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Unocal's shareholders approve sale of the company to rival Chevron. The transaction was overshadowed by a failed bid for Unocal by a Chinese energy company.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis has jazz in his genes. His father is pianist Ellis Marsalis, and all three of his brothers — trumpeter Wynton among them — are jazz musicians. On Fresh Air, he recalls growing up surrounded by music.

Musician, producer, arranger, composer Quincy Jones has a new autobiography, Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones, (Doubleday) and a 4-CD boxset collecting his work, Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones (Rhino). In his fifty year career hes worked with just about anyone who is anybody in the music business. As a teenager he played backup for Billie Holiday, along with his 16 year old friend, Ray Charles. At 18 he began playing the trumpet in Lionel Hamptons band beside Clifford Brown. He went on to work with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, Lesley Gore and many others. He wrote the theme songs for the TV shows Sanford & Sons, and Ironside, and music for the films In Cold Blood, For the Love of Ivy, and The Pawnbroker. His biggest commercial success was producing and arranging Michael Jacksons 1982 hit album Thriller.

A preponderance of porch ceilings are painted blue, but why? Is it just popular? Is it to ward off spirits, or even pesky bugs? The assistant manager of a paint store, a tour guide in Charleston, S.C., and an expert on insects look at theories on why so many porch ceilings are painted this color.

Grab your measuring cups and get ready to be super hungry.

Trump's golden sneakers turned up a rich history of political footwear debacles. And we learned about ring kissing, presidential auctions and reality shows set on other planets.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker survived his recall election, a victory that may signal trouble for Democrats at the national level come November. NPR's Political Junkie columnist Ken Rudin and Katrina Vanden Heuvel of The Nation talk about what Walker's victory means for progressives.

States are planning for how they'll run leaner Medicaid operations after federal budget cuts. But some states are running into another problem -- they can't legally use their budgets to fill the gap.

One month into the TV season, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says diversity is winning and rom-coms are losing as new shows battle for viewers.

The country has suffered from graft and poverty since the fall of communism 25 years ago. Can a new president and an anti-corruption crusader make a difference?