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The announcement that Qatar's emir would hand over power to his son is a surprise because royal transfers of power — voluntary ones, that is — are rare not just in the Middle East but around the world. The handover also raises questions about the future of Qatar's outsized role in global affairs.

According to Chief Justice John Roberts, the court will finish its work for the term on Wednesday. So, that's when we'll hear about its decisions on two high-profile cases involving gay rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. In a 5-4 decision, the court said the formula used to identify places that need federal election oversight is unconstitutional. For more, David Greene speaks with NPR's Ron Elving and Carrie Johnson.

Banned during the Cultural Revolution, China's ancient funeral practices are re-emerging — but with new twists. One of China's most famous professional mourners creates modern funerals with Chinese characteristics — burning paper money, wailing and prostrating, karaoke eulogies and strobe lights.

After a dramatic evening that included a filibuster, procedural back-and-forth and the crowds of chanting protesters in the Capitol, Texas lawmakers failed to pass sweeping abortion restrictions before a midnight deadline.

Jessie Frank was a distraught mother who was going to be late picking up her daughter at camp. She was on stand-by in Washington, D.C. for an over-booked Delta Flight to Atlanta. A man offered her his seat, and it turns out it was Delta CEO Richard Anderson. His kindness helped the mom and earned some good PR for the company.

The high court has overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act. It has also returned California's Proposition 8 to a lower appellate court with orders to dismiss it, saying petitioners didn't have standing to bring the challenge.

"I believe that every creature on this earth... was created equal," Deen said in an interview with the Today Show.

Some tough news about several historically black colleges has prompted folks to wonder if they're viable and necessary — questions that sometimes simplify their strengths and challenges.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, ruling that legally married same-sex couples are now entitled to the same federal benefits as married opposite-sex couples. They also weighed in on California's same-sex marriage ban. Read annotated versions of the rulings.