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A fourth consecutive day of talks at the White House for a deal to raise the debt ceiling by Aug. 2 ended abruptly Wednesday night, with President Obama walking out on a meeting with congressional leaders.

GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann and others are accusing President Obama of misleading the public about the consequences of a failure to raise the debt ceiling. But that position puts them at odds with the party's congressional leadership, which is warning of a "real catastrophe."

Rep. Louis Gohmert, a Texas Republican, suggested Wednesday that he'd like President Obama to be more like President Franklin D. Roosevelt.No, he wasn't talking about wanting Obama to massively expand the federal government or engage in more Keynesian pump-priming. Rather Gohmert wanted Obama to channel the spirit of FDR's first inaugural where Roosevelt urged Americans against fear.

In a growing trend called centering, a group of women meet for collective medical visits throughout their pregnancies, getting advice from professionals and each other on things like nutrition, postpartum depression and breast-feeding. The goal: putting health care in the patients' hands.

It may get dirty deciding who will manage the Miramar Landfill in the future. The full San Diego City Council will now weigh in on the issue.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, the younger half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was assassinated on Tuesday. Karzai was known for making deals with many of Afghanistan's tribes, militias, and insurgent groups. He was also alleged to be a corrupt enforcer, a drug smuggler and a CIA asset.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. announced Wednesday that it has withdrawn its bid for BSkyB, a major U.K. broadcaster. Murdoch is embroiled in a phone hacking scandal involving the tabloid News of the World, which News Corp. shut down last week. Steve Inskeep talks about the announcement with NPR's David Folkenflik in London.

Having sent "taikonauts" into orbit, China now has the moon and a space station on its horizon. One educator says he doesn't think China will ever "be No. 1" at the rate it's going, but there's a focus on the future — like a new space education center in Beijing, where kids can simulate a rocket launch.

In a country with a 9 percent unemployment rate, innovation could speed up the economy's slow growth and create jobs. But turning a good idea into a good product isn't easy, and many companies are scared to take risks and fail.

The petroleum industry worries that the focus on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, will lead to more restrictions. Environmentalists are concerned that it's overshadowing other problems with oil and gas production.