World

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heinenman announced today that his state had completed an evaluation of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline proposal.

In a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Heinenman said they were satisfied with a new route that avoids the environmentally sensitive Sand Hills so the state has approved the route.

Award-winning comedian Margaret Cho is doing a new tour called 'Mother.' It's centered on her own immigrant mom, who has always been a main character in her act. Host Michel Martin speaks with Cho for a special Tell Me More 'Moms' segment.

A lot is about to change for The Lone Bellow, a trio of Southerners who now call Brooklyn home: The band has yet to perform outside of New York, but its self-titled debut album is already charting on iTunes. Its members just quit their day jobs this month so they can go on tour.

You'll see in this performance why they're bound to connect with new fans on the road. Zach Williams, Kanene Pipkin and Brian Elmquist are natural, passionate live performers who play and sing infectious folk-rock in close harmony with startling confidence.

"We fire when we have to," and sometimes that means you "take a life to save a life."

India's Supreme Court will hear a petition Wednesday on behalf of one of the defendants in the New Delhi rape and murder case that has provoked mass protests in that nation. One of the accused, Mukesh Singh, has asked to remove the case from the capital on the grounds that the atmosphere is too charged to ensure a fair trial.

Today on the podcast, the story of one of the most destructive and mysterious food shortages in recent memory. Colbert described it on his Threatdown segment:

The global food shortage is finally becoming an important story, because now it is affecting me. Costco and Sam's Club are now both rationing rice. You can't buy more than 80 pounds in a single visit. How am I supposed to make my famous kiddie pool paella?!?

Though they dipped 1 percent in December from the month before, 2012 was the best year since 2007 for sales of existing homes, the National Association of Realtors reports.

It estimates that 4.65 million previously owned homes were sold last year, up 9.2 percent from 2011 and the most since 2007's 5.03 million.

Morning Edition introduces listeners to another installment in the NPR series "Heavy Rotation," featuring Matt Fleeger of member station KMHD. In "Sweet Pea," by PROJECT Trio, listeners are treated to a sort of rhythmic, jazzy groove that incorporates themes from classical, hip-hop and Americana.

Nashville-based singer Vicki Yohe is breaking the mold of gospel singers with her country-western looks.

She recently stopped by NPR for a performance chat with Tell Me More Host Michel Martin and addressed questions on race, faith and music, including her new album, I'm at Peace: A Praise & Worship Experience.

After performing a few of her popular sings, Yohe took to the 88 keys to show her love for NPR.

If the voters in Louisa, Ky., had their wish, Mitt Romney would have taken the oath of office Monday. Louisa is in eastern Kentucky, and "coal" was the one-word issue in the election. President Obama is seen as an enemy of coal mining and he got only 27 percent of the vote in the county.

And now comes word that Louisa is going to lose its biggest industry — a power generating plant that's been burning coal since 1962.

For many inauguration attendees without tickets to official viewing areas, there was a historic alternative all the way on the other side of the National Mall at the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln is often invoked by President Obama and the memorial's role in the civil rights movement also made it a powerful draw on a day that was not only Inauguration Day, but also Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

President Obama dined with lawmakers at the Capitol in the traditional inaugural luncheon on Monday. Within hours, Obama and congressional Republicans will be back at it over the debt ceiling, spending cuts and a possible government shutdown.

Laura Sydell gives a look ahead to the week in tech news. She covers the launch of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom's latest website and the rollout of what Facebook is calling its "graph search."