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U.S. and Afghan officials have resumed talks on a deal that will determine how many American troops stay after the NATO mission ends. But until a deal is signed, it's hard for Afghans to know what's ahead, and the uncertainty may be helping the insurgents.

The former Pennsylvania senator took the caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado and won the "beauty contest" in Missouri.

As Western nations increasingly push to end the violence in Syria, tension has reached the capital Damascus. Last June, a woman there who blogs under the pseudonym "Jasmine Roman," described Damascus as a city removed from the demonstrations that were taking place elsewhere in the country. Renee Montagne talks with her again, to see how things have changed 11 months after the anti-government uprising began in Syria.

U.S. combat troops are gone from Iraq and soon, up to half the diplomatic staff will leave too. State Department officials say it's part of a plan to scale back embassy operations there. But conflicts with the Iraqi government may also be driving the decision. Tim Arango, a reporter with The New York Times, talks to Steve Inskeep about the decision.

Starbucks recently announced it is expanding into India. Long a nation of tea lovers, India's youth are increasingly opting for coffee. The dramatic rise of coffee houses there, not only highlights a change in taste, but a cultural shift where young affluent Indians are more interested in global trends than ever before.

A study from the Pew Research Center shows that the promise that "new media" will dominate the nominating process isn't coming true. But Twitter and other social media can reveal voters' moods, functioning like "a focus group in the wild."

"The Pentagon and the U.S. Central Command have begun a preliminary internal review of U.S. military capabilities," CNN is reporting. But U.S. officials also stress that they are committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Headline writers and political pundits are calling Tuesday's results a big deal for the Republican presidential race. A closer look raises some questions about that conclusion.

The results of Missouri's "beauty contest" primary and caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado may be poor indicators of the sentiment of most Republicans and independents. Instead, they show the ardor of the fraction of voters who turned out — and the potency of the abortion issue in national politics.

Lake Vostok is under 2 miles of ice and hasn't been exposed to air and light for millions of years. Scientists are eager to see what, if anything, might be living down there.