Talk of the Nation

Public school teachers in Chicago walked off the job Monday after failed contract negotiations with the city. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the strike "unnecessary." In a piece for CNN.com, Chris Rhomberg, sociology professor at Fordham University, argues that America would be better off with more strikes.

After the terror attacks on 9/11, a public opinion survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs showed widespread support for increased spending on national security and counterterrorism. A decade later, a new survey shows that "Americans have become increasingly selective about how and where to engage in the world."

Professional football players may have an increased risk of later dying from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and ALS, according to a new study in the journal Neurology. Everett Lehman, a researcher at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and co-author of the study, discusses the findings.

From the West Nile virus outbreak in Texas, to hantavirus in Yosemite, to the newly-discovered tickborne 'Heartland' virus in Missouri, viruses that cross from animals to people are in the news. Maria Diuk-Wasser, who studies the ecology and epidemiology of zoonotic diseases, helps explain the science behind the headlines.

A generator that makes electricity from wave power is being prepared for installation some two and a half miles off the Oregon coast. Jason Busch, executive director of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, discusses the project and why some Oregon residents are looking to the sea as a source of renewable energy.

Bat biologist Nickolay Hristov, of UNC's Center for Design Innovation and Winston-Salem State University, develops new techniques for filming and visualizing bats and the caves they occupy. Some of the tools in his kit include a long-range laser scanner--for modelling bat cave morphology--and portable thermal cameras--to capture bat-life when the lights are off.

In his book Golden Holocaust: Origins of the Cigarette Catastrophe and the Case for Abolition, historian Robert Proctor reveals little-known secrets of the cigarette, starting with the ingredient list: antifreeze, cocoa shells, liquorice and over 100 other additives.

Science isn't always about new drugs or robots on Mars. In his new book, This is Improbable: Cheese String Theory, Magnetic Chickens, and other WTF Research, Marc Abrahams shows us what we can learn from a man who swallowed a shrew, and other unlikely experiments.

New fuel efficiency regulations will double the fuel economy of cars by 2025. The new regulations were generally well-received by car manufacturers. Still, they acknowledge that it could be difficult and costly to achieve the new standards and they may change the way cars are manufactured.

Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Kathleen Turner stars as the sassy Texas newspaper columnist in the comedic one-woman show. Turner talks about the role, her career and the challenges of playing a political character.

Primary care practitioners continue to serve as the first line of defense against the obesity epidemic. But when it comes to what happens between doctors and patients behind closed doors, some wonder whether doctors can really convince their patients to make permanent lifestyle changes.

It was an unusual unscripted moment at the Democratic convention. Wednesday, a chorus of "boos" erupted when the chairman called a vote to add a mention of God to the party platform and reaffirm Jerusalem as capital of Israel. NPR.org Washington correspondent Liz Halloran talks about the dustup.

Democrats kicked off their convention with first lady Michelle Obama and keynote speaker Julian Castro. NPR's Ken Rudin and Democratic Chair Emeritus and former governor Howard Dean talk about the convention and what the president should say Thursday.

Thursday, President Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. NPR's Ken Rudin, former Clinton White House speechwriter Paul Glastris and former Reagan White House speechwriter Peter Robinson talk about what the president should say to make his case for reelection.

In a piece for The New Yorker, Sarah Stillman tells the stories of several young offenders who were killed while or after working as confidential police informants. Stillman, officer Brian Sallee and trial lawyer Lance Block discuss how legislation could help this largely unregulated system.