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Comedian Joan Rivers hates a lot of things. Her new book, I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me, details the things Rivers can't stand, from her appearance to obituaries to younger comedians who steal her gigs.

Blues, gospel and jazz singer Lea Gilmore describes herself as "just a little black girl from Baltimore." But she has a big voice that has touched audiences across the world. She speaks with guest host Celeste Headlee about her life, her music and being the only black person in Siberia.

The week between Christmas and New Year's used to be a sleepy spot on the American calendar. Nowadays, it's crammed with people rushing around reminiscing with friends and families, returning presents and raking in gift-card booty. Others, even perhaps members of Congress, go straight back to work in this fiscal cliffhanger of a year.

The president's coming back to the White House from his vacation. But that was expected. Senators are returning to the Capitol, but don't seem to be in a hurry. And House members haven't yet been told to get back to work. Many signs point to a partial deal, if that, before the New Year's Eve "deadline."

The House Democratic caucus will include a record number of women and minorities next year. But when it comes to top statewide offices, minorities do better running as Republicans.

Something remarkable happened in 2012.

The improvement in the unemployment rate in the last year belies the fact that the rate would be so much higher if the number of people in the labor force didn't shrink.

In 2007, Prince William County, Va., voted to step up police checks aimed at driving out illegal immigrants. The move sparked local outcry and national attention, but five years on, supporters and opponents differ on whether the policy has been a success.

In a tit-for-tat measure, Russia's parliament has approved a bill to ban adoptions of Russian children by American citizens. President Putin has not said whether he will sign the bill, though he has voiced support for the measure. The move is in retaliation for a U.S. law that sanctions Russians accused of human rights abuses. Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Corey Flintoff about the ban.

Now that marijuana is legal in Washington state, parents and drug counselors face the quandary of what to tell kids about the drug. Counselors, especially, say their job is harder now because of the example of adults who are openly and legally indulging in a substance that, just a few weeks ago, could still be dismissed as illegal.