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Railroad tycoon Leland Stanford drove the golden spike that connected the country's first transcontinental line in 1869, setting off decades of fierce competition for routes to the Pacific. Historian Walter Borneman follows the rails in his new book, Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad.

The interview with the Daily Show host that was originally broadcast Oct. 4 has been re-edited for Friday's Fresh Air; it features material cut from the original broadcast because of time constraints.

Oncologists would receive a set fee for certain cancers under this plan, which is being tested at five participating practices. Proponents say that this new strategy aims to identify the best medicines and cut back on profits doctors make by dispensing in-office chemotherapy drugs.

The British government is cutting nearly half a million public sector jobs over the next four years as part of a $130 billion cut in spending. Finance Minister George Osborne confirmed the cuts Wednesday in a widely anticipated announcement, saying the drastic budget cuts were the best way to reduce Britain's burgeoning debt.

The owners of the Boston Red Sox have finally acquired one of the world's most famous soccer clubs. After a ferocious boardroom battle, they've bought Liverpool Football Club, England's most successful team. But some people wonder if the new American owners realize what they have taken on. The port city of Liverpool is not like any other British city. It has its own distinctive subculture -- and some of the planet's most demanding, passionate and opinionated fans.

Atlanta-based food chemist and cookbook author Shirley O. Corriher has answers for common kitchen quandaries -- from dense zucchini bread that won't rise and chicken breasts that stick to the pan. (Hint: Don't touch the chicken!)

It is easy to talk about great ideas as if they were light-bulb moments — sudden epiphanies where everything comes together for you. But Steven Johnson, author of Where Good Ideas Come From, says the great ideas of the past have taken a lot more hanging out than you'd expect.

The British intervened three times in Afghanistan in the 80 years up to 1919. It was the western frontier of their empire, the gateway to their most precious possession, India. They wanted to keep the Russians out. The new exhibition at the National Army Museum in London has relevance today.

Doctors are leaving private practices in large numbers and going to work for hospitals. Last year, hospitals hired half of the new doctors just out of medical school. Hospital administrators say having more doctors improves care.

The vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella fell about 3 percentage points for 2-year-olds in 2009. Insurers said paranoia about side effects are to blame for the decline. Still, more than 90 percent of the children got MMR shots.