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NPR's John Ydstie interviews Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, a novel set in World War II Germany with Death himself as the narrator. The book tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl who lives with a foster family in a tough, working-class neighborhood of Molching, Germany.

It is a basic truth in any counterinsurgency campaign: It is possible to win all the battles and still lose the war. Three years into the Iraq war, the U.S. military admits it has learned that the hard way. At Fort Irwin, soldiers are trained in new counterinsurgency tactics in an attempt to turn the tide of the war.

Defending champion North Carolina suffered a shocking loss to George Mason in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, seeing its dreams of another title end in the second round. Steve Inskeep talks to commentator John Feinstein about the first weekend of March Madness.

There are two kinds of people in the portion of North Carolina surrounding Durham and Chapel Hill: Duke fans and North Carolina fans. Will Blythe is NOT a Duke fan. He writes about his obsession with a college basketball rivalry in a new book.

The Bush administration unveils an updated version of its National Security Strategy, a document originally issued in 2002 to lay out the White House vision for the war on terrorism. The new version restates the doctrine of pre-emptive war and says Iran may pose an increased threat to the United States.

There are no surprises among the top seeds in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. But the larger field, as always, contains some unexpected dancers. Renee Montagne talks to sports commentator John Feinstein about the NCAA Tournament's present, and past.

The Pentagon's release of documents detailing the hearings of Guantanamo detainees has cracked open a window into the government's top-secret world. The 5,000 pages offer unedited transcripts that include names and stories from some of the prisoners at the base. The documents were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the Associated Press.

Opening statements began today in the penalty phase of the trial of Zaccarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in connection with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Moussaoui has pleaded guilty to conspiring with al-Qaida to hijack planes and commit other crimes.

The hedge fund industry is one of the fastest growing corners of the investment world. Now Wall Street insider — and hedge fund manager — Barton Biggs has exposed the industry's cast of characters to scrutiny in the book HedgeHogging.

Host Debbie Elliott speaks with Richard Sutch and Susan Carter about numbers that tell the story of America. They've edited a new five-volume work, Historical Statistics of the United States. Today, Sutch and Carter discuss what the numbers tell us about the role of the U.S. Post Office in westward expansion.