2010 December | Here & Now

President Obama has joined his family in Hawaii after staying in Washington this week to push historic legislation through Congress. In a news conference yesterday, he called the lame duck Congress the most productive in a post-election season in decades.

Since the Revolutionary War, some 25,000 chaplains have served in the U.S. Army, and hundreds have been killed in combat. We speak with the Army’s deputy chief of chaplains about the work of these spiritual counselors and how they’re reacting to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.

Bill Bryson has found himself everywhere from a game reserve in Kenya to the beaches of Australia to write his famous travel books. But in his new work he sticks to his home in Norfolk, England.

After months of deadlock, Iraq finally has a new government. Among those included, are a significant number of the followers of a fiercely anti-American cleric.

The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter is thought to be the only shelter in the country run entirely by students. It provides beds to 24 men and women each night and meals to many more.

After seven days of rain, Southern California is bracing for the most intense storm system yet, with evacuations ordered, roads covered by water and mud, and residents anxiously eyeing already-saturated mountainsides denuded by wildfires.

On Wednesday we heard music from Sigur Ros, The Beatles and more.

We take a look at some of the worst journalism mistakes of the year, from identifying the wrong man as a Nazi to implying that Haitians drink goat’s blood.

Resident chef Kathy Gunst says her favorite cookbooks of the year were unusually long. We’ve excerpted the best recipes, including pork roast with lychees and blood orange marmalade.

The FCC approved a controversial set of rules this week regulating Internet traffic. Who are the winners and losers?

On Tuesday we heard music from Barbra Streisand, The Wee Trio and more.

Women’s clubs, popular in 50s, are being forced to close because of dwindling membership. We speak with the longest-serving member of a Massachusetts club that’s shutting down.

After he was diagnosed with cancer, author Bruce Feiler worried what would happen to his daughters if he died. He recruited friends to serve on a “council of dads,” to nurture and guide his daughters through their lives.

As states face budget shortfalls, lawmakers are looking for ways to save by trimming public employee pensions. We take a look at proposed changes around the country, with a touchdown in Wisconsin, one of many states where public pensions are shifting.

Some South Carolina residents will be marking the 150th anniversary of the state’s secession by attending a so-called “Secession Ball.” The NAACP says that the ball glorifies slavery, but the gala’s sponsors say that’s not the intention. We take a look at this day in history from 1860, and how the issues that sparked the Civil War are still playing out today.

The lame duck Congress is seeing a burst of productivity this month. So far, Congress has passed a tax-cut compromise, a repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy and a food safety bill. What’s coming this week?

North Korea today decided not to retaliate after South Korea conducted military drills on Yeonpyeong Island, near North Korea. Last month, North Korea attacked that island, killing four South Koreans, and sparking a surge in new recruits, including women, for the South Korean military.

We take a look at how Star Wars set a new standard for recording audio. Take our Star Wars quiz, and see if you can identify the sounds.

On Monday we heard music from Moby, John Williams and more.

Country music star Garth Brooks is playing nine sold-out concerts in Nashville, Tenn., all to benefit victims of the May floods there. The flooding destroyed or damaged more than 8,000 homes, and seven months later many homeowners are still struggling to rebuild and recover.