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Since the Manhattan Project, the U.S. president has wielded more military power than ever before. And in the opinion of historian Garry Wills, more than the commander-in-chief is allowed by the Constitution. Guy Raz talks with Wills about his new book, Bomb Power: The Modern Presidency and the National Security State.

Heart of a Samurai tells the true story of 14-year-old Manjiro, a boy who was shipwrecked, rescued by whalers and taken to America. It was the late 1800s, when Japan was cut off from the outside world — until Manjiro returned and influenced the shogun to open the country to diplomacy.

Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer live by a new self-help book for each episode of their podcast By the Book, so they're experts on which ones might really help us keep our New Year's resolutions.

A decade ago, residents thought an old rail line above the city was an eyesore and wanted it torn down. Today, it's one of Manhattan's most popular public spaces. A new book gives the inside story of how Joshua David and Robert Hammond saved the abandoned track.

"There is no better way to see through somebody else's eyes than by reading fiction," says novelist Jennifer Haigh.

Chad Wolf, former acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, says before taking office, the Biden administration was cautioned about a lack of capacity to handle an influx of migrants.

As Biden stated, crossings often rise during the early months of the year as the weather improves. But the number of unaccompanied children arriving is considerably higher than in the recent years.

NPR's Michel Martin discusses 100-year-old wartime recipes with Lora Vogt of the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Vietnamese author Nguyen Phan Que Mai grew up amid the devastation of war. Her memories of that time, and her family's experiences, became the inspiration for her new novel, The Mountains Sing.

Booksellers often talk about discoverability — the ability to help readers find books publishers want them to buy. And increasingly, celebrity book clubs are a way to get books into readers' hands.

Paleontologist Neil Shubin discusses his new book, Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year-History of the Human Body. Shubin traces the hand and other human features back to creatures that roamed the earth hundreds of millions of years ago.

Born from a deadly underground train crash, Manhattan's historic transit hub is credited with inventing the ramp and bringing electricity to both train tracks and terminal. Author Sam Roberts marks its centennial in Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America.

Al Jazeera, the Qatar-financed media giant, launched a new online platform aimed at a conservative American audience. It's called "Rightly."

From her late-night talk show on E! television to her best-selling memoirs Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang and Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea to her brand-new publishing imprint, Chelsea Handler has created a brand that larger audiences are starting to trust.

In Josh Ritter's first novel, Bright's Passage, a World War I soldier goes home to West Virginia and must protect himself and his infant son. The book contains Ritter's trademark combination of humor, gothic themes and fantastical imagery (an angel who inhabits the body of a horse).

Nuclear inspections have been a key part of the Iran nuclear deal. International inspectors stand to permanently lose access to key sites, unless the U.S. and Iran can find a way forward.

At Stanford University, an assignment for a class on markets led to an experiment using economic thinking to match undergrads together romantically. It's a great way to understand many other markets.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to wrestling columnist Alfred Konuwa about this weekend's Wrestlemania and the decision to move old episodes from the WWE Network to NBC's Peacock platform.

Intel is revealing more details about its diversity goals — the ones the chipmaker has met and failed to meet — than any other Silicon Valley giant to date.

Officials are trying to shrink the timetable for many asylum cases from "years to months." That could benefit people with legitimate asylum claims and discourage some unauthorized migration.

Finding a job or changing your career in the midst of a pandemic is hard. We collected questions from four listeners about their journeys to find jobs, and posed them to career coach Akhila Satish.

Some companies, under pressure from shareholders, are tying executive compensation to climate targets. It's not widespread yet, but the approach is catching on.

For months, Republicans have cast doubt on the 2020 presidential election. Now GOP candidates for Virginia governor take issue with their own party-run nominating convention.

Murakami's new story collection, First Person Singular, touches some of his favorite subjects — jazz, baseball, classical music — but also highlights some of the unexplained oddities of life.

After a stroke, people often lose dexterity in one hand. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has authorized a device that can restore function by encouraging the brain to rewire.