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The city's Millennium Park is a living reminder of the tough challenges that popped up along the way for Christy Webber's landscaping firm. Now she and one of her employees are both hoping to weather the economic crisis.

Revelations Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner did not pay some taxes when he worked for the International Monetary Fund may have roots in the way the IMF pays its American workers. Donald Williamson, chair of the accounting department at American University, offers his insight.

Barbara and Gary Ratner, who live in Atlanta, aren't eligible for unemployment assistance, so they're seeking creative ways to make ends meet. The couple — in their 60s — have drawn $10,000 out of retirement and are considering dropping their health insurance.

Lorrie Moore puts her penetrating prose and sly observations to work in her latest novel, A Gate at the Stairs. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls the book "a literary cyclone."

One Portland, Ore.-area running store owner is exhibiting a runner's calm about news that barefoot running may put less stress on feet, saying Americans are not set up to run barefoot. But companies such as Nike are releasing minimal shoes that that are supposed to simulate barefoot running and other companies are taking advantage of the growing movement.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent in January, down from 10 percent the month earlier. Still, government figures show the economy lost another 20,000 jobs last month.

The U.N. Security Council, in a session chaired for the first time by a U.S. president, adopted a U.S.-sponsored resolution committing all nations to work for a world free of nuclear weapons. The goal was laid out partly as a message to Iran and North Korea.

When Henry Ford bought up a Connecticut-sized chunk of land in the Amazon River basin in 1927, he wasn't just planning to build his own vertically-integrated rubber plantation — he also envisioned the small-town America of his youth, reborn in the jungle.

The small town of Thomson, Ill., will in the future be home to some of the most high-profile detainees in the world. The White House announced Tuesday that the Thomson Correctional Center will house some terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.

Rebecca Goldstein's 36 Arguments for the Existence of God is part academic farce and part metaphysical romance. The novel may not settle the question of whether God exists, but it does affirm the phenomenon of literary miracles, says Fresh Air reviewer Maureen Corrigan.

China is considering further measures to reduce pollution in Beijing, with less than two weeks to go before the start of the Olympic Games. Even after authorities took half the cars off the street, the city is still shrouded in smog.

The nation's gross domestic product went negative in the third quarter, falling by 0.3 percent. Consumer spending was especially weak, falling more than 3 percent in the period. That's the sharpest drop in spending in 28 years.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is trying to keep red states voting Republican. McCain will be looking for votes in seven swing states Monday before he returns to his home state of Arizona.

The U.S. military raid in Pakistan last week was part of an intensified campaign to attack al-Qaida and the Taliban inside Pakistan. NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman talks with host Scott Simon about how CIA officers are being pulled from around the world for this campaign.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey has appointed federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy to pursue possible criminal charges against Republicans who were involved in the firings of U.S. attorneys. The move was recommended by a Justice Department report on the firings.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is no longer the defeated Republican candidate for vice president in 2008. She is now a potential Republican candidate for president in 2012. But so are many other GOP governors who are attending the Republican Governors Association Annual Conference in Miami.

Malia Obama has allergies, so the incoming first family wants a dog she can tolerate. Is there really such a thing as a hypoallergenic dog? Maybe not.

Federal health officials expect the number of people who buy health plans on state and federal exchanges to grow by 1 million people for 2017, though premiums are going up, too.

Cuts in provider networks spurred Medicare officials to allow more than 15,000 Medicare Advantage members to pick new plans in seven states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

NPR's Arun Rath speaks with correspondent Jason Beaubien in Monrovia, Liberia's capital, about reaction to this milestone. Although Liberians are jubilant, there's still concern about the situation in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

It's surprisingly hard to calculate how much water is held in the Rocky Mountain snowpack. Water managers along the Colorado river are trying to figure it out with the help of scientists.

Supplemental insurance plans shield millions of people from Medicare's deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs. Some health economists have criticized these so-called Medigap plans for inflating health care spending by encouraging people to seek care they don't really need.

Pakistan's paramilitary forces arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan inside a courthouse in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday. The move escalated political tensions at a time of economic distress.

From X.com to X Corp., the letter X holds "great sentimental value" to billionaire Elon Musk, according to his biographers.

Inauguration Day was so cold, musician Yo-Yo Ma and others recorded their performance two days earlier and played along during Tuesday's ceremony. It was feared the frigid temperatures would crack instruments and break strings. Ma discusses what happened.