The brutal shooting in Arizona has raised questions around whether the insanity defense will come into play in this case. Doctors say Rep. Giffords is making steady progress in her recovery.

In June 1982, John Hinckley, Jr. – President Reagan’s would-be assassin – was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The announcement sparked widespread public criticism, as many believed that the verdict, for all practical purposes, exonerated the man who tried to kill the president. Nearly thirty years later, it seems likely that Jared Loughner, the man charged with attempted assassination and murder after last weekend’s deadly shooting spree in Tucson, will also plead insanity in his case.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) is reportedly writing a bill that would allow congressmembers to carry concealed weapons in Washington D.C. Carrying a concealed weapon is currently illegal in D.C., but is not illegal for members of Congress on Capitol grounds. The news of this bill comes after twenty people were shot in Arizona over this past weekend, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is still in the hospital recovering. Will more guns mean less senseless acts of violence? 

The American South caught political fire in 1964. Activism by local African-American organizations and college students from the North led to brutal murders at the hands of white Southerners. But many of the victims of the Civil Rights Movement were not members of political organizations or student committees. Louisiana native, Frank Morris, a Black shoe store owner who was burned alive by two white men in 1964, suffered simply because he was independent and served a racially mixed clientele.

The Lebanese government has collapsed following the resignation of eleven ministers from Hezbollah and its allies. Their resignation from the government came in the midst of a dispute over a U.N. tribunal, which has found ties between the 2005 assassination of former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, and Hezbollah.

For decades, teenagers have enjoyed stories of darkness and dystopia — from social critiques like “The Lord of the Flies” to dystopian nightmares like “A Clockwork Orange.” But in the last year or two, the market for dystopian and apocalyptic young adult fiction has exploded with more books and darker stories than ever, and the year ahead promises the most books in this genre to date.What's behind this teen dystopian trend, and why is there so much demand for it?

President Obama visited Tucson last night to give an address following Saturday's shooting. He offered the nation's condolences to the victims of the shooting. We also go to Sudan, where Takeaway producer, Noel King, has been reporting on the historical referendum.

After a shooting spree over the weekend that left six people dead and a U.S. Congresswoman in critical condition, President Barack Obama flew to Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday to offer his condolences to the community. Obama spoke last night at service titled, "Together We Thrive: Tucson and America." Despite the occasion for grief, many at the rally seemed energized, in part by the news that during the president's visit to her hospital bed, Rep. Giffords (D-Ariz.) opened her eyes for the first time since the attack. It was estimated that more than 14,000 people were in attendance. 

When it comes to job creation, young businesses hire more workers than small businesses, says a new report out from Bank of America. The report contradicts the common political mantra that we need to get small businesses hiring in order to fix the economy. Labor data shows that startup companies are, in fact, the ones that drive hiring, creating 20 percent of all new jobs. However, now is a bad time for these small companies. This is partially due to the housing market, as new business owners take out home equity to support their new enterprise.

What's the best way to raise a family? Amy Chua writes in her Wall Street Journal essay about her tough tactics to ensure that her kids excel in all they do (well, except for gym and drama). Readers and Takeaway listeners have reacted strongly to the notion that straight A's are more important than sleepovers. "The best way to ensure a child's success is to facilitate their own motivation to excel not force it upon them. Amy's tactics are much too extreme, and would be considered by most to be downright abusive." writes Takeaway listener, Jane. We'll hear from Amy Chua on tomorrow's show.

Almost all of the four million voters in Southern Sudan casting their votes on whether or not to secede from the North have been affected by decades of bloodshed and civil war in that country. Takeaway producer Noel King has been reporting from the ground in Southern Sudan during the preparation for the vote as well as the referendum itself. Noel shares with us the stories she's heard from people of all different generations, and how all the violence has affected their lives.

The John F. Kennedy presidential archive goes digital today. It's a huge archive of everything that passed across the president's desk, including: the White House photo collection, all the Kennedy audio and video, and Kennedy family home movies. The holdings will no longer be filtered through journalists or historians, instead allowing the public first-hand access to history.

Since a bomb attack in 1995 killed 168 people, Oklahoma City has resisted being a metaphor for the attack itself. Can a city ever shake the legacy of a tragedy? Pastor Mark McAdow, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City discusses the healing process for Oklahoma City. The church is located across the street from the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building; when the federal building was bombed, two thirds of the church was damaged.