Tell Me More

Congress comes back to work this week and the fiscal cliff is its top priority. Some Republicans have said they'll break a longstanding pledge not to raise taxes. Host Michel Martin talks politics with columnist Mary Kate Cary of U.S. News and World Report and The Root's political correspondent Keli Goff.

Suraj Sharma plays the lead role in the new film Life of Pi. For the Tell Me More series "In Your Ear," Sharma shares some of the songs that inspire him and give him goose bumps.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, we'll meet the star of the new film "Life of Pi," based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel. The film is getting rave reviews for its amazing special effects, as well as the performance of the young man we are going to meet in a few minutes for whom this was his first professional acting job. That's coming up.

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. I'm Celeste Headlee. Michel Martin is away. Coming up, the duo of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is breaking down barriers in rap. They talk with us about their music and its message in just a few minutes.

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. I'm Celeste Headlee. Michel Martin is away. So maybe you're the type that scours YouTube for the latest music videos and maybe you're addicted to services like Spotify and Pandora. If so, you have probably heard something from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The duo's been rapping since 2000. Now they have their first studio album, and it has lyrics about everything from gay marriage to the merits of thrift shopping.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THRIFT SHOP")