Sitara Nieves

This week we’ve been asking listeners to suggest big ideas on how to fix the economy, and you've given us a huge response. We’ve talked about raising inflation, boosting housing prices, capping total compensation for CEOs, taxing the rich, and the potential financial impact of legalizing pot. We received over 200 responses, and noticed some interesting trends. One in six of those who responded suggested reforming the tax code. The second most popular idea was to cut military spending.

Two men are spending Ramadan in 30 different mosques in 30 different states for all 30 days of the month of fasting. They're traveling 13,000 miles, from Alaska to New York City, and are speaking with us today from South Carolina, where they're a little more than halfway through their trip. What they've found is that generations of American Muslims have lived in small pockets of the U.S. since the 1800s.

Dr. Seuss fans, rejoice. This fall, seven rare Seuss stories, which were previously printed in Redbook, will be published in book form. The stories — which he wrote between 1950 and 1951 — have fantastically Seussian titles: "The Bippolo Seed," "Zinniga-Zanniga," "Tadd and Todd," and "Gustav the Goldfish." The compilation is called "The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss," and Random House is publishing it in late September.

In their new book, "Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against al-Qaeda," New York Times reporters Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker provide an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes of U.S. counter-intelligence, and how national security efforts against terrorism have evolved in the almost ten years since 9/11.

Last week, the Library of Congress named Philip Levine as the next poet laureate, succeeding W.S. Merwin. Previous writers who were awarded that title include Robert Frost, Billy Collins, and Maxine Kumin. Levine was once an auto plant worker in Detroit, and that city became the basis for many of his poems. We spoke with Levine yesterday, about his reputation as a working class poet.

As rebel forces press on towards the Libyan capitol of Tripoli, the BBC's Matthew Price has gone inside the beseiged city to report on conditions for the people living there. So far, he's reported there are frequent power outages, skyrocketing food prices, nighttime bombing attacks, and fuel shortages. One resident said people are selling their gold and cars and using the proceeds to buy generators.

We've been asking our listeners for ideas on how to fix the economy. Congress has raised the debt ceiling and established a "super committee" to find ways to reduce America's debt. It's clear that the country needs a concrete plan to fix the economy. One suggestion that some of our listeners have is to increase inflation.

How should the United Kingdom combat the violence that's raged across the country all week? British Prime Minister David Cameron says the country needs to learn a few lessons from America on how to fight gangs, along with possibly revoking social media and Blackberry service from rioters. What can the U.S. offer as advice for the U.K. on handling gang violence?

In April, the climate in the United Kingdom was jubilant, as Prince William and Kate Middleton wed at Westminster Abbey. Afterward, one million people lined the route from Westminster to Buckingham Palace, and citizens threw parties and rejoiced in the streets. Four months later, the atmosphere across the pond is the complete opposite of celebratory, as riots and civil unrest spread and violence continues.

Independent voters were a key part of the coalition that elected Barack Obama in 2008. But President Obama has lost the support of many of those independents, throughout his term. As potential candidates begin to prepare for the 2012 presidential election, the hunt is on to try to capture the independent vote.

Joblessness is an ongoing problem in the U.S. and in countries abroad. But fifteen semi-finalists are currently competing in a contest that's hopes to put some of those people back to work. The contest is called Powering Economic Opportunity: Create a World That Works, and it's being produced by the eBay Foundation and Ashoka Changemakers. The contest's winners will get $50,000 to build their ideas. Voting is open to the general public via the contest's website, and ends today at 5 p.m. EST.

Gold appears to be wearing a kryptonite vest as everything around it crumbles. In the face of stocks free-falling globally, the economy continuing to struggle, and jobs still hard to come by for millions of Americans, gold is surging. Gold rose to over $1,700 an ounce yesterday, and many believe we could see it top $2,000. We look at the history of gold starting when it was a mere $35 an ounce back in 1970.

Days after the mysterious death of Libya's top rebel leader, opposition fighters staged an eight-hour gunfight with a group Qaddafi loyalists who were posing as another rebel brigade. Tensions within the rebels ranks suggest that there is not unity among the factions. These developments are are latest in a chaotic, confused, and violent situation. 

Serbian authorities say that have apprehended accused war criminal Goran Hadzic. Hadzic was the leader of Croatian Serb separatist forces and the last remaining fugitive sought by the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague. In 2004, Hadzic was indicted with 14 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Marco Prelec, Balkans Project director of the International Crisis Group, explains why Hadzic was one of the most wanted men in the world.

On America's Independence Day, we take a listen to moments from our history alongside a far different struggle for more democracy and independence during the Arab Spring, from Yemen to Syria and Saudi Arabia. 

Hugo Chavez hasn't been seen in public for weeks, reportedly due to mysterious health issues he developed while traveling, forcing him to undergo emergency surgery in Havana, Cuba. This week, his absence led to the postponement of a summit of Latin American leaders that was scheduled to take place next week. Chavez was expected to host the summit, on the 200th anniversary from Venezeula's independence from Spain. The last photo of Chavez was released on Tuesday, and showed him in Cuba chatting with former leader Fidel Castro. 

This morning, the Greek Parliament voted in favor of a package of austerity measures that includes tax hikes and spending cuts. The vote comes despite two days of protests in Athens, where polls say 80 percent of Greeks were against the measures. The package is an effort to avoid defaulting via a second bailout from the European Union. The vote is being met with violence on the streets of Athens.

Greece is preparing this morning to vote on drastic austerity measures that have sparked nationwide strikes and rioting in the country's capital, Athens. 5,000 police were deployed to Athens over the past two days, to combat protesters with tear gas. Meanwhile, the climate inside Parliament is calm as they prepare to vote. If the austerity measures pass, Greece will be able to obtain a second bail-out from the European Union, and avoid defaulting. 

As we await the news of the Greek Parliament's vote in Athens on the austerity measures, reporters in the area give us an update on the climate there. 

The number of adults worldwide with Type 2 diabetes—formerly called adult-onset diabetes—has doubled over the past three decades, to 350 million people, according to a new study by the British medical journal The Lancet. Nearly 25 million Americans have the disease, and the study also shows that a healthy diet—over excercise—is the best method for treating it.