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The number of U.S. families struggling to put enough food on the table remains at record-high levels, according to new figures out today from the government. Last year, 1 in almost 7 households were what the government calls "food insecure." That's about the same level as in 2010, but still far higher than before the recession.

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

NPR's Debbie Elliott was on the convention floor last night, and she reports the sentiment there seems to be that a speech from the Comeback Kid will be a shot in the arm for Democrats.

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: To get a preview of what delegates are anticipating from President Clinton tonight, I climbed high above the convention floor to find his home state delegation.

DEBBIE WILLHITE: Hello. How are you? Welcome to Arkansas.

ELLIOTT: Thank you.

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ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

I'm Melissa Block.

And we begin this hour with politics. It's day two of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tonight's headliner is former President Bill Clinton. And we have our own headliner, NPR's Mara Liasson, who's joining us from Charlotte with a look ahead. Hey, Mara.

MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hi, Melissa.

When it comes to contraception, women have many options. There are pills, patches, diaphragms and even a vaginal ring that slowly releases birth control hormones.

Many reports have stated that Matt Bissonnette, the former Navy SEAL who wrote the book No Easy Day, plans to give a large share of his profits to the Navy SEAL Foundation, a group that aids Naval Special Warfare personnel and their families. But the foundation says it won't accept any money from the book, which has sparked questions over whether it contains classified details that could put U.S. military personnel at risk.

First Lady Michelle Obama gave a speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday that was met by thunderous applause, emotional tears, and rave reviews.

A top U.S. general in Afghanistan says all 350,000 Afghan troops will be vetted once more in an effort to verify their loyalties and their backgrounds. Already the Afghans have removed as many as 300 Afghan troops who did not measure up. This year there has been a spate of insider attacks on U.S. and NATO troops.

The space shuttle Endeavour will make its final trip next month, to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. But while most South L.A. residents are excited to have a piece of history nearby, many are also upset that the shuttle's 12-mile transit is forcing the city to cut down about 400 trees.