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Weed has grown on President Obama. In a recent New Yorker profile, he described marijuana as a bad habit, a personal vice but no more dangerous than alcohol. This marks a shift from the stance that he had once held and the position voiced previously by the U.S. drug czar. The president's current ambivalence on marijuana may mirror the feelings held by many Americans.

A report released Thursday by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board recommends that the National Security Administration's bulk phone record program be eliminated. The report finds that not only is the program illegal, it's also ineffective. These findings come less than a week after President Obama called for keeping the program, but only after making some changes.

Jenny Offill's sparse and experimental novel Dept. of Speculation is a reminder that bigger isn't always better. Through short vignettes, Offill builds a narrative about an unnamed husband and wife. It's a sly, profound glimpse into a fragile domestic sphere — and, while the form may be unusual, the book is highly readable.

Contrary to widespread belief, it's no harder to climb the economic ladder now than a generation ago. But the study did find that moving up that ladder is still a lot harder in the United States than in other developed countries.

Bertha, the world's largest underground boring tool, ground to a halt late last year as it was tunneling under the city. Authorities still aren't sure what happened.

In January 1984, Apple aired one of most iconic commercials in Super Bowl history — introducing the Macintosh computer. The marketing helped position Apple as a plucky upstart, and the machine fundamentally changed the way people interacted with computers.

Marlise Munoz's husband says she is brain-dead and the health of the fetus in question, but the hospital says state law compels it to keep the woman alive. A judge hears the case Friday.

Two weeks before the Winter Olympics, Russian security forces are reportedly searching for potential suicide bombers, at least one of whom may already be in the host city of Sochi. The suspects are thought to be linked to Islamist militants who want to create a fundamentalist Muslim state in Russia's North Caucasus Mountains.

In this encore report, we hear about a small museum in an elevator shaft in lower Manhattan. It's only six feet square, and only about three or four people can enter it at a time. The exhibits document the weird and wonderful of modern life, including prison contraband made from bread. (This piece originally aired on Jan. 2, 2014 on All Things Considered).

Tuesday night is the State of the Union Address — the biggest opportunity President Obama gets all year to speak to the American people about his priorities. There's also another speech that night — the GOP response. On Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner announced Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington State would deliver the official rebuttal.