Talk of the Nation

NPR Political Junkie Ken Rudin recaps the week in politics. Paul Glastris, speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, and Peter Robinson, speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, discuss the strategy of inauguration addresses and how President Barack Obama's speech will likely differ the second time around.

In Mali, the French continue air strikes to stop the advance of armed Islamist rebels in the north. In Syria, the death toll continues to rise, and in Afghanistan, questions remain about the ongoing transition of power. In all three regions, opportunities for current or future U.S. involvement is uncertain.

President Barack Obama's election in 2008, sparked many discussions about how race relations would change in the United States. Many Americans hoped that the election of a black man to the highest office would provide opportunities for breakthroughs in racial equality and understanding.

NPR's Celeste Headlee reads listener comments on previous show topics, including accidental deaths from prescription drug overdoses and the rise of Twitter's hashtag.

How was your workout? Did you sleep well? How far are you in that book? These questions used to be general queries. New apps and gadgets allow us to keep track of every minute detail of our daily movements and activities — a practice known as self-tracking.

Today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 84 years old. As is our annual tradition, we take a moment to reflect on his legacy, by replaying his "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

President Obama will be officially sworn in and begin his second term as the 44th President of the United States on Jan. 20. As Washington gears up for Inauguration Day, people across the country and the world are reflecting on what was gained and lost during Obama's first term.

The flu season began early this year and has struck hard in many areas of the country. On Saturday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a public health emergency for the state of New York, and last week Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared a similar emergency within the city of Boston.

Quentin Tarantino's latest film is proving to be one of his most controversial. Django Unchained has drawn admiration and condemnation from critics, and has sparked debates about history, race and violence. NPR's Celeste Headlee reads from a variey of opinion pieces about the film.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched its first ever "Python Challenge." More than 800 hunters have registered for the month-long competition aimed at harvesting Burmese pythons. University of Florida professor Frank Mazzotti talks about the threat they present to the ecosystem of the Everglades.

Why do your fingers get pruney after a long water bath? Only a handful of researchers (ever) have looked into the finger-wrinkling experience. Reporting in the journal Biology Letters, researchers make the case for finger wrinkles as treads — wet wrinkled fingers seem to grip better than wet smooth ones.

According to the EPA, more than 2.5 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, is produced each year in the U.S. Derek Markham, a contributing writer for Treehugger.com, discusses the global impacts, and why you should think twice before discarding your old cell phone.

What's it like to live--and cook--on Mars? To find out, researchers are simulating Mars missions in Russia, and on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano. Kim Binsted talks about her study to whip up tastier space food. Porcini mushroom risotto, anyone? And sleep expert Charles Czeisler talks about how humans adapt to the 24.65-hour Martian day.

To develop more effective treatments for cancer, doctors are zeroing in on the disease's genetic drivers. John DiPersio, chief of oncology at Washington University Medical Center, and Merck's Gary Gilliland discuss how this may revolutionize the future of cancer treatment.

In his new book Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease, endocrinologist and obesity doc Robert Lustig deconstructs the mythology of fat. He says exercise, for all its benefits, won't help you shed pounds--and that fasting only worsens weight gain.