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February 18, 2013 North Korea conducted another nuclear weapons test this week. No matter where he looks, Dave Granlund can't escape a feeling of impending doom, while Jeff Danziger wonders when China will rein in its southern neighbor.

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February 17, 2013 NPR contributor Glen Weldon talks about why he, a Superman nerd and a gay man, won't be reading a new iteration of the Man of Steel penned by author Orson Scott Card.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

February 17, 2013 The money and mansions of the turn of the century provide rich fodder for some fabulous reads. Author Janet Wallach recommends three books that give a glimpse of Gilded Age houses. Do you have a favorite book that highlights architecture? Let us know in the comments.

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February 17, 2013 Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's GOP response to the State of the Union address resonated more for style than substance. Nate Beeler thinks you can't fault Democrats for enjoying the senator's awkwardness, but Mike Lester blames media bias for drowning out the Republican message.

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February 16, 2013 State officials in Illinois want to conduct DNA tests on the top hat on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to see if he ever really wore it. Museum officials think the idea is worse than bad.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

February 16, 2013 News that hundreds of professional soccer games may have been fixed and the announcement that in 2020 wrestling won't be in the Olympics have rocked the sports world. Joep Bertrams sees the soccer scandal as a new opportunity, while Mike Luckovich thinks wrestling's loss could be America's gain.

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February 15, 2013 You have to go to Berlin to see Adolph Menzel's best work. In the estimation of Alva Noë, it would be well worth the trip. Menzel is an exciting artist whose work explores the nature of human experience.

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February 15, 2013 The Senate has never filibustered a nominee for secretary of defense ... until now. Eric Allie and Steve Sack see hypocrisy among the supporters and opponents of former Nebraska senator and Vietnam combat veteran Chuck Hagel.

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February 14, 2013 Judy Van der Veer poured her experiences of living on a California ranch into books evoking the delights and sorrows of the natural world. On Valentine's Day, commentator Barbara J. King shares her love for Van der Veer's writing.

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February 14, 2013 In his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke with great emotion as he listed victims of gun violence who "deserve a vote" from Congress on gun control proposals. Jen Sorensen would like fewer firearms in our culture, while Lisa Benson thinks that's the real goal of gun laws.

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February 14, 2013 It began like a typical Bollywood story. Boy meets girl in pre-independence India. They fall in love. Her family says no way. So one night, she escapes. NPR commentator Sandip Roy recounts how his great-aunt jumped off a moving train for love, and went on to have a happy 60-year-long marriage.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

February 13, 2013 Pope Benedict XVI's resignation speech, given in Latin, has thrust the dead language into the spotlight. Writer Annalisa Quinn says that although not many people outside of the Vatican actively speak it, Latin is still very much a part of our lives.

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February 13, 2013 Of the patriarchs of science, Kepler is the least known. This injustice should be rectified, for Kepler not only taught us about how the planets move in the sky but also how important it is to dream; and how equally important it is to make sure the data backs your dreams up.

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February 13, 2013 President Obama gave the first State of the Union address of his second term under the looming possibility of sequestration. Matt Weurker shares his horror of the across-the-board cuts, while Taylor Jones doubts that even thoughtful trims would be any more appealing.

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February 12, 2013 Strident strains of atheism often ignore the history of humanity's search for spiritual answers to the universe we live in. They shouldn't. One person who can help open the door to this vibrant landscape is the author Karen Armstrong.

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