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Education historian Diane Ravitch served as Assistant Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush. She later advocated No Child Left Behind's strict testing standards and expansion of charter schools. But, Ravitch now says those initiatives have failed, and the real enemy of schools is poverty. Professor Ravitch talks to host Michel Martin.

Leadership shake-ups across the Arab world have not necessarily made things better for everyone, particularly the United States. Islamists have been voted into power, but is this a better scenario than having dictators faithful to U.S. interests? It's up for debate at Intelligence Squared U.S.

Statistical analyst Nate Silver says humility is key to making accurate predictions. Silver, who writes the New York Times' FiveThirtyEight blog, has just written a new book called The Signal and the Noise.

States pay tens of thousands of dollars a year to house each inmate. Some states are rethinking the way they spend that money. In Ohio, sentencing reform, increased support for former inmates, and rehabilitation and education programs for current prisoners have helped keep prisoners from returning.

Two Americans have won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Koblika were awarded the prize for their work on protein receptors that tell cells what's going on around the human body. Their research has allowed drug makers to develop medication with fewer side effects. The pair with share the $1.2 million award.

Glen Doherty died in the attack in Benghazi. His mother said Romney was politicizing his death.

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is tough if you don't know exactly where those gases are coming from. Scientists at Arizona State University have invented a new way to pinpoint those sources — down to individual buildings and highways.

In Michigan, voters will decide whether to force the state's utilities get at least 25 percent of their annual retail sales from renewable sources by 2025. There have been many competing claims about costs, jobs and spinoff issues.

In an interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said anti-abortion legislation would not be part of his White House agenda. But the campaign dialed back the remarks, saying Romney is "proudly pro-life" and "will be a pro-life president." But the episode is part of a larger pattern of moves toward the center by Romney.

In 1967, Roy Bates made himself prince of Sealand, an old British fort on a platform off the coast of England. Nevermind it was the size of a McMansion, Prince Roy ruled Sealand for four decades. Roy Bates died this week at 91.