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Audie Cornish and Melissa Block read letters from listeners about Tea Party conservative Jim DeMint and a sneaky commentary on Kenny G.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his position on Ukraine. In a news conference, Putin denied that Russian troops are in Crimea but reserved the right to use force in Ukraine.

Nick Preuher is no chef; he only plays one on TV. More accurately, he has pretended to be one, appearing on various local morning television shows as a prank.

President Obama is launching a new initiative aimed at helping young black and Hispanic men. He'll sign an executive order that sets up a task force to help keep them in school and out of prisons.

Audie Cornish and Melissa Block read letters from listeners about genetic experiments and the tenuous hopes for voice-banking.

The Obama administration is pushing new regulations that will make it harder for so-called "social welfare" tax-exempt groups to influence elections.

In the Philippines, thousands are feared dead after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck last week. The destruction from the typhoon, one of the most forceful to make landfall, is enormous.

The rules require most health insurance plans to provide the same coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment as they do for other types of ailments. Coverage also has expanded under the Affordable Care Act, but not everyone benefits.

Twitter is expected to begin selling shares to the public on Thursday. The company raised its price range to $23 to $25 per share Monday amid strong interest in the IPO. In just a few years, Twitter has influenced politics, language and the media, but it has yet to turn a profit. The company's executives believe that will change as it grabs a significant share of mobile advertising revenue.

A federal appeals court has put on hold a judge's ruling curtailing some aspects of the New York City police department's "stop and frisk" policy. The court also ruled that Judge Shira Scheindlin should be removed from the case because she "ran afoul" of the judicial code of conduct.

The NSA has apparently figured out a secret way to tap into the links between Internet users and Google and Yahoo data centers overseas. The companies say they didn't give the NSA permission, and they are angry. Because the data centers are located outside the United States, the NSA may not be bound by the same laws that govern domestic surveillance. The case shows how difficult it is for policymakers and legislators to oversee NSA surveillance activities.

Federal Reserve policymakers wrapped up their two-day October meeting Wednesday by announcing that they will maintain the Fed's $85 billion per month bond purchase program. The central bank's statement said that conditions in the labor market have "improved" and inflation is modest. But, in explaining the decision to maintain the stimulus, the statement pointed to a slowing housing market and said that fiscal policy is "restraining economic growth."

Jon Stewart's news-driven comedy show has mined many a joke from the Affordable Care Act's rocky rollout. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans spoke with All Things Considered's Audie Cornish about whether the mockery could have a real impact on younger viewers' responses to the health care law.

President Obama traveled to Boston Wednesday, where he spoke at Fanueil Hall about the Affordable Care Act. The site of his speech is significant as the hall where then-governor Mitt Romney signed the state's health law, which was the model for the federal plan. Like Obamacare, the Massachusetts plan had a rocky rollout. Its an analogy the president touts, though one that only goes so far.

President Obama won't say when he learned about American eavesdropping on European allies. Instead, he's talking about a review of U.S. surveillance policy that could lead to new limits on the NSA's eavesdropping authority.

Widening revelations about NSA spying now include allegations that the U.S. is collecting data on millions of citizens in countries such as Spain and France and has spied on the leaders of some 35 allies. The scandal is drawing attention to an intelligence-sharing agreement known as Five Eyes between the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Audie Cornish speaks with ambassador John Negroponte, chairman of the board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the former director of national intelligence under George W. Bush.

A federal judge has invalidated parts of a Texas abortion regulations law that were set to take effect Friday. The state vows to appeal the ruling to the federal Fifth Circuit appellate court.

Our children these days might be called digital natives, kids who grow up surrounded by and immersed in digital media. How does that affect childhood? How might it affect their adulthood? This week All Tech Considered kicks off a week of stories about kids and technology.

Monday was day one of The News of the World phone hacking scandal trial in London. Among others, two former editors of the now-defunct tabloid — Andy Coulson and Rebecca Brooks — have been charged with a raft of offences, including some that carry a prison sentence.

Iowa Republicans hold their annual dinner Friday commemorating the life and career of Ronald Reagan, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz as the featured speaker. Cruz is widely viewed as a presidential contender in 2016.