Public companies are releasing their second quarter earnings reports this week. They're a key indicator of how the economy is doing. Meanwhile, Republicans are stilling planning their strategy for repealing Obamacare.

Despite the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, a new report from The New York Times reveals that corporations aren’t putting very much money into super PACs. Instead, they're increasingly channeling their money through tax-exempt non-profits so their donations can remain anonymous.

Natasha Trethewey is the first African American to hold the title of Poet Laureate since Rita Dove in 1993. She will assume the post in September and will divide her time between Decatur, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

Kurt Andersen is a man of many talents. In addition to hosting Studio 360, Andersen just published a new novel, "True Believers." What does the new novel, based mostly in the 1960s, say about change in the United States?

Friday on The Takeaway means a chance to look back at this week’s big stories. Talking about the new employment numbers, Anderson Cooper, the Higgs Boson particle and more are Jeff Yang, Charlie Herman, and Lisa Randall.

In a surprising move in Syria, Manaf Tlass, who served as a general in Syria’s Republican Guards, has defected. Tlass was a member of the Damascus aristocracy and was close to President Basha al-Assad.

Immigration has become one of the biggest issues this election season. Daniel Kanstroom, Professor of Law at Boston College and the author of “Aftermath” questions the effectiveness of deportation as an immigration policy.

High-profile cases, where the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime, are part of what Glenn Greenwald calls America's two-tiered justice system. That's the focus of his book, now out in paperback, "With Liberty and Justice for Some." 

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is celebrating its 25th anniversary this summer and serves as a history of America’s battle with AIDS, and parts of it will hang in hundreds of community centers across the country. A large portion of the quilt is currently on display in the National Mall as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC.

We asked our listeners: "Do you think we've become too busy as a society?" and quite a few people responded — pretty much all saying yes. Tim Kreider is an author and cartoonist whose recent New York Times Opinionator article “The Busy Trap” sparked this debate.

If the unemployment rate dips by a decimal or two in the upcoming employment report, it’ll be seen as an indicator that the economy is improving. But millions of Americans will remain without work. Journalist and documentary maker DW Gibson interviewed dozens of Americans who have found themselves out of work in the past five years.

How would you react, if during a regular doctor’s checkup, your physician told you that you were obese? That’s what the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has suggested in a new set of recommendations. It says all adults should be screened for obesity and patients with a high body mass index should be receive intervention.

Its economy may be in the throes of a banking crisis, but when it comes to soccer, Spain is at the top of its game. In a runaway victory, Spain defeated Italy 4-0 yesterday and was crowned winner of Euro 2012. 

It’s been a dramatic week at the Supreme Court. At the start of the week, the Court ruled on Arizona Immigration, upholding the "show me your papers" provision. It also ruled that mandatory sentences of life without parole for children under 17 were unconstitutional. Then on Thursday, it upheld most of the Affordable Health Care Act.

The Affordable Health Care Act wasn’t the only decision that the Supreme Court passed yesterday. By a 6-3 vote, the 2005 Federal Stolen Valor Act was struck down. The Act, which made it a crime to lie about having served in the military, was declared invalid under the First Amendment.

New York Times reporter Rachel Swarns has followed Michelle Obama's journey all the way back to through her ancestry. Swarns' new book "American Tapestry" explores the first lady's surprising genealogy.

From smalltown New Jersey Republican to the GOP's showman, could Chris Chistie be on the verge of becoming the vice presidential nominee?

When you think of summer festivals, you might think of paying hundreds of dollars to see bands and drinking overpriced warm beer. But there’s a different kind of festival happening now in Northern Alaska where native Inupiaq communities are attending whaling festivals.

With the National Conventions just around the corner, all week we’re looking at potential vice presidential picks. Today it’s the turn of Rob Portman.

The presidential race is getting nastier and nastier and it’s all on video: both the Obama and Romney campaigns have released new ads in the last few days. At the center of the race is the Affordable Care Act, and as a result, the Supreme Court may become an unlikely potential victim of partisan politics.