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OK. So in the words of that political scientist in Peter's piece, wealthy donors like Tom Steyer are putting a pistol to someone's head, forcing their pet issues on candidates. Steyer himself sees things very differently. He quit his hedge fund with $1.5 billion and now in his view he's fighting as hard as he can with money and passion to do something very noble - save the planet. When he sat down to speak with us he said his goal is to use his money to limit carbon emissions.

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Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. We finally have analysis of actors giving thanks at the Oscars. You know, I want to thank my director or some inspiring figure. Twice in recent years, winning actors thanked Oprah; twice, they thanked Sidney Poitier. Three actors name-checked God; four thanked Meryl Streep - and that was the headline: Meryl Streep gets thanked more often than God.

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Good morning, I'm David Greene.

Australian police think they know what happened to a rare pink diamond that's worth $180,000. The diamond was swiped from a jewelry store by a man who fled on a bicycle. Based on fingerprints and surveillance footage, police arrested the guy, who's a British tourist. They're pretty sure he swallowed the loot but they need firm evidence. And X-ray was inconclusive. Think there's a pretty clear solution here - what goes in must come out. How about a little bit of patience?

Thursday at fundraising dinner, President Obama told Democratic governors that their Republican counterparts are making it harder for people to get health insurance or exercise their right to vote.

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If you're not snacking on pretzels, try some Thin Mints, because it's the middle of Girl Scouts cookie season. And our last word in business today is: cookie outsourcing.

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Last year, Girl Scouts around the country sold 200,000 boxes of cookies and raised nearly $800 million. But maybe we should say not the Girl Scouts sold them all. Sometimes the work is outsourced to their parents. And a recent opinion article in the Washington Post, criticized that practice.

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Think for a moment about an artist who is really out there in some way. Maybe a musician comes to mind, somebody like Lady Gaga or a painter like Salvador Dali. New research now asks whether you like such artists because of their art or because they conform to a mental stereotype of how artists are supposed to behave. NPR's social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam joins us regularly on this program. Hi, Shankar.

SHANKAR VEDANTAM, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.

A Wisconsin court has released an enormous number of emails — 27,000 pages — from a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker.

Kelly Rindfleisch was convicted last year of using her government job to do illegal campaign work. At the time, Walker was the Milwaukee County executive.

The emails paint a picture of constant coordination between Walker's county office and his 2010 gubernatorial campaign. They were made public in the middle of Walker's gubernatorial re-election campaign, and at a time when the governor is considered a presidential hopeful for 2016.

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Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. When President Obama told a crowd at an auto plant that young people could make a lot more money in skilled manufacturing than with an art history degree, Ann Collins Johns was offended. So this professor of art history at the University of Texas Austin dashed off an email to the president. Yesterday she got a handwritten apology. The president shared with Johns that, quote, art history was one of my favorite subjects in high school. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep with a reenactment of Russia's hockey coach. After Russia lost in the Olympics, a reporter asked if the coach would lose his job since his predecessor was, quote, "eaten alive." The coach replied...

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Well, then. Eat me alive right now.

INSKEEP: The reporter said a world championship is coming up.

MONTAGNE: There will be a different coach since you will have eaten me alive.

INSKEEP: Finally, the coach confessed. Even after defeat, he said...

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And one of the bookstores on James Patterson's list is Bookshop Santa Cruz.

CASEY COONERTY: We're located in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz.

INSKEEP: That's Casey Coonerty, the owner of the bookstore.

COONERTY: I took over from my father about eight years ago. So we're a second-generation bookstore.

INSKEEP: And in the store's 40 years, the Coonertys has had to face down more than their share of challenges.

James Patterson, the best-selling author of thrillers and romance and young adult novels, has pledged to give away $1 million of his personal fortune to independent booksellers around the country. Today, he announced the names of the dozens of booksellers who are receiving grants in the first round of his big giveaway.

The money is heading toward smaller bookstores, which are under pressure from competitors like Amazon and e-books. Patterson's own books are big sellers everywhere — he doesn't depend on small bookstores to succeed. But his giveaway is driven by a broader concern.

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George W. Bush made a rare public appearance yesterday in Texas. The one time commander-in-chief hosted veterans summit. It was intended to promote assistance to military vets and their families.

Here's Lauren Silverman of our member station KERA.

LAUREN SILVERMAN, BYLINE: Former President George W. Bush says obstacles for veterans trying to re-enter the workforce can start with the job application.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: What's a veteran supposed to put down? My last office was a Humvee?

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Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Duck Derbies are very popular in Wisconsin. And because they involve placing bets on rubber duckies dropped into a fast-moving river, they are technically illegal, though not for long. Wisconsin lawmakers passed a bill yesterday exempting rubber duck high-rollers from a ban on gambling. Participants in the Ducktona 500 in Cheboygan Falls can now breathe easy as they put a few dollars on Lucky Duck number seven. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

This will just have to count as one of the wonders of nature. A Michigan power plant dumps a lot of warm water into Lake Erie. The warm water attracts fish. The fish attract bald eagles. Almost 200 of them have been nesting at the DTE Energy plant. It is not so easy for people to gain access to the massive plant. So the company holds an annual lottery for bird watchers who want to see our national bird in its 21st century habitat.

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On a Wednesday it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

And I'm Renee Montagne. President Obama arrives in Mexico today to meet with Mexico's president and Canada's prime minister. It's been dubbed the meeting of the Three Amigos. The one day summit of North America's leaders will focus on trade and commerce, but also on the agenda: security, energy, border issues and immigration. NPR's Carrie Kahn is in Toluca near Mexico City, where the summit begins later today. Good morning.