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Jonathan Trappe was trying to be the first to fly across the ocean using a "cluster balloon" rig. His little boat was suspended beneath about 300 helium-filled balloons. But after less than a day he was forced to land in Newfoundland. "Hmm, this doesn't look like France," he told his Facebook fans.

Sex, money, drugs, and grade fixing. A new investigation makes strong allegations against a big college football program. Host Michel Martin asks the Barbershop guys if the report surprises anyone. She speaks with culture critic Jimi Izrael, and journalists Kevin Blackistone, Ammad Omar, and Corey Dade.

There's no evidence that it appeals to voters, but a pair of politicians gave the cameras an upthrust middle finger this week. The German candidate tweeted a defense of his gesture, saying: "Straight talk doesn't always need words."

Many Americans are now living longer, but one group is being left behind. The average life expectancy for white women who dropped out of high school is shorter than it was two decades ago. Host Michel Martin finds out more from Monica Potts, a journalist at The American Prospect.

It's been 75 years since the U.S. instituted a federal minimum wage, but the debate is as hot as ever. Host Michel Martin speaks with Brian Parker, owner of a Detroit-area fast food restaurant, who's decided to pay his employees double the minimum wage. Also joining them is NPR's business editor Marilyn Geewax.

Conservationists hailed the move, because Hong Kong represents 50 percent of the shark fin trade. The country said it hoped the policy would raise public awareness about sustainability.

Next week, a salvage crew plans to rotate and raise the Costa Concordia cruise ship, in one of the biggest maritime salvage operations ever undertaken. The huge vessel has been partially submerged off Giglio Island since an accident in January 2012 that killed 32 people.

Evangeline Ordaz is responsible for the hit Hulu series East Los High. She's also working on a new play about changing LA demographics.

President Obama's approach to Syria has taken a number of surprising twists and turns in the weeks since a poison gas attack in August. A surprise agreement between Russia and the U.S. on a timetable for destroying Syria's weapons is the latest in what appears at times to be an unscripted drama.

This week, a group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, many with disabilities, marked Sept. 11 by climbing two peaks in Yosemite National Park. Climbing as a team, they say, gives them an opportunity to recapture what they miss about the military: a sense of camaraderie with a shared challenge.