NPR

In The House At The End Of The Road, W. Ralph Eubanks tells the story of his white grandfather, James Morgan Richardson, and black grandmother, Edna Howell. Jim and Edna married around 1914, in defiance of his middle-class family.

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California voters go to the polls Tuesday to vote on six ballot measures that are related to the state's budget. Most are expected to fail. Joe Mathews comments on Gov. Schwarzennegger's gamble to balance California's budget. Link to audio

The Taliban brutally flogged a teenage girl, burned schools to the ground and advanced to within 60 miles of Pakistan's capital. Despite the stern rules and intolerant attitude, many Pakistanis support the Taliban insurgency. Why? Who are the Taliban, and what's their appeal? Neal Conan explores those questions with authors and experts on the region.

Guests:

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Though they may continue to depend on the United States for military protection, the Saudis are now staking out a new leadership position on their own, notes Penn State professor Flynt Leverett, director of the GeoPolitics of Energy Initiative at the New America Foundation.

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Abderrahim Foukara, of Al Jazeera International; author Reihan Salam, of the New America Foundation; Glen Ford, of the weekly online publication Black Agenda Report, and economist Julianne Malveaux, share their views on the Obama administration.

In the modern world of busy schedules and busier lives, some people are turning to "neuro-enhancing" drugs to gain a competitive edge.

As journalist Margaret Talbot writes in the April 27 issue of The New Yorker magazine, a variety of students, professors and business people are taking drugs intended for attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy and epilepsy in an effort to enhance brain function and get ahead. Link to audio

Howard Kurtz, media columnist for The Washington Post, and Reihan Salam, associate editor of the Atlantic magazine and co-author of the "Grand New Party: How Republicans can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream," offer analysis. Link to audio

...Guest Host Linda Wertheimer talks about the future of the GOP with Reihan Salam, a fellow at the New America Foundation and author of Grand New Party, and Michelle Laxalt, a political consultant who has worked for Republican senators and the Reagan administration... Link to audio

Steve Coll, head of the New America Foundation and author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001, says he supports a linking of Afghanistan and Pakistan in US policy. ...

"This is an easy issue to demagogue," says T.A. Frank, a fellow at the New America Foundation and an editor at the Washington Monthly... Original article