Barry Lubin, better known as the clown named "Grandma," has inhabited that character throughout his 25 years with the Big Apple Circus. Host Scott Simon speaks to Lubin on his Grandma farewell tour.

Cell phone cameras and digital tablets can turn just about any consumer into an amateur journalist. Writer Gwen Thompkins wonders when the amateurs will realize what the professionals already know: Recording an event often stops reporters from experiencing what's right in front of them.

Former Major League Baseball star Barry Bonds was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest and two years probation on Friday for his federal conviction of obstruction of justice. NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

In fraud charges filed Friday, the agency accused six former top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac of lying about the number of subprime loans on their books. The SEC said the executives knew what was happening and even encouraged the deception.

The Republican presidential candidate celebrated Gov. Nikki Haley's announcement Friday, just weeks before the South Carolina Republican primary. He still faces a tough fight in the state, which for three decades has identified who will be the GOP nominee.

Consumers are clawing through coupons and prowling the "deal blogs" in search of the ultimate discount. For retailers, though, technology can make the last full shopping weekend before Christmas a bit bloody.

Lynn Neary speaks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne, of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, of the New York Times. They discuss the economy and the GOP primary race.

Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary testified in the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case Friday. McQueary has said he witnessed Sandusky sexually molesting a boy in a Penn State shower. For more, Melissa Block talks to NPR's Jeff Brady.

Pfc. Bradley Manning had his first legal proceeding Friday since being arrested in 2010 on charges of leaking classified information on the Internet. The hearing was held at Fort Meade in Maryland, where Manning's attorney immediately challenged the impartiality of the officer conducting the proceeding. Lynn Neary talks to NPR's Carrie Johnson.

With a compressed season due to a contract dispute, the NBA has seen a flurry of big trades in the past two weeks. Lynn Neary talks with sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about where players are — and aren't — going.