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A bill to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in nine years failed in the Senate last week. But in a number of states, fall ballot measures would raise the minimum wage above the federal level. Would low-wage workers be helped or harmed if these measures pass? Economists are divided.

Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in 1959, at the height of the Cold War and the peak of U.S. concern over communism. Follow Washington's policy toward Cuba through 10 U.S. presidencies.

Chicago passes a city ordinance that would require big retailers like Wal-Mart and Target to pay workers at least $13 an hour in wages and benefits within the next few years.Opponents are calling the measure illegal and planning to sue. Even Chicago's mayor is opposed. But for Chicago's poorest neighborhoods, the main question is whether the ordinance will bring better jobs or chase new ones away.

Statistics compiled by the Iraqi government and the medical community say that 6,000 people were killed in May and June -- civilians who were victims of spiraling sectarian attacks. The statistics were released by the United Nations.

Kids in New Orleans are having a tough time this summer as many camps, movie theaters, pools and parks remain closed. Youth workers say they are scrambling to create fun diversions -- with limited resources -- to keep bored kids out of trouble.

Conservative candidate Felipe Calderon leads an official recount of votes in Mexico's presidential election by the thinnest of margins over former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. On Wednesday, Lopez Obrador threatened to ignore the final tally because of "serious evidence of fraud."

A cultural exchange program that left some foreign students marooned in a hotel for weeks and sent another student home for complaining has lost its State Department license. But it's still bringing foreign students over to the United States under a system that critics say is ripe for abuse.

Fifty years after he attracted his first few dozen followers to his church, the Rev. Jerry Falwell prepares to open a giant new church building. In an interview, Falwell explains that his controversial comments were made with a singular goal -- getting attention.

Morning Edition and Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan gives his take on the new Superman movie, Superman Returns. Turan likes the action, but he says the characters and plot are not made of steel.

The American Library Association meets in New Orleans, the first major convention in the city since Hurricane Katrina. Fewer than half the city's 13 library locations have reopened. But help is on the way. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund are donating a combined $17 million towards rebuilding libraries on the Gulf Coast.