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In Charlotte, N.C., a secret bunker rests quietly below a radio station. Built in 1963, it was part of a federal network designed to provide emergency communications in case of a nuclear attack. With a new slew of potential threats to contend with, FEMA has revived the idea.

It was one of the most revolutionary tools of biomedical research: the immortal HeLa cell line. But few people know the cells belonged to a poor Southern tobacco farmer named Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot spent years researching Lacks and tells her story in The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks.

In his new role as president of the Heritage Foundation, the former South Carolina senator parts company with a conservative Senate ally on the subject of immigration.

Henry James' put-upon Victorian heroine is now the child of a present-day rock star and her philandering husband, but the dynamics among the observant Maisie and her feckless parents are as painful and revealing as ever.

President Obama formally kicks off his campaign Saturday with a pair of rallies: one in Richmond, Va., and one in Columbus, Ohio. NPR's Scott Horsley joins host Scott Simon to talk about the day.

President Obama's signing of the JOBS Act gives him one more talking point with which to try and blunt the GOP's election-year charges that he's been bad for jobs. And those charges are unlikely to be diminished by his signing legislation for which Republicans claim credit.

The Republican primaries may not officially be over, but political ads have moved on to the general election. With gas prices dominating discussion, President Obama's campaign released a TV ad this week defending the president's energy policy and directly attacking GOP front-runner Mitt Romney.

While Romney's surrogates on the tax-return conference call with reporters may be right that he did all that was legally required, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a political problem. It will be a tall order for Romney, whose net worth has been estimated at between $190 million and $250 million, to defend paying federal taxes at an effective rate so much lower than those paid by millions.

NPR's Neal Conan reflects on his 11 years of hosting Talk of the Nation and thanks some of the influential contributors to the show along the way. After 36 years at NPR, Conan signs off.

Micro-gardens are small spaces, such as balconies, patios and rooftops, cultivated with planting containers like wooden boxes and trash cans. Now, creative reuse of old materials and some new tools for sale are making it easier for urban dwellers to stretch their green thumbs.