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Houston's air quality improved dramatically over the past decade, but the city is still short of meeting the latest smog standards. Getting there isn't simply a matter of cracking down more on the petrochemical industry — the city needs to deal with cars on its sprawling roads, and bad air blowing from out of town.

When a single-engine plane apparently ran out of fuel, it nose-dived into an apartment building near Washington, D.C. Amazingly, both the pilot and passenger walked away. And, no one in the apartment was seriously injured. The plane just missed the bedrooms where people were sleeping.

Arvind Mahankali, a 13-year-old from Bayside, N.Y., won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday after correctly spelling "knaidel." It's a yiddish term of German origin meaning "dumpling." Mahankali had stumbled on German words two years in a row. This year, he said, "the German curse has turned into in a German blessing."

The space rock, which is nine times the size of a cruise ship, is dropping by Earth and it's not coming alone. Asteroid 1998 QE2 has already given scientists a surprise: It has its own moon, measured at about 2,000 feet wide.

Some news organizations are saying 'thanks, but no thanks' to an off-the-record meeting with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He offered to discuss guidelines involving the Justice Department's investigation of security leaks to the press. Host Michel Martin checks in with the Barbershop guys.

Host Michel Martin and editor Ammad Omar crack open the listener mailbox for backtalk. This week, they talk about a controversy surrounding the possible sale of fine art in Detroit to settle the city's debts.

Trustees now expect the program's fund will be depleted in 2026. Meanwhile, Social Security's trust fund is still expected to go dry in 2033. Both programs' finances need to be reformed, experts agree.

The National Weather Service issues a tornado emergency and reports a twister moving east from El Reno toward the state capital.

New video has emerged of Tuesday's freight train derailment near Baltimore, Md., that caused a huge explosion and led to the area being evacuated. Many people captured the crash's aftermath on camera.

For jazz musicians, Barron is considered an institution. So it's fitting that the pianist gets to celebrate his 70th birthday at another jazz institution. Here, he demonstrates his ebullient clarity.