Briefing
Unemployment has topped 10 percent: When will the jobs return? (© Chris Rank/Corbis)
Out of work—and out of hope
With unemployment passing 10 percent and millions of jobs gone for good, the recession is taking a brutal human toll.
Generals vs. presidents
Gen. Stanley McChrystal and President Obama may not see eye-to-eye on Afghanistan. Is that unusual?
Wall Street’s dirty little secret
Is the stock market a level playing field? The arrest of a wildly successful hedge-fund manager suggests it’s not.
Losing our religion 
The ranks of the nation’s religiously unaffiliated—so-called Nones—are growing rapidly. Is organized religion fading?
Sexual harassment: A fine line
David Letterman has admitted a string of ‘creepy’ affairs with subordinates. Is that a form of sexual harassment?
Football’s wounded gladiators
A new study found that concussions put NFL players at far greater risk of permanent brain damage. Don’t players care?
Detroit: A city on the brink
Once the mighty industrial heart of America, the Motor City is in a brutal downward spiral. Can Detroit be saved?
The struggle over Israel’s settlements
President Obama wants the Israelis to freeze settlement construction. Why won’t they?
E-books: A library in your pocket
Will ‘e-readers’ like Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader replace books?
The prison nation
The U.S. has more people behind bars than any other nation, and its prisons are now bursting at the seams. Why?
Here comes the swine flu
The government warns that a second wave of swine flu could sicken millions of Americans. How worried should you be?
Bitten by a vampire
They slink about at night, suck your blood, and turn mortals into the living dead. Why are vampires so popular?
The Massachusetts model
Health-care reform advocates say Massachusetts proves it can be done. But the results are mixed.
How Goldman Sachs landed on top
While most of Wall Street melted down, Goldman Sachs only got stronger. Why?
The plight of the Uighurs
A remote, little-known people are at the center of China’s worst ethnic violence in decades.
The drive for faster trains
President Obama has pledged $13 billion to ‘jump-start’ a high-speed rail system. Is it too little, too late?
D.C.’s ‘invisible army’ for Christ
The Family, a little-known religious group, has been getting some unwanted publicity. What do they believe?
Census Bureau: The counting of America
Amid partisan bickering, the Census Bureau is gearing up for its once-a-decade survey. How much does the census matter?
Who rules Iran?
Iran’s bitterly disputed presidential election has revealed a Byzantine system of governance. Do elections there even matter?
Going organic
Are organic foods really healthier, or is it all a high-priced fad?
