The Seriously Funny Man (The Making of America)
Mark Twain was our first great political wit and a dogged defender of racial equality. Jon Stewart, Barack Obama and the rest of America are in his debt

America's Original Superstar (The Making of America)
Mark Twain skewered the powerful, mocked the pious and helped change a nation


A War That's Still Not Won (Afghanistan)
For the first time in five years, more soldiers are dying in Afghanistan than in Iraq. A look at the struggle to secure one vital province shows why the fight against the Taliban is deadlier than ever


Guilty Pleasures (Books)
What do writers read when they don't want to work? We asked some big names from the literary world what they dip into for enjoyment; the answers are instructive, about both writers and pleasure. Enjoy

Somewhere Out There (Osama bin Laden)
As the quest for Bin Laden founders, one of the few Western journalists to have met him argues that al-Qaeda's leader may be poised to strike again

Where the Sun Shines Brightly (The Mediterranean)
While migrants cross the Mediterranean for work, North Africa's potential goes untapped. Are governments in Europe and the Maghreb serious about change?


The Green Connection (The G-8 Summit)
China wants clean technology; Japan, an old rival, has it to sell. Why necessity is trumping animosity in the global-warming fight


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