Talk of the Nation

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show topics, including social mobility, romantic comedies, and Japan's recovery from the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

North Korea scrapped the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War, escalating fears of a preemptive nuclear attack on the U.S. Tuft University Korean studies professor Sung-Yoon Lee discusses this precarious moment for North Korea, its neighbors and the international community.

After Vice President Joe Biden used the term "malarkey" in a 2012 debate, searches for the word in online dictionaries surged. Now that dictionaries are readily available with a mouse click or finger tap, dictionary publishers can track the correlation between word searches and current events.

Jurors in a New York federal court found a former New York City police officer guilty of plotting to kidnap and cook his wife and other women. The defense argued that Gilberto Valle never acted on his fantasies, and described the verdict as a case of thought prosecution.

Cardinals at the Vatican chose Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope. He will take the papal name Francis and is the first pope from South America. NPR's Neal Conan talks with guests about the significance of the event around the world.

From the ongoing budget battle to Sen. Carl Levin's retirement announcement, NPR's Political Junkie Ken Rudin recaps the week in politics. NPR's Phillip Reeves provides an update from Rome as cardinals elected a new pope.

Eighteen states have legalized the medical use of marijuana. As state laws change, physicians face new decisions about whether or not to recommend pot. Doctors have varying views on its therapeutic effects, as well as the ethical and legal ramifications.

Coal accounts for much of the world's energy supply, but the United States has seen a decline in coal production. The natural gas industry is booming in the U.S. and many in coal country fear for the future of their industry and their livelihood.

The Bolshoi Ballet dancer suspected in the acid attack on the theater's artistic director could keep his job if a court acquits him, according to the Bolshoi's director. New Yorker editor David Remnick provides a glimpse into the hypercompetitive world of the famed Russian ballet.

The Obama administration will soon make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, the controversial project that would carry oil from Canada to the U.S. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman says if the president approves the pipeline, he'll have leverage to demand climate change policy.

At its best, the Web is a place for unlimited exchange of ideas. But the uncivil discourse that unfolds in comments sections can be poisonous. A study in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication suggests that rude comments on articles can change the way we interpret the news.

Two years after a massive earthquake hit the East Coast of Japan — causing a tsunami and a meltdown at the Fukushima power plant — 300,000 people still live in temporary housing. Many believe they will they will never be able to return to their villages.

When Internet activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide, he faced federal charges for illegally downloading and releasing articles from JSTOR, the digital library of academic journals. Northwestern University professor Peter Ludlow says Swartz was right to fight for public access to scholarship.

The Transportation Security Administration is set to enact changes to the list of prohibited items in April. Small pocket knives and some sporting goods will be allowed in carry-on items. The proposed changes were met with opposition from flight attendants and passengers who fear the items pose a safety risk.

With Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, companies have lost control of their brand and messaging. Now, the customers hold the power. In Can't Buy Me Like, Bob Garfield argues we have entered a time where brands must be driven by authentic relationships.