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Like many other brick-and-mortar retailers, Wal-Mart is trying new strategies to serve customers whenever they want to buy. In one new experiment in four select markets, the retail giant is promising to deliver eligible items ordered online in just a few hours.

A devastating crime on a Native American reservation opens up questions about law, justice, and family in Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Round House. It's the winner of this year's National Book Award for fiction. Erdrich discusses the book with guest host Celeste Headlee. Advisory: This conversation may not be comfortable for all listeners.

The story of Lance Armstrong's alleged doping is, in part, the story of an astonishing business enterprise. Here's how it reportedly worked.

"People who have any brains" will avoid dredging up politics during the holidays, says one psychologist. But in our highly polarized era, family gatherings offer the chance for rare encounters with people who don't already share our partisan leanings.

Easier access to oral contraceptives could reduce unintended pregnancies, doctors say. But the Food and Drug Administration would have to allow purchases of the pill without a prescription, and that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Margaret Talbot tells the story of her father, actor Lyle Talbot, in her memoir The Entertainer. He began his career as an assistant to a traveling hypnotist, and went on to star in movies with Shirley Temple and Humphrey Bogart — and played next-door neighbor Joe Randolph on Ozzie and Harriet.

"Moral injury" is a term used in the mental health community to describe the psychological damage service members face when their actions in battle contradict their moral beliefs. Thought it isn't diagnosable, doctors and veterans are searching for ways to support those who have experienced this inner conflict.

The Gaza conflict took the focus off a possible confrontation between Israel and Iran. Israel has threatened to strike Iran over its nuclear program. Some see the Gaza fighting as a trial run, and it has been closely watched for possible military lessons.

Hewlett Packard is claiming it was duped into overpaying when it acquired Britain's largest software company a little more than a year ago. HP released its latest quarterly earning report on Tuesday and announced that it was writing off most of the $11 billion investment. The firm HP bought, Autonomy, denies there were any improprieties.

Pros, collegiate athletes and basketball fans are all marveling at Tuesday night's shooting performance by Grinnell College's Jack Taylor. He scored 138 points against Faith Baptist Bible, torching the previous record. He spoke with Robert Siegel.

The epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder has pushed the VA to explore new and sometimes unorthodox treatments. In one VA facility in Menlo Park, Calif., veterans of current and past wars gather to meditate and break down the shields that combat forced them to hold.

Residents of Gaza have welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on Wednesday. The agreement, brokered by the Egyptian government with the help of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, brought an end to eight days of fighting that left more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis dead. Hamas has welcomed the ceasefire, saying the group had achieved its objectives.

Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to end more than a week of fighting that killed at least 140 Palestinians and five Israelis. The agreement was brokered by the Egyptian government, assisted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who spent the day shuttling around the region. Hamas has agreed to shop firing rockets into Israel in return for a loosening of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and an end to the assassination of Hamas officials. Leila Fadel talks to Robert Siegel.

Robert Siegel speaks with Maen Rashid Areikat, the chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) delegation in Washington, who is, in effect, the Palestinian ambassador to the United States. Ariekat says Israel and the United States wanted Egypt to be directly involved with the talks to bring about a cease fire over Gaza. He rejects suggestions that the PLO and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have been marginalized by Hamas and the events in Gaza. Areikat says the PLO is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and that Abbas will press ahead with a bid for recognition as a "non-member state" at the United Nations.

The last three decades have seen a dramatic increase in early-stage, but not late-stage, breast cancers, as mammography has become routine. Some researchers are concerned that women are being treated for cancers that would never turn deadly.

Lincoln biographer Ronald White critiques the accuracy of Stephen Spielberg's new film about the Great Emancipator. White says that while not every detail of the film is true, "the delicate balance or blend between history and dramatic art comes off quite well."

Long lines and huge crowds can make holiday shopping stressful. But more people are turning to smart phones and tablets to ease the pain with apps that let you scan bar codes and compare prices on the fly. Guest host Celeste Headlee speaks with NPR's Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax about the mobile shopping revolution.

Black Friday is seeping into Thanksgiving Day, a new trend dubbed "Gray Thursday." Brick-and-mortar stores have been competing with online retailers that have been scooping up early holiday shoppers. But it's unclear whether the extra effort it takes to open on Thanksgiving is worth it.

Ethiopia has one of the world's fastest growing economies, but in some ways it's decades behind in terms of development. Transportation remains largely by foot, bicycle or donkey. Ethiopia hopes that by restoring the century-old imperial railway, and adding thousands of new miles of lines, the nation will be propelled into the future.

With elections set for January, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu changed the political landscape last month by announcing his Likud Party would run along with a right-wing party. Moderates say centrists should put aside their differences and unite to take back the political majority.