The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago. Most recently, six U.S. personnel died in a plane crash in Iraq, Iran vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, and more Marines are headed to the region.

NPR's Scott Simon asks former Israeli deputy national security adviser Chuck Freilich, now at Columbia University, about Israeli domestic politics and their effect on the Iran war.

New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins tells NPR's Scott Simon about Marco Rubio's role as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to a president shaking the world order.

Escalation of the Iran conflict is sending shockwaves through global markets — driving up oil, fuel, and commodity prices, stoking inflation and recession risks worldwide. We hear from three NPR reporters in Europe, Asia and Russia.

Spring is just so close and with it - time to sow the seeds. But what do all those words on the packets really mean? NPR's Scott Simon talks with Master Gardener Jessica Damiano, columnist for the AP.

NPR's Scott Simon talks with musician James Blake about the relentlessness of modern life on his latest album Trying Times.

Scott talks to Keith O'Brien about his latest book, "Heartland"

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with playwright Wallace Shawn and director André Gregory about their newest play, "What We Did Before Our Moth Days." They've been working together for five decades.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with author Luke Kennard about "Black Bag," a novel about an actor who takes an unusual role in a university classroom.

The Academy Awards officially adopted the "Oscars" nickname in 1939. But who is Oscar, and who started calling them that? We may never know. But here are four enduring legends to consider.