NPR News

A special deficit-reduction supercommittee has less than a week to go before a deadline to vote on a plan cutting the nation's deficits. Melissa Block talks to one of the members of the bipartisan panel, Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.

Occupy Wall Street protesters march in Los Angeles to mark the movement's second month. Carrie Kahn

Republicans are attacking President Obama for calling Americans "lazy." Is that really what the president said? Ari Shapiro

The STOCK Act, a bill that would ban members of Congress from trading stock based on nonpublic information they get because they're lawmakers, has 61 co-sponsors and counting. And for the first time, after years of languishing without a single hearing, the measure is getting a hearing in the House Financial Services Committee.

What's remarkable about this is that the STOCK Act had just nine co-sponsors last week. What changed? The CBS news magazine 60 Minutes did a story about congressional insider trading.

In case you haven't noticed, we're fat, and getting fatter.

If Americans stay on this path, 83 percent of men will be overweight or obese by 2020. Women are right behind them, with 72 percent projected to be overweight or obese by then.

The implications go far beyond tight pants and groaning sofas. Obesity is a big risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Imagining an America of overweight, unhealthy people gives public health officials the willies. And it should be frightening to us civilians, too.