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The Federal Reserve has released its latest snapshot of the state of the U.S. economy. Retail and auto sales were up slightly over the year before — as was activity in the housing sector. Renee Montagne talks to David Wessel, economics editor at The Wall Street Journal, about housing's recovery.

French and Malian troops are directly engaging the rebels in combat. For an update on how the fighting is going, Renee Montagne talks to Sudarsan Raghavan, a correspondent for The Washington Post, who is covering events from the capital Bamako.

Federal authorities in New York have charged 32 people with using threats of violence to control garbage pickup routes in New York City and its suburbs. Officials say many of the suspects have ties to organized crime.

When a young Quaker woman in 1850s Ohio comes into contact with the Underground Railroad, she faces a dilemma. If she helps the runaways, her family could go to prison and lose their farm. Tracy Chevalier's contemplative novel offers a powerful testament to the force of conscience.

The makers of tiny Smart cars put an electric bike on display at the Detroit Auto Show. People at the show can also find bikes with pedals, like the Toyota Prius-branded bicycle.

Prawns will rub themselves when dabbed with acid. And hermit crabs show stress-related behavior after getting shocked out of their shells. Now scientists find that British shore crabs can learn to avoid an electric shock — a key sign that crustaceans really do experience pain.

Mexico's new president, Enrique Peña Nieto, recently enacted a law to compensate victims of drug violence. It also sets up a national registry to record the crimes. Host Michel Martin discusses the new law with Nik Steinberg of Human Rights Watch.

Reaction is coming in from all corners after President Obama and Vice President Biden laid out new gun control plans yesterday. Host Michel Martin speaks with journalists Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times and Felicia Sonmez of Washington Post about policy makers' next steps.

The Scottish singer-songwriter performed at the Olympics in 2012, and her debut album Our Version of Events sold more copies than any other in the U.K. Emeli Sande performs for host Michel Martin and chats about her whirlwind success.

In an ongoing crisis in North Africa, the Algerian military has reportedly launched an operation in response to the dozens of hostages taken by extremist groups at a gas field near the Libyan border. NPR's Neal Conan talks with University of Cambridge lecturer George Joffe about the evolving situation.