NPR News

Over at The Washington Post, Jonathan Capehart writes that few poll numbers "make me gasp."

Brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger make their first appearance on Mountain Stage, alongside their longtime bassist, Joel Landsberg. Now living in North Carolina, Jens and Uwe were raised in Europe, where they grew up listening to the American bluegrass records that their father would bring back to their native Switzerland. ("We also come from the mountains," Jens Kruger joked with the audience.)

Twitter wasn't built to give voice to Curiosity, the rover currently exploring Mars, but it's awfully well-suited for the purpose.

Colombian superstar Juanes has been dominating music charts in the Spanish-speaking world for years. Now, the award-winning musician has decided to crossover to English-language music. Guest host Viviana Hurtado sits down with Juanes about his music and his social activism.

The Republican National Convention is being held in Tampa, Florida, and it's expected to bring the city tens of millions of dollars. But many are wondering if Tampa is ready for two oncoming storms — the whirlwind of people descending on the city, and brewing tropical storm Isaac. Guest host Viviana Hurtado talks with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

Questions are swirling around the death of a 21-year-old Arkansas man who died in police custody in July. An autopsy report lists Chavis Carter's death as a suicide. But his family is asking how he could have shot himself in the head while handcuffed in a police car. Guest host Viviana Hurtado speaks with Associated Press reporter Jeannie Nuss.

Memorial services are being held for miners shot dead recently by police at a South African mine. The violent images were compared to the darkest days of apartheid. Guest host Viviana Hurtado speaks with prominent Johannesburg radio host John Robbie to gauge the mood in the country.

Graham Spanier, who lost his job as president of Penn State University for allegedly not doing enough to investigate whether former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was molesting young boys, has "launched a full-throttle defense" against charges that he cared more about the university's reputation than Sandusky's victims, Harrisburg's

From a volunteer pool of more than 30 — most past retirement age – friendly folks greet visitors at the American Gothic House Center.

Unpaid guides provide pitchforks so tourists can pose in front of the house that inspired Grant Wood's recognizable painting. And they dispense information about one of America's most celebrated artists.