Search results for

Host Scott Simon reads some of the best fan mail to authors, written by authors.

President Obama heads home from the Middle East Saturday, after a mixed reception to his four-day visit. Obama spent much of that time in Israel, trying to lay the groundwork to revive the long-stalled peace process with the Palestinians. He also traveled to the West Bank and met with Jordan's King Abdullah. NPR's Scott Horsley has a recap from Amman, Jordan.

WNYC is asking "armchair scientists, lovers of nature and DIY makers" for their help to predict this year's cicada emergence in the Northeast. The bugs have been underground for the past 17 years.

Singer-songwriter Tift Merritt and classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein say the challenge of their new collaborative album, Night, was creating a language they could both speak. They discuss the project and perform live.

John Kerry is urging Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to crack down on flights from Iran to Syria, which pass through Iraqi airspace. U.S. officials say Iran is shipping weapons to Bashar Assad's regime.

Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation traces the story of a New Jersey town plagued by two generations of toxic waste dumping. Its author, Dan Fagin, talks about the origins of dumping in Toms River and its legacy today.

Actor Chris O'Dowd could watch the classic romance Dirty Dancing a million times. "I didn't know what romance was until I saw Dirty Dancing," he says," and nothing has come close since."

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in a case worth billions of dollars to pharmaceutical companies and American consumers. The issue is whether brand-name drug manufacturers may pay generic drug manufacturers to keep their cheaper products off the market.

The latest polls indicate 58 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. In 1977, that number was 13 percent. One researcher says that jump in support isn't the result of a generational gap — it's that many who once opposed gay marriage have changed their minds or softened their opposition.

Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky died over the weekend in London. The oligarch made a fortune when the Soviet Union broke up but after disagreements with Russia's president, he sought and received asylum in Britain in 2003. In Britain, there's intense speculation over whether the Kremlin wanted him dead.