2011 May | Here & Now

From Steve Earle to Radiohead and more.

A new documentary about “To Kill A Mockingbird” unearths a rare interview from the reclusive author Harper Lee who says her reaction to the book’s success “was not one of surprise, it was of sheer numbness, of being hit over the head and knocked out cold.”

The successful hunt for Osama bin Laden turned national attention to new surveillance technologies, from a laser beam that detects vibrations from a conversation inside a building to surveillance tags that can track terrorists. We look at one company specializing in terrorist-tracking technology.

A new website poses the question, “If your house were burning down, what would you take with you?” Tell us and see photos.

The Associated Press tracked down 24-year-old Izudin Alic, who as a child was seen in file footage being reassured by Ratko Mladic that his friends and family would be safe. Hours later, Mladic is accused of overseeing the massacre of 8,000 Muslim boys and men, including the boy’s father.

26-year-old Brian Till wanted to find out what makes a good leader, he sought answers from the likes of Bill Clinton, Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharaf and Australian former Prime Minister Paul Keating for his new book.

A NATO spokeswoman says NATO air strikes on houses will continue in Afghanistan, despite a warning from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who said today he will no longer allow NATO assaults on houses.

From Air to Ahmad Jamal and more.

On this Memorial Day, American flags are flying on the graves at the National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts thanks to father Paul Monti, who raised money for the flags to honor his late son and other fallen soldiers.

We revisit a conversation with best-selling author Sue Miller, who’s novel centers around a woman who lost her lover to the terrorist attacks, right before she was going to break up with him.

Egypt’s move to relax restrictions at the country’s border with the Gaza strip has rattled the Israeli government, which has already been watching the Arab Sprig uprisings with caution.

In his blog, “Army of Dude,” veteran Alex Horton was critical of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Now the agency has hired Horton to continue blogging, this time on the VA website.

Speaking from the Rose Garden today, President Obama nominated Gen. Martin Dempsey to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dempsey served in Iraq and currently serves as head of the U.S. Army.

From Steve Earle to Sigur Ros and more.

We talk with Julie Feeney, who is on her debut tour of the U.S. with a new album “Pages.” Feeny, who sports an impressive collection of hats and counts among her influences Beethoven and Schoenberg as well as Phillip Glass and Bob Dylan, is drawing critical praise for her innovative blend of pop and classical vocal arrangements.

Historian Lerae Umfleet is marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War by tweeting quotes from the diaries and letters from the era.

College seniors, do you wish, instead of graduating with thousands in debt, you had dropped out to start a lucrative tech company? PayPay founder Peter Thiel is banking on that, he’s paying 24 students to stop out of places like MIT and Harvard to become entrepreneurs.

Eight American troops on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan were killed in 2 consecutive blasts yesterday as the Taliban continues a Spring offensive.

The Ford Pinto earned a bad rep in the 70s, because its fuel tank often caught fire in collisions, but the car still has its fervent fans, many are celebrating with a “Pinto Stampede.”

Memorial Day means time to haul out the grill, and turn to Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst.