Morning Edition

Taxes, foreclosures, rich-poor discrepancies, recession. Sound familiar? Sure it does. But it also describes an earlier economic period in this country — and the unlikely subject of an exhibition of artwork at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif.

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office has released statistics for the top consumer complaints of 2010 and the first two months of 2011.  Scam rebate offers topped the list.

American Idol is holding on to its place at the top of the ratings, despite losing its biggest star, incisive judge Simon Cowell. But back in January, when the new season started, Idol's continued success wasn't a given.

This week we're getting to the big performance shows. Fans know this is where the rubber meets the road — for singers AND the judges. It's where beloved comic Ellen DeGeneres crashed and burned last year, uncomfortable as a critic and uneasy around fellow judges.

President Andrew Jackson was born 244 years ago this month. North and South Carolina have fought for a century over which state can claim Jackson as a native son. Both states have dueling statues, and the White House is no help either. Its website lists Jackson's birthplace as "a backwoods settlement in the Carolinas."

Researchers at Japan's Osaka University have announced a prototype cell phone that they say will help users "feel closer" to those they're talking to. The Elfoid is shaped like a human and controlled by hidden buttons. It also has an outer coating that feels like human skin.