Both parties seem to agree the Latino vote will be crucial in the upcoming election. The population is growing rapidly, and Latino voters can mean the difference in several states. Guest host Linda Wertheimer talks to NPR's Ken Rudin about the importance of this constituency.

Pope Benedict XVI is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that follows the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya. The Vatican has been promoting this trip as a pilgrimage of peace for the entire region.

The Homestead Act was born during troubled times in American History. It was passed during the Civil War, but just barely. Guest host Linda Wertheimer talks with Jonathan Earle, associate professor of history at the University of Kansas, about the act and its implications.

Guest host Linda Wertheimer talks with NPR's Mike Pesca about his analysis of unusual baseball statistics, ahead of playoff season.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to denounce Japan's purchase of a disputed chain of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. This rising tide of anti-Japanese nationalism is now escalating into violence, with some Japanese businesses reporting attacks.

Monday marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's Battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles of any war. At the battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md., some of those reenacting the battle have family members who were there for this pivotal moment in history.

The Homestead Act of 1862 granted free farms to almost any settler who struck out west. A German peasant named Frederick Wohler received the deed to 80 acres of farmland in north-central Kansas 138 years ago this weekend. And today, the Wohlers are still there.

Sid Griffin and his band are fans of traditional bluegrass — but their newest album, Find the One, owes just as much of its sound to The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.

Political campaigning is increasingly driven by data. Journalist Sasha Issenberg says voter outreach has shifted from a precinct-centered game to one focused on individuals' behavior. In his new book, The Victory Lab, he says the smallest changes in tactic have had the biggest impact on politics.

Author Maggie Stiefvater's latest young-adult series kicks off with the tale of a young girl from a poor but psychic family, and her star-crossed romance with a rich private-school boy. Stiefvater based the tale on magic and Welsh mythology, but set it in small-town Virginia.