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Some donors willing to write seven-figure checks to superPACs have gotten something they weren't counting on: attention from the political opposition and the media. One donor says he feels like he has a "target strapped on my back."

Climate change is exaggerating the normal swings in weather. For the American Southwest, that means more intense waves of heat, drought and fire that could wipe out trees that have stood for centuries. It's already revamping the ecology of the landscape.

A wave of kidnappings and an alleged bombing plot — both linked to the uprising in neighboring Syria — are shaking Lebanon's precarious sectarian balance. But the foreign patrons of Lebanon's political factions are preoccupied with Syria and appear unwilling to bankroll a proxy war in Lebanon, at least for now.

Just how do trees die? It seems like a simple question, but the answer still eludes scientists. And understanding forest ecology is increasingly important as the effects of climate change begin to take root.

Thor Hanson's new book looks at the evolutionary significance of feathers in birds. Hanson tells Fresh Air that he's amazed by birds' magnitude of feathers, how feathers grow and how they're the "most efficient insulation known."

With dense forests and rugged beauty, Grindstone Island is a favorite summer getaway for visitors — and some of them never want to leave. The island near the Canadian border has one official cemetery, but locals say that hundreds of people are buried there, in unofficial gravesites.

The nonprofit in charge of distributing organs wants to revamp the system for distributing kidneys for the first time in 25 years. But some transplant specialists and bioethicists fear the changes could end up discriminating against some patients.

In November, voters will decide whether new state laws on issues such as labor policy, immigration and gay marriage can remain in effect. They're using a process called "popular referendum." Different from a ballot initiative, it amounts to a public veto of elected officials. And its use is growing.

It can be lonely being a Democrat in the Deep South. In the reliably Republican region, even recruiting viable Democratic candidates can be a challenge. But strategists are looking to nearby states to learn how the party might start to make inroads in such red territory.

Celebrities like Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy are helping bring plus-size clothing into the mainstream. But most retailers lag behind, making it difficult for women to find clothes in stores.