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Researchers are finding surprises in data from the planet nearest the sun. Among them: a crater with a base that's been lifted up higher than the rim, and new details on Mercury's core.

For the first time, the Supreme Court has ruled that defendants have a right to effective legal assistance in plea bargains. In a 5-4 decision, the court declared that when a lawyer acts unethically or gives clearly wrong advice, the defendant may be entitled to a second chance at accepting a plea offer.

The number of Americans uneasy with the mixing of religion and politics is at its highest point in a decade.

The court ruled unanimously in favor of an Idaho couple who were prevented from building their dream home after the Environmental Protection Agency barred them from building on their land. The agency claimed the property was protected wetlands under the federal Clean Water Act.

Robert Collins says he felt "violated" when the Maryland Department of Corrections asked to log in to his Facebook account during a job interview. He's now pushing back, working with lawmakers to bar employers from asking such a privacy-invading question.

French police have been trying to get a suspected gunman to surrender, after he apparently changed his mind about turning himself in. The 24-year-old has confessed to killing the Jewish children and the paratrooper in Toulouse. Explosions have been reported near the apartment. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley tells host Robert Siegel the latest developments.

In R.J. Palacio's new novel, a middle-schooler with a facial deformity struggles to fit in. Raquel Jaramillo, the author behind the pen name, says she found it more interesting to write about teens being kind than about teens being mean.

Airline passengers don't like baggage fees. To avoid them, they often haul as much carry-on luggage onto the plane as they can manage. Airlines aren't backing down on the fees, but they are expanding their overhead bins to acknowledge the new reality.

The prospect of a paralyzing cyberattack has convinced U.S. security officials and lawmakers that a new law may be needed to promote improved cyberdefenses at critical facilities. Progress on that legislation, however, has been slowed by a debate over whether new cybersecurity measures should be mandated or merely encouraged.

President Obama is on a multi-state tour to defend his administration's energy policies, answering charges by Republicans that he's responsible for rising gasoline prices.