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Author Jeff Kinney is a rock star in the middle school literary scene. His Diary of a Wimpy Kid books follow the misadventures of sad-sack sixth-grader Greg Heffley, who just wants to fit in. Kids love the gross-out humor, but librarians and teachers say the books also help them laugh at the indignities of life.

Supporters of the Affordable Care Act are back to singing its praises and doling out money. Opponents are trying to focus on the one aspect of the case that they won, limiting government's ability to withhold Medicaid money from states.

Friday's record-setting heat and brutal storms left much of the Midwest and Eastern U.S. cleaning up damage and waiting for crews to restore power on Saturday. More heat and more storms are on the way, too.

The new album Synthetica is the second to be released by the group's own distribution company, Metric Music International. "There's one band at the center of that whole organization — and it's us," says lead singer Emily Haines.

The compounds in the street drug known as "bath salts" aren't necessarily illegal, and they're constantly changing — allowing drug makers to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. So the Drug Enforcement Agency decided to make its own bath salts to better understand the drug.

European nations have pledged to cut off oil imports from Iran beginning Sunday, tightening the sanctions that target Iran's nuclear program. Iran is expected to feel the squeeze — but the move could also push up world oil prices.

The second biggest soccer tournament in the world — the Euro 2012 — wraps up Sunday in Kiev, Ukraine. One of the marquee names for the Italian side is Mario Balotelli. Born to parents from Ghana, Balotelli is constantly harassed by racist fans and sometimes by players on the field. Weekends on All Things Considered guest host Laura Sullivan speaks with Daniel Taylor of The Guardian about Balotelli's hot temper and how the taunts sometimes take their toll.

Weekends on All Things Considered guest host Laura Sullivan talks with Heidi Cullen, chief climatologist at Climate Central, a non-profit science journalism organization in Princeton, New Jersey. They discuss wildfires and extreme heat in the Midwest this week and how these climate conditions are tracked by Earth-observing satellites.

As Egypt's first freely elected president and its first Islamist head of state, Mohammed Morsi must convince Egyptians he can put the nation's interests ahead of his party's Islamist agenda.

Royal Dutch Shell could drill several exploratory oil wells into the waters off the north shore of Alaska this summer. The potential prize is huge, but so is the risk, should there be an oil spill in the pristine and remote region. So Shell is recruiting locals and training them to confront oil in icy waters.