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Washington Monthly magazine is out with a new list of college rankings — and the usual suspects aren't at the head of the class. Host Michel Martin finds out why schools like Texas A&M University are beating out Harvard and Stanford. She speaks with editor Paul Glastris.

Bangkok has seen spectacular growth in recent decades, but this has created a city divided by wealth and poverty. As part of a series on income inequality worldwide, GlobalPost looks at the disparities in Thailand's capital.

The research paper, which has been under scrutiny for months, publishes the recipe for a potential pandemic: It shows how just a handful of genetic mutations in the bird flu virus H5N1 allow it to spread between ferrets — the lab stand-in for people — through coughs and sneezes.

The president again laid down his position on what's expected to be the next bruising battle in Washington. He made the case that the borrowing limit has nothing to do with future spending. Republicans counter that there's no better time to debate spending.

Guest Host Maria Hinojosa talks with Kamala Harris, California's Attorney General about the state's newly passed "Homeowner Bill of Rights." The law, which was signed yesterday by Governor Jerry Brown, makes it harder for lenders to seize a property and allows homeowners to sue to stop a foreclosure process.

Listener Laurie Pavlos tried re-creating her great-grandmother's "jumble" cookie recipe — transcribed by her great-grandfather in 1914 — with little success. So she turned to the Lost Recipe project, and got some help re-creating the molasses-rich cookie from cookbook author Nancy Baggett.

As a little boy, Isaiah Owens felt a strong calling to bury the dead. First, he buried a matchstick, and then his neighbors' pets. Today, he runs his own funeral home in Harlem. He's also the focus of a new PBS documentary about African-American funeral traditions. Guest host Celeste Headlee talks to Owens about Homegoings.

Yesterday Congress brought the country back from the brink of defaulting on its debt. Host Michel Martin talks to Joe Davidson of The Washington Post about how federal workers will bring the government back to life.

Wall Street Journal reporters Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'Connell say that champion cyclist Lance Armstrong was at the center of "the greatest sports conspiracy ever." Their book chronicles everything from group blood transfusions on the team bus to extensive efforts to silence and intimidate those who might expose the abuse.

Legendary folk singer Richie Havens died Monday at the age of 72. The Brooklyn-born singer is famous opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival. Talk of the Nation remembers him by listening back to a 2004 performance chat around the release of his 26th album Grace of the Sun.