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Rob Ford spent Wednesday defending himself to his City Council. While admitting that he's purchased illegal drugs, which came after earlier admissions about smoking crack and getting drunk, the mayor also said he doesn't need treatment and doesn't need to take a leave of absence.

Wrecked infrastructure is making it hard for Filipino Americans to find out the status of family members affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Host Michel Martin speaks with Jessica Petilla, a Filipino doctor in New York who has immediate family in the hard hit province of Leyte.

The first bite of a bitter fruit or nut can be shocking, even revolting. That's led scientists to think that bitter tastes evolved to help us avoid poisonous plants. But a new a genetic study in Africa challenges that notion.

The team was appointed by the White House in August following months of revelations about the National Security Agency's programs. President Obama asked the five intelligence experts to make recommendations about balancing security and privacy concerns.

Hunger can make many people "hangry," or irritable. But new research suggests that we may have another, innate response to hunger: a desire to help others in need.

Of those, less than 27,000 people used the federal HealthCare.gov site to select a plan, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. The government says 106,185 Americans picked out plans in the first month of enrollment.

The Obama administration is plugging its health care plan by saying that half of young, single people can buy health coverage for $50 a month or less. A closer look at the claim finds that it's more like a third of single, uninsured, young adults who would get a deal that good.

Government's top tech officials — including U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park — showed up on Capitol Hill to give a status report of the troubled HealthCare.gov system. As the administration unveils enrollment numbers, the tech officials outlined technology metrics of progress.

Faced with harsh criticism over its vast surveillance operation, the NSA and its allies are pushing back. They say their intelligence collection is being done in response to demands from the executive branch of the U.S. government and not on its own. The NSA says it is currently working on 36,000 pages of what it calls "requirements" — intel speak for intelligence assignments it gets from branches of the U.S. government.

Hawaii and Illinois are set to join 14 other states in legalizing same-sex marriage, representing the culmination of a landmark year for the gay-rights movement. Activists hope to build on their recent momentum and make inroads over the next four years in the 33 states where same-sex couples are not allowed to marry .