Sunday is the first anniversary of the shootings in Tucson, which killed six people and wounded 13, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Memorial events are taking place all weekend; NPR's Ted Robbins tells us how people are commemorating an event they can't forget.

The honey bee population of North America is declining and new research may help answer why. It shows the bees can become hosts of a fly parasite, which causes them to become disoriented and leave their nests. Scott Simon talks with San Francisco State University's Andrew Core, who authored the study.

It's the opening day of the NFL wild card playoffs, but really, are any of those teams going to make a run at Green Bay or New England and their marquee quarterbacks? NPR Sports Correspondent Tom Goldman joins host Scott Simon to talk about Wild Card Weekend and more.

As the president seeks re-election, he points to progress made in improving the economy. For voters, believing the message may require feeling a change — sooner rather than later.

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits has been dropping around the country as the New Year begins. Companies are laying off fewer workers; hiring may be picking up. The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that the unemployment rate is now 8.5 percent, the lowest level in almost three years. But that's just an average, and prospects for losing or finding a job depend on where you live. We hear voices of the unemployed from around the country.

The more Kate Wenner heard about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the more she felt compelled to act. Wenner was struck by the thousands of U.S. troops returning with traumatic brain injuries. To make people take notice, she wrote a stage play about troops with TBIs. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports.

President Obama bypassed Congress this week in appointing Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and filling vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board. Republicans called the appointments an unconstitutional power grab and said they were made while the Senate was still technically in session.

In a case before the Supreme Court on Monday, a couple seeking to build their dream home say the Environmental Protection Agency put a stop to their plans after accusing them of building on wetlands. Is it a case of bureaucratic power run amok, or a trumped-up case aimed at eviscerating the EPA's regulatory powers?