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Russia's takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea this spring was cheered by many Russians — many of whom have always considered Crimea a part of Russia. We'll visit the center of Russian power — Moscow, where a shuttered McDonald's is a visible sign of tensions with the West.

The Russian band Pussy Riot is well known for protesting the Russian government. Now the group has released its first song in English. NPR's Scott Simon talks to band member Nadya Tolokonnikova.

Tuesday night, forward Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers became the latest star to go down with an injury. The Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of Griffin's absence and beat the Clippers 103-93 to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.

Right now about 8 million people around the world are getting treated for HIV at a cost of about $17 billion a year. Universal treatment would cost another $22 billion. One proposal on funding: a tax on beer and cigarettes.

For more than 150 years, a charity auction has kicked off the wine season in France's Burgundy grape-growing region. It's turned into an A-list rendezvous for international industry players — this year attracting former supermodel and first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and record prices.

In his new book, The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use "Plain English" to Rob You Blind, author David Cay Johnston examines the fees that companies have added over the years that have made bills incrementally larger. He tells Fresh Air that companies are misusing language to "confuse people."

Host Renee Montagne gets an update on the Syrian civil war from Wall Street Journal reporter Sam Dagher in Damascus.

In Brussels on Thursday, EU leaders will discuss stronger sanctions against Russia. Juan Zarate, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, talks about their options.

Facebook is buying an instant messaging service called WhatsApp for an eye-popping $19 billion. It's the latest salvo in an arms race by Silicon Valley giants to stockpile mobile technology.

Members of the Oglala Lakota Nation have made their own digital currency — a sort of Bitcoin. They hope that having their own crypto-currency, called MazaCoin, will strengthen their independence.