NPR News

A report (pdf) released today by Human Rights Watch accuses the government of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela of consolidating power in the executive branch and using that power to intimidate his opponents.

"The accumulation of power in the executive, the removal of institutional safeguards, and the erosion of human rights guarantees have given the Chávez government free rein to intimidate, censor, and punish Venezuelans who 'offend' the president or obstruct his political aims," the report found.

Following the FDA approval of Truvada — the once-a-day pill that can drastically lower a person's risk of contracting HIV — Audie Cornish talks with Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. They examine the status of HIV prevention efforts in the U.S. today — what progress has been made and the challenges that still ahead. El-Sadr has worked on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment since 1981.

Folk-pop singer-songwriter Damien Jurado has come a long way since he first started self-releasing lo-fi folk recordings on cassette. Jurado has been making music since the early '90s, and he recently released his 10th studio album, Maraqopa — his second produced by best friend and Secretly Canadian labelmate Richard Swift.