Council Valley Free Library

It took over five years for Nathaniel Rich to finish his first novel — maybe because he was writing The Mayor's Tongue secretly, first as a college student, and then while writing film criticism during the day.

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Colombians are enthralled with a new tell-all account by three Americans held hostage by rebels in the country's jungle for five years. They write about their lives and have unkind words for Ingrid Betancourt, the best-known former hostage of all.

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Abortion-rights backers want quick action from the president-elect, although they may not press for sweeping changes. Obama has said he is looking to find common ground on reproductive health issues.

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China has become an economic powerhouse over the past 40 years. U.S. presidents from Nixon to Obama have visited the country to develop and expand economic ties. Today, China's economy continues to grow, largely because of massive stimulus spending.

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Facing political pressure from the Gulf Coast oyster industry, the FDA has backed off a plan to require that raw Gulf of Mexico oysters be treated to rid them of a potentially deadly bacteria found in warm-water oysters. The plan had sparked anger in Louisiana — especially in New Orleans.

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The Louisiana Democrat was convicted of bribery and racketeering earlier this year.

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William Jefferson, a former Democratic congressman from Louisiana who famously stashed cash in his freezer, was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for taking hundreds of thousands in bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.

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Senior White House Counsel Greg Craig will leave his post and will be replaced by Bob Bauer. Craig has faced growing criticism over the difficulties in closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

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The federal courthouse in Manhattan has seen a series of high-profile terrorism cases before now, but the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other Guantanamo detainees will be the most scrutinized by far. Melissa Block talks about some of the legal obstacles to come with Joshua Dratel, a consultant with the ACLU's John Adams Project, which fought on behalf of Guantanamo detainees to get their cases transferred out of military court.

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The Justice Department has decided to try the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York. Until now, military commissions at the Guantanamo Naval Base have been handling the legal case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has admitted to planning the attacks. Now, the Obama administration will hand the case to the federal criminal courts.

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As Congress prepares to examine whether the government mishandled reports of behavioral issues with Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, the suspected gunman in the Fort Hood shootings, one key question being raised is: Could terrorism have been a motive? Investigators warn it's too early to speculate.

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After a botched execution in September, Ohio officials announced late Friday that they will change how they administer lethal injections. The state had stopped executions after prison officials failed to kill an inmate while administering a cocktail of chemicals. Karen Kasler reports from Ohio Public Radio.

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The parents of a Colorado boy who came to be known worldwide as the "balloon boy" after his parents led authorities to believe he'd floated away in a silver helium balloon pleaded guilty to criminal charges Friday.

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Democrats recently came to terms with a lobbying force of unexpected influence in the health care debate: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Though the group has nary a lobbyist on its payroll, it successfully pushed for an anti-abortion amendment to be added to the House health overhaul bill.

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A rocket set on a collision course with the moon reveals it's not just a dull, dry satellite. Water lurking in its craters could someday provide everything from drinking water to rocket fuel for astronauts exploring the moon.

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A book out this month by photographer Paul Nicklen, Polar Obsession, documents the wildlife of the Arctic and Antarctic. Nicklen, who was raised in an Inuit community in Canada's Arctic and whose work has been published in hundreds of magazines around the world, including National Geographic, talks with Melissa Block about the roots of his preoccupation with frigid regions.

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Alcoholic "energy" drinks are coming under FDA scrutiny. Manufacturers of the beverages have 30 days to prove their products are safe.

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Topping the list: Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna, Kathryn Stockett's The Help and Dan Brown's Lost Symbol. And making their list debut: John Grisham's Ford Coutnty and Kurt Vonnegut's Look at the Birdie.

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Moving beyond traditional superheroes, two new graphic novels recount the epic tales of scientists and the research that made them famous. Ira Flatow talks with authors Michael Keller and Apostolos Doxiadis about their graphic novels on natural selection and logic.

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President Obama is just getting to know the Japanese premier, who took office less than three months ago. It is a period of adjustment for U.S.-Japanese relations. Obama pledges, "We will be deepening our engagement in this part of the world." His Asian trip also takes him to Singapore, China and South Korea.

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