The ongoing oil dispute between Baghdad and Kurdistan intensifies as US intervention sparks backlash and highlights the power struggle over oil resources and regional autonomy.

José "Cha Cha" Jimenez, a Puerto Rican activist in Chicago, died last week. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with DePaul University professor Jacqueline Lazú about his life and legacy.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Andy Corren about his new memoir "Dirtbag Queen," which memorializes his mother. He previously wrote a viral obituary for her in The Fayetteville Observer.

SIMON: Difficult questions about humans. Han Kang, the Nobel Prize winner. Her new novel, "We Do Not Part," now in English, translated by E. Yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris. Thank you so much for being with us.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to Michele Steele of ESPN about the NFL playoffs, the college football national championship, and remembers Milwaukee Baseball legend Bob Uecker.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Yossi Mekelberg of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Program, about the Israeli political response to a negotiated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli government approved a ceasefire deal that could bring an end to the 15 months of war in Gaza. It's slated to go into effect Sunday morning.

President Joe Biden wraps up his term with a flurry of activity before Inauguration Day, and cold weather moves President-elect Donald Trump inside the Capitol for his oath of office and address.

Five years after the start of the COVID crisis - is the U.S. more prepared to handle another pandemic? [Copyright 2024 NPR]

John Cusack has enjoyed a career that any performer would envy. It’s not just his longevity but also the range of parts he’s played. From his beginnings when Cusack starred in off-beat teen comedies to his most recent work in action movies produced overseas,

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to novelist Scott Turow about his latest legal thriller, "Presumed Guilty." This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

In Mike Leigh's newest film, Marianne Jean-Baptiste stars as an overly critical woman struggling with her mental health. Leigh and Jean-Baptiste talk with NPR's Scott Simon about "Hard Truths."