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Citing his age (85) and diminished strength, the pontiff plans to step down effective Feb. 28. It's likely that a conclave to elect a new pope will be held by mid-March. A pope hasn't stepped down this way since 1415.

Bookmakers are taking bets on whether an African or Latin American Cardinal will succeed Pope Benedict XVI. Host Michel Martin speaks to University of Pennsylvania Religion Professor Anthea Butler, to discuss the possibility of the papacy leaving Europe for the first time since the Middle Ages.

From First Lady Michelle Obama handing out the Best Picture award to Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence taking a tumble, the 85th Academy Awards was full of surprises. Host Michel Martin recaps the evening with People magazine's movie critic, Alynda Wheat.

Diana Vreeland had a troubled childhood; her mother often told her she was ugly. But she later became editor-in-chief of American Vogue and one of the country's most revered fashion icons. Her life is captured in the new biography, Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland. Host Michel Martin talks with author Amanda Mackenzie Stuart.

The death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans at the hands of extremists there quickly became an issue in the 2012 presidential race. Republican Mitt Romney accused the administration of making an "apology for America's values," and of sending "mixed messages to the world."

The women of Hollywood took center stage at Sunday's Golden Globes. For more on who cleaned up and who might look to strike gold at the Oscars, host Michel Martin speaks with Sheila Marikar of ABC News.

Obama's path to capturing Virginia again remains far from certain in a dead-heat race with Mitt Romney, whose White House dreams rely heavily on securing the state's 13 electoral votes. And the state's race between two well-regarded former governors could determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai is receiving treatment in the United Kingdom, after being shot last week by the Taliban. New York Times video and print correspondent Adam Ellick spent months documenting the teen's life. He tells host Michel Martin about the "small video star" that he knows.

With eyes on the presidential debate in New York, we decided to turn ours to the swing state of Nevada, where President Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney are battling mightily over the state's small but crucial trove of six electoral votes. We caught up with three voters we first met last winter.

Everything in this year's presidential election is supersized, except for the number of swing states in play. That's forcing a bigger pot of money to be pumped into a smaller pool of states. "There is such focus on relatively few markets that the levels of advertising we're seeing are really uncharted waters," one media analyst says.