Stories of the Week | PBS NewsHour Podcast | PBS

Before the Beatles took America by storm, Paul, John, Ringo and George were featured on BBC radio programs 53 times. Those Beatles performances, recorded between 1962 and 1965, have now been released. Jeffrey Brown talks to Kevin Howlett of BBC about his laborious search for many of these live, early, pre-Beatlemania recordings.

Have the institutional fabrics that used to ensure average citizens a secure place in American society come unraveled in the last few decades? Jeffrey Brown talks to George Packer about his award-winning book, "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America," and the growing social stratification in the U.S.

In June, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden thrust the once-secret agency into the spotlight when he leaked classified documents. The revelations continued across the year, shedding light on U.S. surveillance practices from phone metadata collection to spying on foreign allies. Judy Woodruff reports.

Lake Tahoe, straddling the border of California and Nevada, attracts 3 million visitors each year. But decades of economic development and climate change are now putting the lake's famously blue waters in danger. Gabriela Quiros of KQED reports on the conflict between development and protecting the lake for generations to come.

A writer rather than a religious scholar, Jay Parini has written a new book, "Jesus: The Human Face of God," that explores how Jesus not only created a world religion but changed history. Jeffrey Brown talks to Parini about his different take on the story of Jesus.

India has one of the world's largest economies, but growth for the advancing country has slowed to less than 5 percent a year since 2011. With the value of the rupee dropping and inflation surging, how is India's central bank prepared to cope? Hari Sreenivasan interviews Raghuran Rajan, governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

Optimists at Silicon Valley think tank Singularity University are pushing the frontiers of human progress through innovation and emerging technologies, looking to greater longevity and better health. As part of his series on Making $ense of financial news, Paul Solman explores a future of "exponential growth."

In 2013, the U.S. opted to negotiate rather than use force in Syria and Iran, but did these efforts lead to a loss of credibility? Anne-Marie Slaughter of the New America Foundation, international consultant John Negroponte, David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Trudy Rubin of The Philadelphia Inquirer join Judy Woodruff.

As the cost of higher education mounts, debt-laden students, cash-strapped parents and members of the media are asking: is traditional college still the answer? Correspondent Mona Iskander reports on Enstitute, a two-year apprenticeship program that matches 18- to 24-year-olds with some of New York's top entrepreneurs.

Monarch butterflies migrate to warmer regions each winter, but in recent years Mexico has seen far fewer Monarchs arriving. Environmental changes have eliminated the butterflies' sources of food and shelter along the way. Independent video journalist Ross Velton reports on efforts to help Monarchs survive their journey south.

NewsHour Weekend's Megan Thompson reports on the surprising disparity in pricing for generic drugs. Generics, generally thought to be less expensive, can actually vary widely in price from pharmacy to pharmacy, causing some to skip medications altogether.

Want to have a just-like-real-life fantasy experience without leaving your living room? Virtual reality technology is already employed by certain industries, but economics correspondent Paul Solman considers the variety of applications it could have in the consumer market in the future.

Three senior members of the House of Representatives have announced retirement plans, giving both parties possible openings for the 2014 midterm elections. Gwen Ifill talks to political editor Christina Bellantoni about races to watch, changing demographics and incumbents who are likely to face tough fights.

As more people across the country are living alone, the costs of rent and real estate are soaring in many urban areas. Cities like New York and Vancouver are trying to get the most out of available apartment space by creating "micro" apartments. Many of these apartments are smaller than what was previously allowed under the law.

As executive producer of "Masterpiece" on PBS, Rebecca Eaton has been feeding America's appetite for British drama for the last 25 years. Jeffrey Brown talks to Eaton about her new book, "Making Masterpiece," and the decisionmaking process behind hits such as "Upstairs, Downstairs," "The Forsyte Saga" and "Downton Abbey."