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Mexico's president has unveiled a major shakeup of the country's tax system. His administration says it's aimed at capturing more of Mexico's paltry tax collection. Critics say it's unfairly targeting the middle class. Among the items slated for taxing: dog food and private school tuition.

One of the most powerful lobbies on Capitol Hill is AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which commands bi-partisan respect on Middle East issues. But on the matter of possible military strikes on Syria, AIPAC is having a rare tough go of it.

Steve Inskeep talks to General Salim Idriss, commander of the Free Syrian Army. They discuss Syrian opposition reaction to President Obama's address to the nation this week, the Russian diplomatic initiative and what assistance the general is hoping to receive from the United States.

Cambridge classics professor Mary Beard's latest book, Confronting the Classics, takes a gleefully contrarian approach to marble-bust greats like Homer and Thucydides. Reviewer Annalisa Quinn says the work "expertly straddles the line between scholarly and accessible."

Russia is "playing games. ... They know that the regime in Damascus is a criminal regime," Gen. Salim Idris tells NPR. Many Syrians, he says, "can't understand why the Russians and Iranians are supporting the [Assad] regime" and why "our friends are delaying" in coming to the opposition's aid.

Police say a driver in Waldorf, Md., lost control of her car while texting — she landed in a lake. She wasn't hurt but she does faces criminal charges

More rain is on the way and a flash flood warning remains in effect. At least three deaths are being blamed on the high waters and a rural dam has reportedly collapsed. The University of Colorado's Boulder campus is closed.

The whimsical Ugly Animal Preservation Society held an online vote to find a mascot. The blobfish, "a mass of pale, jelly-like flesh with puffy, loose skin," is the "winner."

For the past month, Venezuelan women have been living in fear of being mugged for their hair. Thieves are reportedly selling the stolen hair as extensions. Michel Martin speaks to freelance journalist Andrew Rosati about why the story has captured the nation's attention, and what it says about Venezuela's beauty culture.

Seven-year-old Tiana Parker was told her dreadlocks defied her school's dress code. Her story went viral, and an outpouring of support came from all over the world. Host Michel Martin speaks with her father, Terrance Parker, about his daughter's hairstyle, and the unexpected fallout.