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Sen. Joe Biden has been in the spotlight lately because of his work on two panels: the Judiciary Committee, which questioned new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and the Foreign Relations Committee, on which Biden is the top Democrat.

Gen. Michael Hayden faced tough, bipartisan grilling Thursday from a Senate panel weighing his nomination to head the CIA. Responding to sharp questioning from several senators, Hayden repeatedly defended the legality of two controversial surveillance programs begun at the NSA during his six years at the helm of the top-secret intelligence agency.

Jack Coughlin, a gunnery sergeant in the Marines, is the author of the new book Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper. He grew up in a wealthy Boston suburb and joined the Marines at age 19, spending the next 20 years behind the scope of a long-range rifle as a sniper. He has more than 60 confirmed kills, 38 of which took place during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In the 1990s, Bobby Valentino was part of the teen vocal group Mista. Now he's gone solo, with a self-titled CD and a single, "Slow Down," that's already topped the R&B charts. Ed Gordon talks with Valentino about his burgeoning career and his soulful influences.

Rita Coolidge's 1977 solo album, Anytime Anywhere, sold millions of copies. Three singles made the top of the charts, including "We're All Alone." Nearly three decades later, Coolidge sings the same tune on a new CD of jazz standards.

On May 19, 1989, a tearful Zhao Ziyang, one of the Communist Party's top officials, addressed student protesters in Tiananmen Square. After that speech, Zhao was put on house arrest, where he remained until his death in 2005. Editor Bao Pu talks about a new book of Zhao's memoirs.

Famous writers and their drinks are inseparable, despite the price some paid for the vice. Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide delves into the drinking habits of America's top writers to reveal their favorite cocktails. Steve Inskeep talks with author Mark Bailey and illustrator Edward Hemingway, the great writer's grandson.

At 21,450 pages — think 15 copies of War and Peace stacked on top of each other — One Piece includes every panel of the long-running Japanese comic of the same name.

A book about a dog has been at or near the top of nonfiction best-seller lists for about a year now. Librarian Nancy Pearl suggests some other notable books featuring, but not necessarily written by, canines.

Black coaches are more likely to be fired and have fewer, narrower paths to the top.

Congress gets back in session this week, and its to-do list reads like a rundown of some of President Obama's top priorities: a major climate change bill, universal health care legislation. And while lawmakers were away on a Memorial Day recess, the president added one more big task: confirming his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Top Chef's Carla Hall and Hell's Kitchen's Rock Harper helped pick our winning garlic recipe — and it's hot stuff. Warning: This recipe isn't for the faint of heart — or stomach!