WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show Podcast

Loteria is the Spanish word for lottery. It's also the name of a popular game in Mexico, similar to bingo. Loteria uses a deck of cards with colorful images. Each player has a board with a different set of pictures, and instead of calling out numbers on a ping pong ball, the dealer sings out a riddle for each picture. Mario Alberto Zambrano grew playing Loteria with his family in Houston. After a 17-year career as an international ballet dancer, he turned to the cards to help him write a novel about a Mexican-American girl trying to understand her place in the world. Zambrano talks with Diane about why he switched careers and the inspiration for his writing.

Nearly 90 million Americans are smokers or former smokers. But the number of adults smoking traditional cigarettes is on the decline. Causes include tax hikes, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma. Tobacco companies and others have taken notice: electronic cigarettes have become a booming business, and new research is being done to drastically lower nicotine levels in regular cigarettes. Many think these new developments could save thousands of lives, while others worry they provide a false sense of security and want the Food and Drug Administration to step in soon with new regulations on nicotine. Diane and her guests discuss the latest trends in smoking in America today.

The Justice Department estimates that three women and one man are killed in domestic violence homicides every day. Between the years 2000 and 2006, murders resulting from domestic violence claimed 10,600 lives. In response to the murder of a woman north of Boston, a domestic violence crisis center decided to try a new approach to identify women at high-risk. Police, advocates and the courts there now work together to prevent murders by predicting when they might happen. Since then, homicides have dropped significantly. Now communities across the country are trying to replicate their success.

A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories, including Edward Snowden's temporary asylum in Russia; Egypt's break up of pro-Morsi sit-ins; and Secretary of State John Kerry's nine-month goal for Mideast peace talks.

A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories, including more revelations over NSA surveillance programs; July unemployment numbers; and what Congress managed to accomplish before its summer recess.

The Justice Department estimates that three women and one man are killed in domestic violence homicides every day. Between the years 2000 and 2006, murders resulting from domestic violence claimed 10,600 lives. In response to the murder of a woman north of Boston, a domestic violence crisis center decided to try a new approach to identify women at high-risk. Police, advocates and the courts there now work together to prevent murders by predicting when they might happen. Since then, homicides have dropped significantly. Now communities across the country are trying to replicate their success.

For the elderly who are unable to live alone but don't want a nursing home, assisted living can seem like a nice alternative. Many feel they can still have independence in communities that have the look and feel of an apartment complex, rather than a hospital. Since the first one opened 20 years ago, the number of assisted living facilities has exploded. Nearly 750,000 Americans call them home. But unlike nursing homes, assisted living facilities are not federally regulated, leaving them subject to a patchwork of state and local laws. Diane and her guests discuss new questions about assisted living.

"Woman at Point Zero" is based on a true story about a woman whose struggles to survive poverty end with her facing execution at the same prison where the author herself was held for political activism.

Hundreds of fast food workers in Detroit, St Louis, and a number of other cities are walking off the job this week. Their complaint: while the fast food industry is making record profits,workers make only minimum wage. They can't afford, they claim, to cover the basics such as rent and food. Their call for a 'livable wage' of $15 an hour does not seem likely to be met. Still, their grievances strike a chord, especially among those with concerns about the widening gap between rich and poor in this country. Please join us to discuss fast food workers and the demand for a living wage.

The Office of Management and Budget was established in 1921 to assist the president in preparing a budget for Congress. OMB's new director is Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Born and raised in a small West Virginia town, Burwell is just the second woman to hold the high-level cabinet position. She faces an uphill battle with House Republicans: they've drafted several bills slashing discretionary programs and are demanding that sequester cuts continue. And a new CBO report warns ending the sequester would hurt the economy. Diane talks with OMB Director Sylvia Burwell about navigating the looming budget battle and making government more efficient.

A recent House bill to block the NSA from collecting millions of phone records was narrowly defeated. Diane and her guests discuss growing concerns over the scope and oversight of domestic surveillance programs.

In 1978, John Hunter was a young teacher looking to make social studies relevant to inner-city kids. What he came up with: a four-by-four piece of plywood on which students attempted to solve the problems of Africa. Over time, this board became multidimensional, growing to encompass nations, prime ministers, the U.N. and the World Bank. The goal is to solve geo-political problems with the least amount of military intervention. And for Hunter, it's come to represent a philosophy of education. John Hunter joins Diane to talk about "The World Peace Game" and three decades of teaching.

After a weekend of violence in which at least 83 people were killed in Cairo, Egypt's new foreign minister has urged restraint. More than 260 people have been killed since the July third coup that deposed President Mohammed Morsi. Saturday's attack came after millions took to the streets to show support for the military. General Sissi had called for the protests against Morsi backers who are holding sit-in camps in downtown Cairo. Meanwhile, foreign pressure is building on the military to return to a democratically-elected government. Diane and her guests discuss what's next for Egypt and a look at new Mid-east peace talks.

As many as one-third of workers in the United States are freelancers. Between 10 and 42 million people now work outside the traditional 9-to-5 model. Many full-time employees, from graphic artists and construction workers to lawyers, started working as independent contractors out of necessity during the recession. While freelancers enjoy more flexibility and autonomy, working independently comes with challenges. Freelancers receive no pension, no health insurance, no workers compensation and no job security. A discussion about the risks and benefits of the new "freelance economy."

Supporters and opponents of Egypt's deposed president began mass protests today. Meanwhile, the White House has decided aid to Egypt can continue to flow. Secretary of State John Kerry pressed Syrians to commit to peace talks, saying there is no military solution to the conflict there. Kerry also called on Russia to return Edward Snowden to the U.S. where he says the N.S.A. leaker will have a fair trial. Al qaeda-linked militants claimed responsibility for an assault on Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail. President Obama nominated Caroline Kennedy as U.S. ambassador to Japan. And Pope Francis called for new efforts to fight poverty on his visit to Brazil. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.