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For years, cities and states have struggled to figure out what to do about the rise in ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. California recently took the first steps toward legitimizing them, a move that could serve as a model for places also trying to catch up with the boom.

Late summer tends to be a slow month for news. But at All Things Considered, we put on a two hour program, no matter what. So — without a trace of irony — one of our science correspondents offered to help fill some holes in the show with a series of stories about holes. In this edition: Black holes.

For all the fiscal cliffhangers and debt-ceiling brinksmanship over the past couple of years, Congress has been able to find some kind of solution at the last minute. This time, many budget analysts worry, might be different.

Also: a literary missed connection; Danielle Steel on condescending questions; Lewis Carroll on etiquette.

The bacteria that cause many cases of ear infection in kids and pneumonia in the elderly are usually harmless until activated by distress signals from their human host. When the flu or another virus gives you a fever, for example, mild-mannered pneumococcus can turn nasty.

Someone scrawled racial epithets, a swastika and the name "Hitler" on a statue dedicated to the man who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier and his teammate Pee Wee Reese.

Four-year-old Damai is "being a great mom, and is nursing and grooming both cubs," zoo officials say. There was no immediate word on the sex of the cubs.

A Virginia man has caught the largest northern snakehead on record for a fisherman using a rod and reel, landing a 17-pound, 6-ounce specimen of the fish often called "Frankenfish" for their monster-like appearance and tenacious survival skills.

Scientists say the sun will reverse polarity within the next three to four months in an event that marks the midpoint of "solar max" — a period of peak solar activity.

A U.S. radar system that tracks thousands of objects orbiting Earth — from satellites to harmful debris — has reportedly been slated for a shutdown. The pending shutdown of the system, run by the Air Force, is being blamed on the government's sequestration cuts.