WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show Podcast

President Barack Obama takes his new economic message on the road. The U.S. Senate passes a student loan bill. And New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner faces another sexting scandal. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

Shirley Jones is best known for her roles in classic musical films: "Oklahoma!," "Carousel," and "The Music Man." She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Elmer Gantry." And she played one of television's most well-known moms in "The Partridge Family." Often cast as a wholesome, All-American beauty, she grew up in small-town Pennsylvania - a tomboy who loved to sing. Nineteen-year-old Jones grabbed the attention of Broadway legends Rodgers and Hammerstein at her first audition. But life behind the scenes - in challenging marriages and raising three sons in the world of show business — wasn't always so easy. Diane talks with singer and actor, Shirley Jones, about her life on and off the screen.

Debate over the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Efforts to privatize most of the U.S. mortgage market and what it could mean for the housing recovery.

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."

A standoff continues between the U.S. and Russia over the asylum request by NSA leaker Edward Snowden. The Arab League backs a new U.S.-led Mideast peace effort. And tainted school lunches kill at least 23 children in India. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

The Senate makes a deal on filibusters. Attorney General Eric Holder attacks stand-your-ground laws. And a Rolling Stone cover of the Boston bombing suspect sparks outrage. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

By some estimates, China will likely surpass the United States to become the leading economic superpower by 2016. The world's most populous country now boasts a rapidly expanding military and growing influence in global affairs. But these accomplishments have come after a long period of dynastic decline, foreign occupation and civil war. China experts Orville Schell and John Delury say China's pursuit of national greatness after generations of humiliation has come to define the Chinese character. They say this determined quest for wealth and power remains the key to understanding many of China's actions today. A conversation about the history of Chinese nationalism and how it paved the way for the world's most populist country to become the global economic powerhouse it is today.

America in the early 1930s was the scene of widespread labor unrest. Several prominent strikes erupted in violence and threatened the struggling economy. Then in 1935, Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act. The new law guaranteed workers the right to organize and bargain collectively. For decades, the NLRB functioned as a middle ground between labor and business. But recessions and globalization led to calls by some conservatives to defund the agency. Supporters argue the NLRB is the only agency that protects workers' rights. Diane and guests discuss politics, policy-making and the NLRB.

As a child, Rosemary never stopped talking. As a young woman she wrapped herself in silence — the silence of intentional forgetting, of protective cover. Something happened, something so awful that it changed Rosemary and destroyed her family. It is 1996 in Bloomington, Ind. Rosemary's once lively mother is a shell of her former self, and her brother is a fugitive. Fern, Rosemary's beloved sister, is removed from the house. The latest novel by best-selling author Karen Joy Fowler, called "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves," is a new take on the dysfunctional American family. It raises questions about the power of language and what it means to be part of the animal kingdom.

A proposal in Congress to create a new system for prosecuting military sexual assault crimes is gaining ground. Efforts to remove the chain of command from sexual assault cases.

Consumers may soon have more safety information about generic drugs, and they may also have the ability to sue manufacturers if they experience an adverse reaction. Dr Sid Wolfe says these changes are long overdue. As founder and senior adviser of the nonprofit advocacy organization Public Citizen, these are among hundreds of changes he's pushed for over the last four decades. His best-selling book, "Worst Pills, Best Pills," first published in 1988, details critical safety information on common prescription drugs. Dr. Sid Wolfe talks about the drug approval process, drug safety and his 40-year career as a consumer health advocate.

The Senate majority leader takes steps that could dramatically change filibuster rules: Blocked nominees, partisan rancor and the future of the filibuster.

Getting a four-year college degree can cost a small fortune — even at public institutions. Annual tuition hikes at public and private universities often outpace the rate of inflation. With state funding for higher education decreasing and federal student loans rates rising, many students will be saddled with ever greater debt. For some, high tuition will make the American dream of getting a college degree unattainable. Diane and guests talk about why college is so expensive and what can be done about it.

Race, justice and state Stand Your Ground laws: Reaction and debate following the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who was accused in the death of an unarmed Florida teenager.

Author Simon Van Booy joins Diane to discuss his latest novel, "The Illusion of Separateness." Inspired by true events, it tells the stories of different people in various places and times, linked together in unexpected ways.