The Westminster Kennel Club dog show is under way, and dogs are being pampered, brushed and cajoled to walk before the event's judges. And in a competition for canine actors held out West, Martin Scorsese's attempt to rally support for a Hugo star falls short.

The animal rights organization, a longtime critic of factory farming practices, has collaborated with McDonald's to require pork suppliers to figure out how to phase out crates that confine pregnant sows.

Strong family support can help protect gay and lesbian teens from considering suicide, a study finds. A previous suicide attempt is an important, predictive risk factor for trouble.

'Cool' is a word that has come to mean so much more than just a temperature. It can be an attitude, a style or a sound. In a new collection of essays called Black Cool, writers explore the definition of coolness within black culture.

In January, a group of residents in Duluth, Minn., launched an anti-racism effort called the Un-Fair Campaign. The ads, posters and billboards aim to raise awareness about racial injustice and ask white people to recognize institutional racism. The ads have stirred controversy.

Under a revised plan on contraception health coverage, insurance companies — not Catholic institutions — will have to pay for contraception for employees. The issue has been a flash point for Bishops since before the health care law passed through Congress.

President Obama's $3.8 trillion budget proposal calls for spending cuts and ambitious increases in education and transportation. But critics say it is nothing more than a re-election tactic. Host Michel Martin speaks with Cecilia Munoz, Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Pamela Druckerman is causing a stir with her new book titled Bringing Up Bebe. The book argues that French parents raise better-behaved children than American parents. Host Michel Martin speaks with Druckerman, as well as Mathieu Garcon, who is a French dad, and Judith Warner, who wrote the modern motherhood book titled Perfect Madness.