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Whatever Congress might come up with would certainly be controversial — and this is an election year. That hasn't stopped some lawmakers from taking sides in the privacy vs. national security debate.

Three years after bariatic surgery, most people experienced health improvements. Yet some people benefited much more than others. Figuring out those differences would help doctors and patients understand who should have surgery and who should avoid it.

Before foreign ministers gathered in Geneva, the prospect for progress on reducing tensions appeared to be be slim. But afterward, Secretary of State John Kerry said differences had been narrowed.

The Puente Hills Landfill received waste from all over Los Angeles County for more than 50 years, and eventually grew higher than 500 feet. But with the site's closure, the trash won't just disappear.

Rodney Scott's legendary South Carolina barbecue cookhouse went up in flames last year, so friends of the pit master cooked up a plan to help him rebuild. Scott is now making a comeback with his Bar-B-Que in Exile Tour and bringing people together with his whole hog barbecue.

Primaries in Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio serve as the kickoff for an intense two-month stretch of elections. Did we mention former American Idol star Clay Aiken is on the ballot?

Along with submissions for our Weekly Innovation post, we've also received ideas for things that haven't been created yet, things that NPR readers want to see become a reality (like reversible tattoos or steering wheel fans). As we look ahead to 2014, here are our favorite ideas of the past year.

President Obama is staying home from next year's Winter Games, sending openly gay athletes instead to scold Russia for its anti-gay policies. This isn't the first time politics has intruded on the Olympics. Although the games are intended to be an apolitical athletic gathering, they have frequently provided a platform for protest.

California Rep. Henry Waxman, elected in 1974 in Watergate's aftermath, has announced his retirement. The Democrat leaves behind one of the most substantive legislative records in the House's recent history, and was instrumental in the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Steve Inskeep talks to former Senate Majority leader and top U.S. diplomatic envoy George Mitchell about the stakes for a negotiated peace between Israel and the Palestinians — and the importance of continued diplomatic leadership by the U.S. in the Middle East and beyond. Mitchell publishes a three-part series of editorials on the topic this week in the "Boston Globe."