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Hollywood actors and screenwriters are on strike simultaneously for the first time since 1960. When — and how — might things resolve this time? Experts tell NPR what recent history can teach us.

There's debate in soccer circles about whether artificial turf is good for the sport. To host an international soccer game tonight, UNC-Chapel Hill had to truck in grass to cover its turf.

NPR's A Martinez speaks with historian Erik Scott, who recently wrote a book about Cold War defectors, about the history of U.S. service members defecting to North Korea.

World leaders have urged President Obama to seize the surprise award of the Nobel Peace Prize as a chance to increase diplomatic efforts to forge peace in the globe's trouble spots. The announcement is being interpreted by many in Europe as a bid to encourage Obama's diplomatic overtures toward America's enemies.

Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo, Norway, says he knew President Obama had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but was surprised Obama won the award. Harpviken says his list of possible winners included Colombian Sen. Piedad Cordoba, Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad and Afghan human rights activist Sima Samar.

The Senate Finance Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would take steps to cover more Americans while holding down costs. A jubilant Committee Chairman Max Baucus celebrated the "yes" vote of the lone Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe, while acknowledging many more challenges lay ahead in merging competing bills.

House Democrats have thwarted a GOP attempt to remove New York Rep. Charles Rangel as head of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Rangel is under a House inquiry for not disclosing all of his personal assets and income. The question is how Rangel's ethics woes shake out politically.

Conspirata is the second novel in author Robert Harris' trilogy about the Roman politician Cicero. The series pits Cicero, who is called a hypocrite for his willingness to compromise, against Julius Caesar, who seeks to refashion the Roman republic in his own image.

A measure sparked by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to stem the tide of boats filled with migrants seeking safety on that nation's shores is now set to become law.

Novelist and playwright Dan Fante writes about alcoholism, drug addiction and failed attempts at literary success — all of which he has experienced himself. He discusses his novel, 86'd, battling his own emotional demons, and the process of reliving his past on paper.

Isaac Herzog's visit to Capitol Hill came after the House passed a GOP-led resolution reaffirming support for Israel in the wake of incendiary comments made and then walked back by a leading Democrat.

New lawsuits are moving forward after a landmark Supreme Court decision affirming the rights of individuals to own guns. Attorney Alan Gura, who argued the case, says he will pursue similar cases in other cities to ensure the right is enforced.

Zimbabwe's opposition leader has withdrawn from the country's presidential runoff election, saying the loss of life among his supporters is too high a price to pay. Morgan Tsvangirai says President Robert Mugabe has run a violent, illegitimate election. Tsvangirai's withdrawal spurred reaction from African leaders and the United Nations.

The U.S. hasn't built a refinery in decades. Could building new ones help to lower gas prices? Geologist Ken Deffeyes says there's no refinery bottleneck.

An Army report that will be released on Monday reveals that major mistakes were made in the post-war planning in Iraq. The report, which will be released on Monday, finds that operations that were poorly planned and badly mismanaged.

Co-host Steve Inskeep talks to Elizabeth Charnock, CEO of Cataphora. The California-based firm helps companies in legal matters by investigating patterns of employee e-mail use.

Negotiations have stalled between the U.S. and Iraq over the future role of American troops there. The so-called "status of forces agreement" is in trouble — and Iraqi leaders are considering alternative proposals. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro in Baghdad speaks to host Andrea Seabrook about the dispute.

The eight states surrounding the Great Lakes have agreed to protect water in the region from being diverted to other parts of the country and the world. The lakes contain 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water, and

Former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic has been arrested. He has been twice indicted for genocide for the siege of Sarajevo and the massacre Muslims at Srebrenica. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright calls the arrest "extremely significant."

The nation's longest-serving Republican in Senate history and a major figure in Alaska politics is facing seven felony counts. Ted Stevens, 84, is accused of concealing more than a quarter million dollars in gifts from a powerful oil contractor, but he says he never knowingly submitted a false financial disclosure form.

Sgt. Asa Rubman is a paralegal serving with the armed forces in Iraq — and he's organized a get-out-the-vote drive on his base in southern Baghdad. Capt. Nate Rawlings, a regular Day To Day contributor, tells us about Sgt. Rubman.

Oetzi, a mummified man found frozen in the Italian Alps after 5,300 years, has no living genetic descendants among modern humans. The discovery came after researchers sequenced Oetzi's entire genome and compared it with human DNA.

The global financial crisis has given the International Monetary Fund a new lease on life. Countries had been pulling away from the IMF and the reforms it demands. Now, Pakistan, Hungary, Iceland and others are turning to it to protect them in the global credit crunch.

Palestinians in the West Bank say the election of Barack Obama is an incredible moment, and sends a great message to the world. In West Jerusalem, Israelis reacted with a mix of optimism and caution.

A large research study released Sunday at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans is rocking the cardiology world. It suggests that even people with normal or low cholesterol levels can benefit from a cholesterol-lowering drug known as a statin.