State and National News

It won't trigger any catastrophes, according to scientists, but the Moon will orbit to its closest proximity to the Earth on Saturday night. It's called a "super moon": when a full moon reaches perigee near our planet.

Justin Wolfers, an economist known for, among other things, his sardonic wit, may have made the best comment of the day on the heels of the April jobs report out Friday. He tweeted:

"The worst part of today's jobs report? It provides just enough inane talking points for both sides of politics."

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former chief at the International Monetary Fund, is facing more allegations of sexual misconduct.

Strauss-Kahn was considered a top contender for the French presidency until he was accused of rape by a New York City hotel maid. That case against him was dropped, but it cost him his IMF job and then French investigators implicated Strauss-Kahn in a prostitution probe.

Singer, songwriter and fiddler Amanda Shires makes her first appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live in Charleston, W.V. Shires got her start in Texas, where as a teenager she performed with the Texas Playboys, the backing band for the legendary Bob Wills.

Two brothers have been charged in connection with one of the nation's largest drug heists, along with 20 other people in an organized crime ring that stretched from Florida to New Jersey and Connecticut.

It's the culmination of a three-year FBI investigation in which undercover agents managed to prevent any of the stolen drugs from entering the marketplace, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

Update at 2:30 p.m. ET: The news that Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has died has now been confirmed by the group's public relations firm.

Our original post:

With Washington abuzz over the political ramifications of the president's trip to Afghanistan, this week's podcast focuses on stuff outside the Beltway: Sen. Dick Lugar's tough Republican primary contest in Indiana next Tuesday and, on the same day, Wisconsin Democrats' selection of a candidate to take on GOP Gov. Scott Walker in the June recall election.

NPR's Ron Elving and Ken Rudin break down the latest political news on this week's roundup.

Talk about a heavy hand: State police say they clocked Nikkolaus McCarthy, 25, flying across the New York Thruway at 170 mph.

That's not a typo. Police said when they finally caught up with him 50 miles later and told McCarthy how fast he was going, he allegedly bragged saying his bike could break the 190 mph barrier.

The Albany Times Union reports:

Neil Sedaka is synonymous with popular music. For more than 50 years, he's written, performed and produced the soundtrack for America's collective psyche. Sedaka had a string of early-1960s pop hits, and his songs have been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Elvis Presley and The Monkees, among others.