NPR News

Lawmakers in the House have voted to pass a bill that would ban tax subsidies for many private insurance plans that include coverage for abortions services.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with other members of the Libya contact group Thursday in Rome. The ministers will discuss ways of assisting the Libyan rebels in their efforts to overthrow Colonel Moammar Gadhafi.

Israel has been trying to negotiate a peace settlement with the Palestinian Authority. This week, Hamas joined the Palestinian's unity government. Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., tells Steve Inskeep that it will be "extremely difficult" to negotiate with a group that includes Hamas.

Demetri Martin, the standup comedian famous for his Beatle-ish bangs and stream-of-consciousness on-stage drawings, has now brought his doses of comedy to print in his first book — and it's appropriately titled This Is a Book.

This Is a Book features essays, drawings, one-liners and charts, all penned in Martin's characteristically unconventional, understated style. He talked with Morning Edition's Linda Wertheimer about his new material, and his jump from the stage to the page.

Los Angeles has a Mexican-American mayor and the largest Latino population in the country. Now, it has a new museum and cultural center celebrating the city's Mexican roots.

La Plaza pays tribute to the complex histories and identities of LA's Mexicanos, Californios, Mexican-Americans and Chicanos: Everyone from musicians in the group Ozomatli to the 44 settlers who arrived from Mexico in 1781 to establish the city of Los Angeles aka "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula."