NPR News

Congress passed an emergency aid package for Superstorm Sandy victims earlier this week. But three months after the storm, many hard-hit neighborhoods are still suffering. Host Michel Martin checks back with Monsignor John Brown of St. Francis de Sales in Rockaway, Queens, to discuss how the community is recovering.

It's Super Bowl time and the Barbershop guys are serving up some dish with those wings. Host Michel Martin and the guys discuss how one 49ers player is in hot water for anti-gay comments. They also talk about why some people still hate the Ravens' Ray Lewis, more than a decade after he was cleared of murder charges.

Host Michel Martin and editor Ammad Omar open up the listener inbox. They discuss musician Emeli Sande's rise in the U.S. charts, and get feedback about an interview on mental illness and gun violence.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu will resign once his replacement has been confirmed.

Politico, which broke the news this morning, reports that Chu made the announcement in a memo to colleagues.

Politico adds:

(The top of this post and our headline was updated at 1:35 p.m. ET.)

"The Obama administration on Friday proposed a work-around for religious nonprofits that object to providing health insurance that covers birth control," The Associated Press reports.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Here in the depths of winter, U.S. economic numbers aren't looking so hot. This week, new reports showed growth started to freeze up last fall, and the unemployment rate rose a bit in January, to 7.9 percent.

But most economists say you shouldn't let those cold facts fool you: This spring's data could look much brighter if the housing market continues to heat up.

What's today's big jobs report say?

The U.S. economy lost 2.8 million jobs jobs in January.

What?!

Don't panic. The U.S. economy loses millions of jobs every January, in good times and bad, largely because tons of seasonal holiday jobs always wind down after Christmas.

So if you set aside the normal, seasonal stuff, how is the job market doing?