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College is now four times more expensive than it was 3 decades ago, pushing student loan debt over $1 trillion. A key reason for this growth is the competition among schools for status and prestige, says Kevin Carey, education policy director at the New America Foundation.

Mexicans go out to vote for a new president this Sunday. The frontrunners are the left-leaning Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the so-called "Pretty Boy Candidate" Enrique Pena Nieto. Host Michel Martin speaks with NPR's Carrie Kahn, who's covering the campaign from Mexico City.

Both numbers are disappointments. Economists had expected BLS would say the jobless rate was 8.1 percent and that payrolls expanded by at least 150,000 jobs.

Australian researcher Scott O'Neill is leading a charge to rid the world of dengue fever. And it's a real team sport, he says: "We don't work in isolation in any projects in science these days. The days of having someone beavering away by themselves in the backroom have long gone."

Like most members of the military returning from deployment, members of the Army National Guard's 182nd Infantry Regiment face a tough return to life back home. A program developed by the military offers assistance from job fairs to couples counseling, but it's often the last help soldiers get.

Nearly 200 mayors from across the country have been in Orlando this week for the 80th annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Many mayors are particularly focused on reducing violent crime, especially gang violence. Host Scott Simon talks with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu about their efforts.

Amid the '70s counterculture movement, Mitt Romney stood out as more of a Boy Scout type, classmates recall. But they say he was also a loyal friend.

The end of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar's 35-year career representing Indiana could be imminent. We speak with the Washington-based Club for Growth on its targeting of Lugar in the Republican primary, and whether a defeat of the longtime moderate lawmaker could backfire on the GOP in November.

Eight years ago, it was President George W. Bush who rode national security to re-election by raising doubts about his 2004 Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, This year, however, the tables have turned. It's the Democrat in the White House who is challenging Republicans on what has been a traditional area of GOP strength.

Chen Guangcheng escaped from house arrest on April 22 and sought refuge at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. After negotiations, Chinese authorities said they would allow him to live freely and study at a university. But darker reports are emerging.