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Revelations that the NSA spied on foreign Internet communications are a particularly sensitive issue in Germany, where memories of privacy intrusions under Communist rule in the East remain vivid. But the German government itself is beefing up existing surveillance in the name of fighting terrorism.

Forty-six states and Washington, D.C., have signed on to the Common Core State Standards, a set of K-12 standards meant to ensure that students are reaching the same learning benchmarks nationwide. But as states begin implementing the standards, many conservatives have come out against them.

Wal-Mart says it will not build three of the six stores planned for Washington, D.C., after the city council passed a bill that would require the retailer to pay a wage nearly 50 percent higher than the city's minimum wage. Those three stores would be located in mostly low-income areas, with high unemployment and few places to shop. A similar situation once played out in Chicago.

After "Robert Galbraith" was revealed to be the pen name for J.K. Rowling, many readers have been circling back to a "debut" novel they'd initially overlooked. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the mystery is respectable, but she will shelve it in the "I've read worse, but I've read better" category.

Pope Francis arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday and was greeted by adoring masses and protesters alike. It is his first foreign trip since becoming pope.

As Cleveland embraces national attention for its booming arts and culinary scene, its new convention center and its world-class medical facilities, it struggles with recent grisly crimes and the message they send.

Maggie Shipstead mocks the pretensions of New England WASPs, while Jessica Lott executes unexpected riffs on the student-professor relationship plot. Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews two stellar fiction newcomers.

Egypt's state-run television station has worked under four different leaders in less than three years. For the past year, it has been pro-Islamist and pro-President Mohammed Morsi — before his ouster. Then it abruptly began reporting the military's view once again.

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board holds its first public workshop on the implications of two NSA programs uncovered by the media. The board is getting into action just as the Obama administration faces its biggest privacy challenge.

Sen. Mitch McConnell's job requires him to make deals with Democrats, something at which he's been especially good. But he may be forced to use proxies like Sen. John McCain because of an expected Tea Party primary challenger to his re-election.