The New York Times says Barbara Walters’ retirement coincides with the end of the must-see interview, or the “big get.” Longtime news anchor Connie Chung says there’s no payoff for landing an exclusive interview anymore. Newsmakers no longer need the networks to reach the masses. Today celebrities and politicians can target their audience, the way President Obama did by appearing on “Between Two Ferns” to talk about health care.

The skull of a 15 year old girl, found in an underwater cave on the Yucatan Peninsula may help determine the origins of the earliest Americans. A paper published in the journal Science says the difference in the way Paleoamericans and more recent Native Americans looked is likely the result of rapid evolution and not migration. The Washington Post says along with the girl, archaeologists also found remains of 26 large mammals, many of which are now extinct.

As cars become more fuel efficient, states are finding that the idea of funding infrastructure projects through fuel taxes is becoming obsolete. The Detroit Free Press says a new report is sparking debate over the concept of charging drivers a fee based on the number of miles they drive. Some analysts say privacy concerns are the biggest hurdle.

When First Lady Michelle Obama recently posted a photo of herself holding a sign that said #BringBackOurGirls, in reference to the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian girls, it marked the latest effort to attract attention to a cause using a hashtag campaign. San Jose Mercury News columnist Michelle Quinn says hashtag activism is the digital equivalent of slapping a bumper sticker on your car. And while it can help draw attention very quickly, Quinn says the danger of a hashtag campaign is that it can cause people to feel as though they’ve done something for a cause without taking time to understand it or actually taking steps to solve it.

Since American Airlines and US Airways merged, both airlines have been selling seats on each other’s flights while their reservation systems are being combined. The Wall Street Journal’s Scott McCartney says that’s led to different prices for the same flight depending on which airline’s site you check. In some cases, the difference can be in the hundreds of dollars.

The New York Post takes us into the new September 11th Museum set to open next week. Steve Cuozzo’s article is accompanied by several pages of stunning photographs of some of the exhibits. He says the museum is as beautiful as it is horrific.

Want to pay only for the cable channels you actually watch? Be careful what you wish for. The New York Times’ Upshot column crunches the numbers to find that cable unbundling won’t save you money and may end up costing you more. Cable companies would likely raise the basic charges, and cable channels would likely raise carriage fees to make up for the loss of revenue.

Washington Post television critic Hank Stuever calls retiring Barbara Walters “one of America’s last great listeners.” He says she asked many of the questions we wanted answers to and never seemed to make her interviews about her. A Barbara Walters interview, Stuever says, meant that whatever the issue of the moment was, it had reached its apex.

Mikel McLaughlin is like many of us. He has hundreds of Facebook friends, most of whom he never sees. So he set out to visit as many as he could. The Minneapolis Star Tribune says so far McLaughlin has traveled 6000 miles to meet with 85 people over 31 days. That includes some Facebook “friends” he’d never actually met. He’s been documenting his experiences in a blog, www.werefriendsright.com.

It can be tricky to know how much we can take on before we get overwhelmed. The Wall Street Journal has some advice for recognizing when we’re about to be overloaded. Some symptoms: missing an appointment, losing sleep, getting minor illnesses more often, becoming irritable or anxious.

The Houston Chronicle offers some advice for having an amicable divorce. Along with getting sound financial and legal advice, there are many things you can do to avoid a toxic divorce. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin made the phrase “conscious uncoupling” ubiquitous recently. It refers to splitting up in a way that promotes healing and helps to avoid bitterness.

National Review Online Editor Jonah Goldberg pens an opinion piece in the Boston Herald on why Jeb Bush likely won’t be the third Bush to occupy the White House. Goldberg says contrary to popular belief, the GOP chooses a candidate whose “turn” it is, not out of a sense of loyalty or order but because that candidate often spends a lot of time wooing the conservative base. Goldberg says Jeb Bush has instead been antagonizing the base on hot-button issues.

From body mist to vodka, red velvet flavoring is everywhere these days. The New York Times offers a rundown of some of the most peculiar places where red velvet can be found, while offering a history lesson of how this craze came to pass. One food author says what’s happened with red velvet is a microcosm of American capitalism, where we take any sort of advantage we can and expand on it.

Splitting the check or going in on a birthday gift is getting easier than ever thanks to a slate of mobile apps that allow you to transfer money to friends. The Wall Street Journal looks at several of the top payment exchange apps to see how they stack up. With its social network-like newsfeed, Venmo is popular among young people. But writer Joanna Stern says she found Square Cash faster and easier to use.  If you use a debit card with Google Wallet or Paypal you’ll be hit with a fee, while the other two services offer debit card transactions for free.

Time’s up for toll booth workers on Orange County’s toll road network. The Orange County register caught up with some of the workers who are being replaced by cashless toll collection systems. Many said they’ve formed bonds with regular customers despite their brief interactions. That includes the man who never wears pants, whom workers describe as polite. No one has ever asked why he doesn’t wear pants.

Joining the military is no longer a last resort. The Kansas City Star says qualifying for the armed services is tougher than ever. Only 20% of those who apply qualify for service. An Army ROTC instructor say military budget cuts have led recruiters to seek out the same highly qualified high school graduates that colleges are going after.

With results still being counted, the North Carolina businessman locked in a primary challenge with former American Idol finalist Clay Aiken died suddenly yesterday. 71-year-old Keith Crisco died after falling at his home, according to the Asheboro Courier-Tribune. In a statement, Aiken said, “I am stunned and deeply saddened by Keith Crisco’s death.” Aiken was leading in the race to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers.

New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni says teens need to read more. Bruni cites statistics that show teens today are reading much less than their counterparts 30 years ago. He says that’s a shame since he believes reading does something to the brain, heart and spirit that movies, television and video games cannot.

The New York Times says it’s taken 100 years, but the way fielders position themselves on the baseball diamond is changing. The shift that used to be employed only for select hitters is now becoming the norm as teams position their players according to statistical data on where batters are likely to hit the ball. Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon says soon it will be unusual not to employ a shift.

Two groups of scientists say the collapse of the giant West Antarctica ice sheet is underway - and it’s unstoppable. As a result, researchers say the sea will rise 12 feet, though it will take between 200 and 1000 years for that to happen. The Washington Post says these new projections of sea level rise are higher and more devastating than the projections from an international report released last year and the National Climate Assessment issued last month.

New York Daily News music writer Jim Farber gives Michael Jackson’s new album “Xscape” four stars. Farber says although the concept of the posthumous album sounds strange, in reality, this one works. Farber says the pieces added to fill in Jackson’s unfinished tracks don’t sound overly artificial. Farber also writes “Jackson’s vocals on “Xscape” have more range, and certainly more joy, than anything on that final official work released in his lifetime.”

With the number of companies firing employees for something they said over social media, the Wall Street Journal brings in two experts to debate whether companies should be monitoring their employees’ tweets and posts. Nancy Flynn of the ePolicy institute says companies should monitor posts to protect their reputation and corporate information. Lewis Maltby of the National Workrights Institute says companies should only monitor employees’ posts when they suspect wrongdoing.

New York Times media writer Bill Carter says after a decade atop the ratings pile, music-based television shows are now in steep decline. The show with the biggest decline of all is American Idol - once a ratings juggernaut so strong rival networks stopped competing with it. Carter says it’s not the first time we’ve burned through a television genre. From westerns to variety shows to prime time game shows, networks have overextended several genres in the past.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune says as organic food gets more mainstream, consumers can expect to see prices drop. Experts say most consumers make the shift to buying organic food when they have children. The paper says some insiders fear a decrease in the quality of organic food as major food companies enter the market.

It’s been more than half a century since Route 66 was the main east-west highway in the United States. And now even those traveling the route for nostalgic purposes have dwindled. The Los Angeles Times profiles one motel owner who is tirelessly promoting the culture of Route 66 in an effort to keep the tourists coming, especially young people.

USA Today has its “Grown-Up Guide to Summer Films” for those who would rather skip the blockbuster and watch a more thought-provoking film this summer. One film that’s got the critics buzzing is Locke, starring British actor Tom Hardy. The paper offers a dozen more films due out that summer that are geared toward adults.

Istagram butt selfie star Jen Selter pens her fitness column debut in the New York Post. Selter dedicates the column to her mother, who she helped whip into shape. Now MamaSelter can be found on Instagram too. The Post also gives us a column on the story behind Selter’s rise to fame.

Kitchen gadgets aren’t just for lazy cooks. The Las Vegas Review-Journal asked some top chefs about their favorite kitchen gadgets. One chef can’t live without his “Spoodle” a cross between a ladle and a spoon. Others say they can’t live without their Microplane zesters. One executive chef even admits to relying heavily on the Slap Chop - the As Seen on TV gadget.

Wall Street Journal Tech Columnist Geoffrey Fowler reviews some of the most popular online password storage systems. Fowler says LastPass is a good choice for people who use newer technology like fingerprint scanners. 1Password offers the most control over where your password vault gets stored. For most people, he recommends the easy-to-use, yet relatively expensive Dashlane.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne laid out a bold, 5-year plan yesterday. The automaker announced plans to kill the Avenger and the Grand Caravan models, breathe new life into Alfa Romeo and to give Fiat a stronger sense of identity. Detroit Free Press Business Columnist Tom Walsh says while Chrysler’s plans sound unconventional, the company has been successful of late “zigging while others zagged.”