Stories of the Week | PBS NewsHour Podcast | PBS

In San Francisco, city employees are preparing for a rush of same-sex marriage applications in case the Supreme Court strikes down Proposition 8, which banned marriage for anyone except between a man and a woman. Spencer Michels looks at the history of California's fight on same-sex marriage and previews the court's decision.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center offers a complex view of what it's like to be an LGBT American. The survey found that while 92 percent of LGBT Americans say society is more accepting, 53 percent say they still face discrimination. Ray Suarez talks with Paul Taylor, co-author of the survey, and Gary Gates of UCLA.

Since a devastating cyclone hit in 2009, farmers in a region of India have struggled with salty soil. With climate change, that problem is likely to worsen. Special correspondent Sam Eaton reports for the NewsHour's ongoing series "Food for 9 Billion," about how some farmers have returned to ancient seeds for better results.

Singapore's skyline is not just a point of pride for residents, it can also be a source of fresh produce. As part of the NewsHour's series "Food for 9 Billion," special correspondent Sam Eaton reports on Singapore's vertical solution to the challenge of feeding a growing population in an urban environment.

Ti-Anna Wang is the daughter of a once prominent Chinese dissident, who named her in honor of the deadly protests in Tiananmen Square. The story of Wang's search for her father, who was arrested in 2002, inspired a new young adult novel. Gwen Ifill talks with Wang and The Washington Post's Fred Hiatt, author of "Nine Days."

In their new memoir, "Brotherhood: Dharma, Destiny and the American Dream," Deepak and Sanjiv Chopra tell their family story, first as immigrants, then as Americans and how they grew up to become physicians with expertise in very different fields. Jeffrey Brown talks with the Chopras about their journey to America as brothers.

Over the past 30 years, China has quadrupled its meat consumption. The nation's increasing appetite for pork has led a Chinese company to bid to buy American pork producer Smithfield Farms. Judy Woodruff talks to economists Steve Meyer and Thilo Hanemann about China's interest in U.S. companies and concerns raised by the deal.

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, professional artist Mary Wyant slowly lost her ability to paint and the ability to take care of herself. Ray Suarez examines the story of Mary and her daughter Rebecca, who is now her mother's legal guardian and primary caretaker, about the daily struggles of long-term care.

In other news Thursday, at least 33 people were killed in Baghdad, amid a surge of sectarian violence between minority Shiite and majority Sunni populations. The car bombs that exploded in Iraq's capital are part of the country's worst outbreak of violence since U.S. forces withdrew in December 2011.

Country music legend Dolly Parton has delivered nearly 50 million free books to children's homes. Called Imagination Library, the program started in 1996 in one one rural Tennessee county and has spread to 1,400 communities across the United States, England and Canada. Special correspondent for education John Merrow reports.

In Nogales, Ariz., a long stretch of fencing separates the residents there from people just across the border in Nogales, Mexico. One of the busiest ports of entry between the two countries, it is case in point critical to the debate over immigration reform. Ray Suarez holds that conversation with two law enforcement officials.

The New York Police Department's facial identification unit might not quite measure up to Hollywood standards, but they are on the cusp of a big change in the way police do their job. Miles O'Brien examines the software that turned the grainiest of images into information used to identify the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

Days after President Obama announced new restrictions to the drone program, a suspected U.S. drone strike killed a top Pakistani Taliban commander. Pakistani intelligence officials say the man, Wali ur-Rehman, was killed along with four others, but the White House would not confirm the attack or deaths. Jeffrey Brown reports.

Mothers are the sole or primary source of income for a record 40 percent share of all families in the U.S., according to a new Pew Research Center report. Judy Woodruff discusses what the study suggests about the changing dynamics of work and family life with Pew's Paul Taylor and Ellen Galinsky of Families and Work Institute.

Spring brought unexpected signs of strength and recovery for the United States economy with home prices rising at a medium 11 percent and gains seen in 20 cities. Correspondent Gwen Ifill and The New York Times' Catherine Rampell discuss consumer confidence levels as the country's economy sees incremental improvements.