WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show Podcast

Ukraine announces a deal to end the violent political crisis there. Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych says he would call early presidential elections and form a coalition government, but some protestors say this is not enough. Venezuela arrests an opposition leader and expels three U.S. diplomats while six protesters are killed in demonstrations. Iran agrees to a framework for negotiations on its nuclear program. A U.N. panel says the leader of North Korea could face charges of crimes against humanity. And President Obama attends a trade summit in Mexico. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

A CBO report says a proposal from Democrats to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would boost incomes but cut jobs. The report comes the same week The Gap announces a minimum wage hike to $10.00 an hour. On the 5th anniversary of the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the so called stimulus is as politically polarizing as ever. The auto workers union re-groups after a defeat in a Tennessee Volkswagen plant. And a Nebraska judge strikes down a state law allowing a route for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Diane and her guests discuss the week in news.

Each day the headlines from the Arab world get worse: bombings in Egypt where the army is jailing journalists and secular activists ... Al-Qaida takes control of cities in Iraq ... Militant Islamists aided by foreign fighters join the civil war in Syria. What's going on? Marwan Muasher, a veteran diplomat and scholar, says the Middle East is a highly diverse region with Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Christians and various tribes. He argues in a new book that the only way the political uprisings in Arab nations will result in positive change is if governments tolerate dissent and embrace different sectarian strains.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration just wrapped up a trip to India. This unusual visit abroad was to address growing concerns at the regulatory agency about the safety of prescription drugs made in India. In the last few months, the FDA has banned the importation of several popular drugs made there, like Accutane and Cipro. The U.S. has come to rely on medicine made overseas. Today, 80 percent of prescription drugs consumed in the U.S. originate in India and China. This has lowered costs, but raised new questions on safety. Diane and her guests discuss prescription drugs made outside the U.S.

From the archives of The Diane Rehm Show: a special rebroadcast of a 1988 interview with Shirley Temple Black. The child star and former ambassador died last week at age 85.

The 12-week political standoff in Ukraine takes a deadly turn as riot police battle anti-government protesters. Diane and her guests discuss escalating violence and political turmoil in Ukraine.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein fell in love with the music of Bach as a child. She speaks with Diane about her life, her music and her new education initiative called "Bachpacking."

On Saturday, a Florida jury convicted Michael Dunn of attempted murder for shooting into a car full of African-American teens playing loud music. But the jury failed to reach a verdict on the most serious charge of first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis. Critics blame Florida's expansive self-defense law for the hung jury, which contains the controversial stand-your-ground provision. And the verdict comes just six months after another Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin. Diane and her guests discuss renewed debate over the jury's verdict in the "loud music" trial and stand-your-ground laws across the country.

Bloomberg columnist and economics blogger Megan McArdle makes the case that success — in business and in life — is largely contingent on how quickly and nimbly we learn from our mistakes. She speaks with Diane about how to identify mistakes early and channel setbacks into future success.

Last week, the two largest cable TV operators announced plans to merge. The proposed new entity would have approximately 30 percent of all national pay television subscribers and also about a third of all broadband Internet subscribers. Some consumer advocates say that if the merger is approved, cable TV bills will go up and the new company will have too much control over program content, high speed Internet access and price. Regulatory approval is not a given. Both the Department of Justice and the FCC will weigh in. Diane and her guests talk about the proposed mega-merger and what it means for consumers.

Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Asia for a diplomatic push on North Korea's nuclear weapons. A new round of Syrian peace negotiations begin. And the U.N. warns of ethnic cleansing in the Central African Republic. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

For the first time since 2009, Congress passes a debt ceiling bill without any strings attached. The extension is a blow to Tea Party Republicans who oppose an increase in federal borrowing. The Obama administration announces another delay under the Affordable Care Act requiring employers to provide health insurance to their workers. Janet Yellen testifies in front of Congress for the first time as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve. Comcast announces a bid to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion. And a federal judge in Virginia overturns the state's same sex marriage ban. Diane and a panel of journalists discuss the week in news.

For nearly ten years Daniel Jones has edited the popular "Modern Love" column in the New York Times. Over the decade, he has read 50,000 stories about relationships lost, found and transformed. Along the way, he has learned quite a bit about the human heart. He shares his insights in a new book called "Love Illuminated: Exploring Life's Most Mystifying Subject (with the Help of 50,000 Strangers).

According to recently published research annual mammogram screenings for women aged 40 through 59 lead to more diagnoses of breast cancer, but the screenings do not reduce breast cancer deaths. The research tracked nearly 90,000 women for 25 years. The study adds to the debate already underway over the benefits of yearly mammograms. Some say routine screening is leading to unnecessary call-backs, biopsies and even in some cases, unneeded cancer treatments. Please join us to discuss the value of annual mammograms.

Star college football player Michael Sam could become the first openly gay player in the NFL. That news comes as the Department of Justice vows to enforce federal rights for same-sex couples. Diane and her guests discuss how advances in gay rights are shaping law and sports.