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Reading literary fiction improves people's ability to recognize other people's mental states, while popular fiction and nonfiction do not, a study says. That may be because literary fiction tends to focus on the psychology and inner lives of the characters.

Earlier this week, All Things Considered asked you to submit your questions about the shutdown, then assembled a crack team of NPR reporters to answer them. Find out what the government shutdown means for food safety, military pay and more.

Herman Wallace, 71, survived 40 years in solitary confinement for the killing of a guard. A judge overturned his conviction and set him free on Tuesday, saying he had not received a fair trial.

Polls show most Americans oppose the federal government shutdown, but there's no sign that the stalemate will end. Guest host Celeste Headlee discusses why minority rule may be winning in U.S. politics with public policy professor Jerry Mayer of George Mason University, and journalist Callie Crossley of public radio station WGBH in Boston.

President Obama doesn't want to send suspects to Guatanamo Bay for military trials. But U.S. intelligence agencies do want to interrogate Abu Anas al-Libi before he's handed over to a civilian court in the U.S.

In a wide-ranging interview with New York magazine, the conservative justice says the devil is "a real person," the situation in Washington is "nasty" and that he's "not a hater of homosexuals at all." He also says he's glad his method of interpreting the Constitution has become more mainstream.

Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head a year ago after campaigning for girls' education, has said the way forward is to talk to the Taliban.

For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try a new take on the classic sandwich cookie: the Limited Edition Candy Corn Oreo.

The beleaguered town of Ghouta made international headlines as the scene of a deadly chemical attack in August. Thousands of civilians still live in the rebel-held town, but government troops surround Ghouta with checkpoints that limit food and other supplies.

In her first in-depth interviews since the Taliban shot her a year ago, Malala expressed no rancor. Instead, she recommitted to fighting for the education of girls.