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The president announced Tuesday his picks for three vacant spots on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, considered the second most important court in the nation. Getting nominees through the Senate has been a struggle, and by announcing three at once, the president is putting pressure on Republicans.

If a family vacation to Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons makes you fear for your waistline — or for your palate — there's good news: The National Park Service is revamping its menus to offer more healthful, local and fancier fare. How does a jumbo lump crab cake or almond-baked chicken sound to you?

Traditional hearing aids can be too expensive for many people. But a new type that uses Bluetooth technology costs only about $300. The company that makes the new devices aims to reach millions of people around the world who need hearing aids but have trouble paying for them.

The White House says the mission in Afghanistan marked an important milestone on Tuesday: The hand-off of lead security responsibility from U.S. troops to Afghan forces. It's a key step as Americans prepare to withdraw nearly all combat troops by the end of 2014. Separately, the Obama administration announced the opening of talks with the Taliban about a political settlement to the war.

By some estimates, half of the U.S. government's intelligence spending goes to private contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton. Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency leaker, says he took a job at Booz Allen because he saw it as the best place to gather the intelligence secrets he wanted to expose. Some members of Congress say the episode underscores the need for greater oversight of intelligence contractors and they are calling for hearings into the matter.

At a time when most pregnant women work, there are new efforts to keep companies from unfairly targeting employees because of a pregnancy. Allegations of pregnancy discrimination persist and have even risen in recent years despite a decades-old law against it.

Being a woman in the service has its rewards, and it has its challenges. Two female veterans turned authors have new books they hope will reach those who might follow in their boot steps.

At a "quinoa summit" this week, farmers from around the world are trading tips on how to turn this ancient Andean grain into a large-scale crop. Some Andean farmers who currently grow quinoa are asking, "What happens to us?"

Legendary crime writer Elmore Leonard published 46 novels, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight. His works were adapted countless times for film and TV. Noah Adams remembers the man whose advice to other writers was "try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip."

An unprecedented recent court filing from the Justice Department could have dramatic implications for the representation of indigent defendants. The department argues that the fix for broken public defender systems could include a court-appointed monitor.