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The placebo effect, in which patients perceive an effect from a fake drug, is even stronger than once believed. Host Laura Sullivan talks to Ted Kaptchuk, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, about his research on how sham treatments affect the way we feel.

Melissa Block speaks with Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, about the approved one-time use of peaceful civil disobedience for the first time in the group's history. They will be participating in a climate rally in February in Washington, D.C.

The Supreme Court recently said police overstepped their legal authority by planting a GPS tracker on the car of a suspected drug dealer without a search warrant. The decision set off alarm bells at the FBI, where officials are trying to determine whether they need to change the way they work.

Carole King wrote songs for others before becoming a performer and writing for herself. In her new memoir, A Natural Woman, she details the stories behind some of her most famous songs and her relationships with songwriters like James Taylor, Gerry Goffin and Paul Simon.

Reporting from Afghanistan, Morning Edition's Renee Montagne talks to Salahuddin Rabbani. President Hamid Karzai recently appointed him chairman of the High Peace Council, which is tasked with negotiating with the Taliban. Rabbani replaced his father who was assassinated last year by a suspected Taliban member.

The House passed a bill extending the federal government's spending authority through the end of September on Wednesday, while keeping the bottom line cuts required by the sequester that just took effect. Tamara Keith talks to Audie Cornish about what it means in the ongoing battles over federal spending.

Palestinians object to all Israeli settlements in the West Bank. But one in particular, the E-1, is a major source of friction. Israelis say it's merely the expansion of an existing settlement. But critics say the Israelis are building a ring around Palestinian neighborhoods of east Jerusalem, cutting them off from the West Bank.

A decade ago, as the U.S. led an intervention to Iraq, France stood on the sidelines and members of Congress were so furious that they renamed French fries in the cafeteria as freedom fries. Ten years later, some lawmakers are urging the U.S. to follow the French lead in Syria. France, along with Britain, says it's time to arm the Syrian rebels and tip the military balance to force President Bashar al-Assad out of power. France has also taken a leading role in recent years in Libya, Mali and even on Iran.

In August, Hurricane Isaac's 12-foot storm surge plowed through cemeteries in Plaquemines Parish, ripping tombs off their foundations and displacing the remains of almost 200 people. About 60 are still unidentified, and at least one is missing.

Egyptian voters go to the polls over the next two days to vote for president. There are 12 candidates but polls suggest the race is down to four men: two Islamists and two former officials in the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. If no one wins at least 50 percent of the vote in the first round, a runoff will be held next month.