filmed in 2016 when the actors were at the height of their comfort and performance levels, the steadycam and close-ups make the Broadway sensation impressively impactful on the small screen.

The hotly-anticipated, pandemic-delayed sequel to 2013's fungal apocalypse game The Last of Us packs all the visual and emotional wallop of the first — and more.

Automated ventilators are expensive. Hand-operated ventilators require a lot of labor. So these teens are on a quest to create a mechanized bag-valve-mask that'll do the job.

Michael Phelps leaves London with 18 gold medals and a record 22 total medals. He says that his plans for life after the Olympics include visiting some of the cities he's competed in — but outside the bubble of swim meets, for a change.

Melissa Block talks to U.S. women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe about winning a gold medal in London, the future of the profession, and coming out before the start of the Olympics.

As the school year gets underway, a lot of students are getting their hands on a host of new technology in their classrooms. But some schools are struggling to access basic supplies, let alone the latest and greatest devices. Host Michel Martin looks at technology in the classroom with Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org.

There comes a time in a jazz fan's life when he or she realizes that the rabbit hole goes far, far deeper than previously imagined. The new Spotify app from Blue Note Records begins to make sense of the data jumble in which fans happily abandon themselves.

http://66.225.205.104/MT20120524.mp3 Homages to our 16th president fill the Bostic Lincoln Center. Bostic, North Carolina, is a sleepy little town in…

Mitt Romney's campaign charged President Obama with weakening work requirements for welfare recipients by offering waivers to the law. But Obama's campaign says that, as Massachusetts governor, Romney requested waivers as well.

Author Colin Cotterill believes in fate. Though he didn't know it at the time, fate seemed to determine early on that he would write the Dr. Siri books, a series of mysteries that follows a 70-something Laotian country coroner. (This piece initially aired August 15, 2008 on Morning Edition).

Mexicans go out to vote for a new president this Sunday. The frontrunners are the left-leaning Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the so-called "Pretty Boy Candidate" Enrique Pena Nieto. Host Michel Martin speaks with NPR's Carrie Kahn, who's covering the campaign from Mexico City.

Mitt Romney's trip abroad accomplished some of what he wanted. In Israel he delivered a hawkish pro-Israel message of support for the conservative government meant to appeal to those U.S. Jews skeptical of President Obama. But his trip also had missteps, notably in Britain but not only there.