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On his first foreign trip as Secretary of State, Kerry defended America's tradition of civil liberties. He said our tolerance for the airing of controversial opinions is a virtue.

As John Kerry undertakes his first foreign trip as Secretary of State, the challenges before him are great — especially the war in Syria. He holds a town hall meeting Tuesday in Berlin, which will give us a look at his style and public-diplomacy skills — areas where his predecessor Hillary Clinton excelled.

The German economy shrank 0.6 percent during the last quarter of 2012, dragging the eurozone deeper into recession. There are some positive signs, however.

Germany was the world's most future-oriented country in 2012, followed by Switzerland and Japan, according to the "Future Orientation Index," which is based on Google searches. Scientists say the index is "strongly correlated" to economic health.

The kidnapper sent a ransom note: "I have the biscuit!" It demanded the company donate cookies to children in a local hospital, and the reward to an animal shelter. It was signed: Cookie Monster.

Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty, ending more than two centuries of hostility between Germany and France. The song "Goettingen," written by a young Jewish French singer at the time, represented a peaceful bridge between the countries. Host Rachel Martin talks to German political scientist Dieter Dettke, who studied in France in the early '60s and remembers hearing the song.

For two decades, Italian musicologist Francesco Lotoro has searched for and resurrected works of music written in World War II concentration, labor and POW camps. He wants to fill the hole the Holocaust left in Europe's musical history and document the triumph of creativity over brutality.

Already an awards-season staple, German historical dramas are moving beyond the horrors of the Third Reich and delving into the nuanced past of the former East Germany. Films like Christian Petzold's Barbara, a quiet story about a troubled young doctor, tell a different kind of history.

The new international airport in Berlin has become a major embarrassment to Germany. The airport was supposed to replace the three airports that operated in the once-divided city. But with major cost overruns and safety issues, the project has been delayed three times already.

Several top government officials have been caught up in an embarrassing cheating scandal — including the defense minister, who resigned as a result, and the education minster, who is under investigation for her doctoral dissertation. An informal group of "plagiarism police" has undertaken the hunt.