NPR News

The new book The Pun Also Rises, by 1995 O. Henry Pun-Off World Champion John Pollack, traces the surprising long and rich history of what some people call the lowest form of humor.

Chef Barton Seaver wants you to look a fish in the eye before you eat it. In a new cookbook, he highlights the importance of sustainable seafood to the long-term viability of our environment and our diets.

Rahm Emanuel will be sworn in Monday as mayor of Chicago, and the Daley family dynasty in Chicago politics will come to an end for now. Host Scott Simon speaks with Carol Marin, political columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, about the Daley legacy and the incoming Emanuel administration.

The Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that it will open up the Morganza Spillway on Saturday, flooding millions of acres of rich Mississippi farmland. Host Scott Simon gets the latest on the floods plaguing the Mississippi River regions from NPR's Greg Allen in Baton Rouge.

At least six protesters were killed Friday in Syria. The protest movement there is two months old now, despite the most deadly government crackdown in the region since the Arab uprisings began. The United Nations says at least 850 people have been killed and thousands have been detained since the protests began. Host Scott Simon gets the latest from NPR's Kelly McEvers, who is monitoring the situation from Beirut, Lebanon.

Distrust between Pakistan and the U.S. keeps rising. On Friday more than 80 people were killed in a suicide attack on a paramilitary training center; the Pakistani Taliban called it revenge for Osama bin Laden's death. Host Scott Simon talks to Moeed Yusuf of the United States Institute of Peace about U.S.-Pakistan relations and the political situation in that country following the killing of bin Laden.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest in Arkansas City, Ark., on Saturday at 53.5 feet, the highest it has reached since 1933. Host Scott Simon speaks with Desha County Judge Mark McElroy about living in the shadow of the river.

The demonstrations against repressive regimes throughout the Middle East have become known as the Arab Spring. While it has meant more political freedoms for some, it has meant prison, torture and death for many others. Host Scott Simon talks with Rami Khouri, editor-at-large of the Beirut newspaper Daily Star, about where the movement is headed.

The NBA Eastern Conference finals are set and there's one more game to decide the Western finals. But none of the teams are called Lakers, Celtics or Spurs! And in golf, Tiger Woods is limping away from another major tournament. Host Scott Simon talks to NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman about the NBA playoffs and Tiger Woods' latest stumbles.

There was a huge response to a piece last week by NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty, who reported that a group of Christians believe May 21 will be the biblical Judgment Day. NPR's Greg Allen also reported that Florida is expected to be the first state to ban doctors from asking their patients if they own a gun. We also spoke with Shania Twain about her new memoir. Host Scott Simon reads listeners' e-mails and comments.