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The Senate passed a major change to its filibuster rules Thursday. Now, the minority party can no longer easily block nominees, except for those to the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the measure after Republicans had stalled the nominations of three judges to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Robert Siegel talks to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi about the change. Earlier this year, Wicker helped strike a deal with Democrats to avert the so-called "nuclear option."

The real reason Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid changed the rules Thursday was the proliferation of the filibuster's use — and the near-total separation of the tactic from any real objections to the nominee being blocked.

B. Todd Jones is in charge of a bureau whose relevance and performance are being questioned and whose resource problems appear to be growing larger. He's trying to put the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives back on solid footing after years of controversy and criticism.

Director and photojournalist Shaul Schwarz's documentary Narco Cultura charts the pop-culture influence of Mexico's drug cartels through the lens of an investigator trying to stop them, and a musician who writes songs glorifying them.

The walls of the warehouse complex in Queens were once covered with ever-evolving spray-painted art. But the graffiti museum (of sorts) has been painted over in preparation for demolition, and artists are mourning the loss.

After gaining 109 points Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 16,000 for the first time in history. The index touched the mark earlier this week but fell short by day's end.

Men and women who were regularly munching on peanuts or tree nuts in their 30s and 40s were significantly more likely to reach their 70s, a study found. Researchers say they aren't sure why nuts promote longevity, but they think it has to do with how they affect metabolism and satiety.

The president will be able to fill the positions needed to run the executive branch as he wants. But a more long-term benefit for President Obama will come in the federal courts, where he has been stymied more than any other modern president.

By putting light sensors inside a giant ice cube that's a mile beneath the South Pole, scientists detected 28 neutrinos from beyond the solar system. It's just a start – but researchers hope the work could eventually yield a way to see through debris clouds to the core of exploding stars.

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing a change to allow travelers to make phone calls as they fly on jetliners in the U.S. The agency's new chairman, Tom Wheeler, calls the current ban on the use of cellphones during flights "outdated and restrictive."