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Nearly 20 percent of Americans still smoke, in spite of what we know about the dangers. Part of the reason is the allure of a cigarette, so elemental to classic scenes in movies, television shows and books. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Richard Klein, author of Cigarettes are Sublime, about smoking and American culture.

In the 50 years since the Surgeon General's landmark report on smoking, what's worked to convince people not to smoke, and what hasn't? NPR's Scott Simon talks with Kenneth Warner, professor of public health at the University of Michigan, about cigarette consumption before and after the report.

Playwright Tracy Letts won the Pulitzer Prize for August: Osage County, a story of secrets and family dysfunction. Now it's been released as a film, for which Letts wrote the screenplay. The story and its characters came from his own experiences, Letts says.

From its earliest days to its current state, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can largely be tracked by charting the lives of these arch-rivals. The two played major roles in shaping events, yet the enduring conflict has now outlasted both of them.

Next week, Egypt holds yet another referendum on its constitution. We talk to political scientist Nathan Brown on what the likely outcome is, and if it could mean more stability in the country.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died Saturday at the age of 85. Israelis mourned the death of the celebrated politician and army general. But Palestinians reacted differently to the death of the controversial leader, who pushed for Jewish settlement of Palestinian territories.

Nuns sue to avoid contraceptive coverage. A baker refuses to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. These ongoing battles bring into question the scope of the right to religious liberty in America. Where do one person's rights end and another's begin?

From Connecticut to Minnesota to California, correctional authorities are finding all kinds of reasons to produce food inside prison walls. A new video provides a glimpse of one of these projects, a vegetable garden inside San Quentin State prison outside of San Francisco.

Centennial Baptist Church in Helena, Ark., has deep roots in the African-American community. But poverty and other concerns in this Delta town have made raising restoration funds difficult.

Sharon's casket was lying in state outside the Knesset on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sharon was "one of the greatest military leaders."