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Many Turks are confused by the early release of the man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981. Mehmet Ali Agca was also convicted of the 1979 murder of a liberal newspaper editor in Turkey.

The wet spell in the Pacific Northwest is seen as an opportunity for Nancy Pearl, the Seattle librarian who regularly shares her recommended readings. She shares her list of books for a rainy day.

Pakistani government sources report that four senior al Qaeda figures were among those killed in a U.S. missile strike on a village near the Afghan border last week. Al Qaeda's No. 2 official, Ayman al-Zawahiri -- the intended target of the attack -- was not hurt.

Steve Inskeep talks with former CIA field commander Gary Berntsen about his new book, Jawbreaker. Berntsen led led the hunt for Osama bin Laden and describes cornering bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan at the end of 2001.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu reflects on facial hair. When he was young, he had a mustache. Now, everything has changed and he advocates shaving.

The United Nations has appointed a new envoy to continue the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri last February. The initial report last fall implicated top Lebanese and Syrian security officials in Hariri's killing.

Two big surprises awaited Paul Bremer when he arrived in Iraq: that the country's chaos made it ripe for insurgency; and that the U.S. government would withhold additional troops. Bremer became the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in May of 2003.

Steve Inskeep talks with New York Times reporter James Risen about his new book, State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. Risen first broke the news about the National Security Agency's secret eavesdropping program, and says it's illustrative of the administration's behavior in the war on terror.

Tory Dent, who wrote poetry about the experience of living with AIDS, died Friday. Poet Adrienne Rich remembers her friend's life and work.

P.D. James is considered one of the greatest living writers of detective fiction. Steve Inskeep talks with the British mystery writer about her new book, and how the mystery novel has changed over the years.