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Leading central banks around the world took coordinated moves Wednesday to provide more liquidity in the global financial system and calm rising fears in Europe over access to credit. As Europe's sovereign debt crisis worsens, bank lending has tightened, and nervous investors are reluctant to make loans to European banks.

A major certifier of fair trade foods says it wants to buy and certify coffee from big farms. But others in fair trade say that goes against the industry's priority of helping small farmers.

Emma Sullivan recently sent a tweet criticizing Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. She refused to apologize, despite demands from her school and the governor's office. She and her mother speak with host Michel Martin about the line between manners and free speech. (Advisory: This segment contains language that may not be suitable for all audiences.)

The Beautyshop women discuss Republican Herman Cain's reassessment of his White House bid, and news of a 200-pound third grader who was placed in foster care after officials said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight. Host Michel Martin hears from two political bloggers and the head of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics and Public Policy.

In 2002, nearly 60% of Americans believed the U.S. was exceptional among nations. But a recent Pew Research study finds fewer than half of Americans now believe their country is superior to others. The shift has many commentators wondering what's behind a general decline in optimism among Americans.

In Chicago, city officials and demonstrators say the recent Occupy Chicago protests are a sort of dry run for next year's simultaneous NATO and G-8 summit meetings.

Melissa Block and Guy Raz read emails from listeners about a report on Kentucky's Berea College, Melissa's remembrance of Vermont poet Ruth Stone, and the other person responsible for that mega-hit earworm "Moves Like Jagger."

Reports of increased hiring and strength in manufacturing along with central banks moving to help ease Europe's financial crisis sent stock markets up sharply Wednesday. Analysts said the economy isn't on the verge of booming, but the risks of a double-dip recession have eased.

Even the most famous among us need to make a memo for the mundane. Melissa Block and Guy Raz tell us what a few icons — from JFK to Johnny Cash — once had on their to-do lists.

SolarCity says it will install solar systems on the roofs of up to 120,000 military homes, with financing coming from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. It's the first time a project of this scale has been launched without the federal government basically co-signing the loan.