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Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are at odds over access to past work experience for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks about the current vetting process with Kristine Lucius, a former staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and current executive vice president for policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

A public-policy expert makes the point that the reaction to the GSA scandal could lead to a pernicious development, the government equivalent of cutting off one's nose to spite one's face. In an attempt to prevent such future excesses, cuts could be made to federal agency budgets that actually decrease not improve government's ability to wisely manage its spending.

Even away from the spotlight, lots of married men stray. But people in public life have a combination of opportunity and sense of self-worth that may make them especially likely to dally.

News Corp. announced Thursday that the final edition of Britain's best-selling tabloid will be Sunday. The Rupert Murdoch-owned paper is accused of hacking into the cellphones of victims ranging from a missing schoolgirl to grieving families, royals and politicians in a quest for headlines. Dozens of companies have pulled their ads, and a former editor — and ex-aide to the prime minister — was arrested Friday.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ordered California to reduce its dangerously overcrowded prisons, the state is shifting responsibility of nonviolent criminals to local officials. Of all the prisoners and parolees leaving the state's system, the bulk are headed to Los Angeles County, which already has a strained criminal justice system.

The city's leaders agreed to a compromise with state officials this week, that may save Detroit from bankruptcy. But Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley tells host Michel Martin that a lot more work needs to be done to save the struggling city. They're also joined by NPR Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax.

A year after the Navy SEAL operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that killed Osama bin Laden, the CIA is stepping up drone attacks in Yemen and has broadened its targeting of al-Qaida's arm there. It is clear that al-Qaida isn't dead yet, and counterterrorism officials say the group is diminished. But its ideology, a kind of al-Qaida-ism, will take longer to die.

The Lakers have Jack Nicholson. Los Angeles' other NBA team has "Clipper Darrell." He has missed only one home game in the past nine years and shows up in full Clippers gear to taunt the other team. Now that his team is no longer second fiddle in Los Angeles, Clipper Darrell is in his element.

But it said its failures did not directly contribute to the blast, which killed 29 coal miners in 2010.

We've never been more connected as a society: tweeting, texting, vining. But when it comes to eating, more of us are going solo. And even when we do have table companions, we may be tuning them out.