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Federal Reserve chairmen used to be named without much fanfare. Not this time. A very public competition between former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and the current vice chairman of the Fed Janet Yellen has made headlines and pitted the White House against liberal Democrats in Congress. It raises the question of whether the Fed succession has become too politicized — and whether it could ultimately hurt the economy.

The Costa Concordia is lying on its side in shallow waters off the west coast of Italy. It struck a reef 20 months ago when the captain steered too close to land. Thirty-two people died. On Monday, the task is to begin to slowly rotate the ship to an upright position, using a complex system of chains and underwater platforms and cables.

The farm bill which Congress is bitterly divided over is set to expire at the end of this month. Included in it is the $5 billion a year subsidy called Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program. It shells out money to farmers and land owners regardless of need or loss.

The Republican Party in the past has had a close relationship with Wall Street and big business. But lately there's growing tension and disagreement as some Republicans in Congress consider a possible government shutdown. The Tea Party seems to have the strongest criticism of big business.

The Mangalitsa pig was born out of a 19th-century Austro-Hungarian experiment in cross breeding, with a wild boar and a lard pig. In the past few years the succulent pork has gained devotees in the U.S., too.

The question this time is not whether race can be a factor in college admissions, but rather whether state voters can ban affirmative action altogether by referendum. In 2006, Michigan voters did just that with a ballot initiative amending the state's constitution.

The record-breaking wildfire in Yosemite National Park is calling attention to a problem found across the West: Forests are overloaded with fuel after a century of putting out fires. What to do about that is fueling its own heated debate.

British authorities detained the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald's for nearly nine hours at Heathrow Airport on Monday. Greenwald, who works for The Guardian, published many of Edward Snowden's revelations about the National Security Agency's large-scale monitoring of telephone and email traffic. Key members of parliament and human rights activists are demanding to know why Greenwald's partner, David Miranda, was held.

Multiple news outlets, including NPR, have been told that the bank and the Justice Department are zeroing in on that figure. At that level, the settlement would be the largest in U.S. history.

France, Mexico and Brazil are also among the U.S. allies that have expressed their displeasure following reports of NSA spying activities in their countries.