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Author and sociologist David Cunningham speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the origins of cross burnings and white hoods, and why North Carolina had more Klan members during the height of the civil rights movement than all other Southern states combined.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is responsible for reshaping the U.S. military after 10 years of war. At the same time, he's fighting to stave off the across-the-board cuts to the defense budget.

Fahrettin Gumus, a retired security guard from Turkey, recently traveled alone to Afghanistan in search of his teenage son Ibrahim, who left three years ago to join al-Qaida. So far, the father has found no trace of Ibrahim, but says he will continue to search.

To get the Distinguished Warfare Medal, no valor or bodily harm is necessary. But even safely away from combat, drone operators and cyber hackers can have a major impact on military operations. Until now, there hasn't been an award for those contributions.

One hundred years of the tax we all love to hate! Joe Thorndike of the Tax History Project talks to host Jacki Lyden about the history of the income tax in its centennial anniversary month.

Al Roker won fame as the ever-smiling weatherman on NBC's Today show. But he also endured years of indignities because of his weight. That was until he had bariatric surgery, and lost more than 100 pounds. During this encore presentation, Roker talks with host Michel Martin about his experiences, and his latest book, Never Goin' Back.

The uproar over what critics call "pink slime" in some ground beef refocused attention on what's in the food we eat. Most packaged foods contain at least one item you wouldn't recognize. But many food experts caution that just because you don't know an ingredient doesn't mean you shouldn't eat it. This segment was originally broadcast on April 11, 2012.

Dan Buettner visited some of the happiest populations on Earth to figure out what makes them tick. After five years of study, he argues the real keys to happiness lie not in wealth or beauty, but in fundamental changes to the way we live. Buettner lays out his findings in his book Thrive.

The African nation of Mali has long claimed it gave birth to the blues. Renee Montagne reports that the country's musical tradition was threatened this past year when Islamist militants took over the deserts of northern Mali and banned music.