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Before Rhode Island's General Assembly passed dramatic changes to the pension system, the state had one of the most underfunded pensions in the country. Many of the state's unions aren't happy with the changes and are gearing up for a legal fight.

Before you go shopping for a new computer this weekend consider this: Hard drive prices are going up. It's the result of the floods in Thailand, which produces about 45 percent of the world's hard drives. Many Thai factories have been crippled by the natural disaster.

Language guru Ben Zimmer has tracked down what he believes to be the source of the phrase. He writes that the term originated in the 1960s in Philadelphia. Traffic was so bad the day after Thanksgiving that police officers had to work 12-hour shifts. So they gave the day a negative — and memorable — name.

The psychedelic band has a complex legacy that goes beyond its big hit, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," critic Milo Miles says. A newly released concert recording from 1968 provides the best chance in decades for a fresh look at Iron Butterfly.

In Arizona, the architect of a controversial immigration law has been voted out of office. In Alabama, the nation's strictest immigration law has ignited a withering backlash expected to force major changes. "We overreached," admits one Republican supporter of the law.

For people with hearing loss, trying to hear in noisy places like airports and theaters, can be tough. But advocates are spreading word of not-so-new technology that allows sound from loudspeakers to be transmitted directly to hearing aids, cutting through the background noise.

Last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited SeaWorld following the death of a killer whale trainer. If a Florida court rules in favor of OSHA, employees of SeaWorld and other parks like it will no longer be able to come into direct contact with whales unless there is a barrier between them. Guy Raz speaks to Tim Zimmermann, a correspondent for Outside Magazine, about the ongoing legal dispute.

Rival Palestinian leaders met in Cairo this week to discuss prospects for a reconciled government. For more than four years, the Palestinian Authority has governed the West Bank, while the militant Islamist group, Hamas, has ruled the Gaza Strip. But any government that included Hamas would face serious obstacles.

A new kind of shoplifting has hit stores in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. "Flash robs" occur when a group of people organized over social media steal by mobbing a store. Police are advising store employees not to try and stop the robbers, and to take steps to make the quick removal of items difficult.

Guy Raz reads listener reaction to yesterday's Thanksgiving Day story by writer Bailey White.