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The most popular branch of the Smithsonian will be closing after Labor Day to undergo a planned two-year renovation. The American History Museum wants to update the building's infrastructure and create a better display for the Star Spangled Banner. A painstaking 8-year conservation project on the flag was completed Wednesday.

Nigeria attempts its first population count in 15 years, amid separatist fears and violence. Previous attempts to count Africa's most populous nation -- home to as many as 160 million people -- have failed as factions schemed to control political power and oil money.

Bettye LaVette is currently celebrating her 60th birthday, and her latest album, I've Got My Own Hell to Raise. And as she's done for four decades, she's still raising hell on the concert circuit.

It's hard to imagine summer without a visit to an amusement park... and a heart-stopping rollercoaster ride. Every year, the coasters seem scarier. In Orlando, Disney seeks to raise a coaster's scream quotient while keeping it deceptively slow.

One of the world's most beloved and admired sopranos, Dawn Upshaw has a way with complex modern works and also the tuneful melodies of classic American composers like Stephen Foster.

Food guru Mark Bittman and chef Chris Schlesinger have been at odds for years over just the right way to cook. They debate simple vs. fancy techniques for summer grilling.

Sixty years ago, a technician working on the Manhattan project took a rare color picture of the first atomic bomb test. Jack Aeby, now 82, remembers the moment he captured the blast on film.

Day to Day introduces listeners to Missy Higgins, a young singer-songwriter who has quickly become one of Australia's most popular musicians. Higgins began singing in her early teens, lying about her age to play at clubs. Hear her perform live at NPR West.

Ed Gordon talks with singer, songwriter and pastor Donnie McClurkin about fame, his troubled past, his bright future and reaching out to an international audience through gospel music.

The 25th anniversary of the holiday special brings together keyboard players of all stripes. Harold Mabern, Kris Davis, Lynne Arriale and Cyrus Chestnut play seasonal favorites for solo piano.