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Senate Republicans have continued blocking a number of President Obama's appointees to run his executive agencies. Majority Leader Harry Reid again has threatened a rules change to permit appointment confirmations with a simple majority vote.

Violence has spiked in Iraq in recent weeks. Separate attacks over the last three days have killed more than three dozen people. The violence comes amid fresh political upheaval in the country. For more, Renee Montagne talks to Jane Arraf, a reporter for Al Jazeera and The Christian Science Monitor based in Baghdad.

An already tense standoff between Japan and China grew even more so Tuesday. Japanese officials said a Chinese naval frigate aimed radar used for targeting weapons at a Japanese destroyer last week. The announcement comes as the Asian giants continue to send warships and military planes toward islands both claim as their own.

In her new book, Andrea Stuart explores the intersection of sugar, slavery, settlement, migration and survival in the Americas. Stuart's personal history was shaped by these forces — she is descended from a slave owner who had relations with an unknown slave.

Labor organizations say the Family and Medical Leave Act is too restrictive and that workers often have to choose between their family and their livelihood. Now, there are calls for Congress to expand the law and provide paid leave.

In an age of digital files, does handpicking and handing someone a music mix still matter? Also, advice for a Mumford & Sons fan looking to branch out with some like-minded bands.

It was just days ago that Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry sailed through Senate confirmation to his new job as secretary of state. When Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel came before his former colleagues Thursday, he got a decidedly less friendly reception on his path to secretary of defense.

In communities around Florida, vigils and other events marked what would've been Trayvon Martin's 18th birthday on Tuesday. Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman has been charged in the teen's death and a judge ruled Tuesday that a June trial will go forward as scheduled.

The placebo effect, in which patients perceive an effect from a fake drug, is even stronger than once believed. Host Laura Sullivan talks to Ted Kaptchuk, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, about his research on how sham treatments affect the way we feel.

Elsa briefly hit hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico, but moved ashore as a tropical storm. Despite heavy rains, it appears to have spared Florida major damage or widespread power outages.