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The end-of-year holidays have traditionally allowed presidents to bypass Congress and push through contested nominees with recess appointments. But with threats that House Republicans will stay in session over the holidays to block nominations, President Obama has tough political decisions to make.

Robert Siegel and Lynn Neary read emails from listeners.

At the E.U. summit in Brussels, Britain was the only nation to rule out treaty changes aimed at saving eurozone countries from default and saving the euro. A look at what's behind Britain's latest show of euro skepticism — and what it means for the Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, who, ironically, is in a coalition with the pro-Europe Liberal Democratic party.

The case of a former FBI agent who disappeared from an Iranian resort island nearly five years ago has come back into the headlines. His family has decided to tell the media, for the first time, about some developments in the case that occurred last year — including a video of the former agent, Robert Levinson, who is shown asking the government to work for his release. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston talks to Lynn Neary about the questions surrounding the case and the family's efforts to bring Levinson home.

Robert Siegel speaks with John Brennan, chief counterterrorism adviser to President Obama, about why the administration is threatening to veto the National Defense Authorization bill if it contains certain sections passed by the Senate.

As information becomes more and more digital, public libraries are striving to redefine their roles. A small number are working to create "hackerspaces," where do-it-yourselfers share sophisticated tools as well as expertise.

To play the work of composer Manuel de Falla, musicians Zuill Bailey and Isabel Bayrakdarian have enlisted the late master himself — with a little help from digital technology.

Boyd Lee Dunlop has relatives who have played with Thelonious Monk and other jazz greats. But he's never released an album himself until now.

It's tempting to dismiss Siberia's cold temperatures as a Russian cliché. NPR Correspondent David Greene learns that Siberia is serious when it comes to cold.

The Artist of Disappearance contains three novellas set in modern India. Anita Desai's somber stories read like three symphonic movements in a minor key. Desai talks with NPR's Scott Simon about her writing, and about working with her daughter, novelist Kiran Desai.