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Summer road trips are a time for both celebration and meditation. There's an urgent need to be free and explore, while also blocking out the rest of the world and getting lost in wistful daydreams. For Carrie Brownstein, former guitarist for Sleater-Kinney and host of NPR's Monitor Mix blog, nothing captures those moments better than these five songs.

The former chief of staff of Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) reaches a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in which he will assist the investigation of his former boss for allegedly doling out political favors to former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Neil Volz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in the deal.

NPR's resident film music buff Andy Trudeau picks his top ten movie scores of all-time.

Crude oil prices hit record highs of more than $70 a barrel. At the end of trading Tuesday, the price settled at $71.60 -- a 95-cent increase over Monday's record close. President Bush, saying he is concerned about higher gas prices, promised the government would stop any price gouging.

For the first time in history, all 10 acts on the "Billboard Top 10" are black. Nine of the 10 are rap acts, and the top spot is held by Pop/R&B songstress Beyonce and Dancehall Reggae star Sean Paul.

Director BRIAN DE PALMA. Now 53, he's the son of a orthopedic surgeon in Philadelphia, and sometimes watched his father's surgeries. Perhaps this explains the frequent depiction of blood and violence in many of his films, which include "Carrie", "Dressed to Kill", "The Fury", and "Scarface". His thrillers were often compared with those of Hitchcock. In the 1970's, De Palma, along with other young film directors Martin Scorcese, Steven Speilberg and Francis Coppola made films of such quality that the period is sometimes refered to as another Golden Age of Hollywood. De Palma returns to that era with his new film "Carlito's Way", which stars one of the great actors of the 70s, Al Pacino.

Foreign correspondent Dexter Filkins suggests the Pakistanis might've enlisted the C.I.A.'s help to arrest a Taliban leader, so that he couldn't participant in peace talks.

The number of fires so far this year — 42,745 — is down from the same period in 2011. But blazes have been larger. Many have been fueled by parched conditions in much of the nation.

It's the biggest day for America's restaurants, and one of the biggest for flower sales. Despite anxieties over rising gas prices, people are ready to splurge to celebrate.

A homeless shelter in Oakland called Mandela House is closing on May 29. Its purpose was to get unhoused people into permanent housing. But Residents say they haven’t found housing, and now they’re protesting the program’s closure.

Slate film critic David Edelstein tells us his top movies of 2004, and recommends current holiday releases. Edelstein says that in 2004, some high-profile winners -- and losers -- hit the nation's big screens.

The bulk of the president's social media posts don't make news. But taken together they show what's on his mind as he leads the nation through war and domestic turmoil.