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Peter Jackson takes his audience back to Middle-earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, set in a time before the Lord of the Rings films. NPR's Bob Mondello says that where the Rings films struggled with what to omit, The Hobbit labors to justify its three-hour running time.

Legos often cost twice as much as similar blocks from a rival toymaker. So why are Legos so much more popular than other brands?

It can be lonely being a Democrat in the Deep South. In the reliably Republican region, even recruiting viable Democratic candidates can be a challenge. But strategists are looking to nearby states to learn how the party might start to make inroads in such red territory.

With Election Day just over a week away, NPR politics editor Charlie Mahtesian and NPR congressional reporter Juana Summers join us for a look at the state of play in pivotal races across the country.

From post-apocalyptic character studies to speculative paleontology, reviewer Annalee Newitz says this year's best science fiction stretches boundaries and crosses genres. She also sees a strong resurgence in political themes, with a focus on civilizations on the brink of transformation or collapse.

Audie Cornish speaks with Jill Lepore about her latest New Yorker piece, "The Lie Factory," about the origins of the political consulting business in the United States.

Robert Siegel speaks with Elaine Pagels, religion professor at Princeton University, about the discovery of an ancient papyrus fragment that suggests some early Christians believed Jesus had a wife, and possibly a female disciple.

Justice Department watchdogs released a long-awaited report Wednesday on the Fast and Furious program, a failed gun sting operation in which the government lost track of as many as 2,000 guns. Carrie Johnson talks to Audie Cornish.

Protesters in the Middle East and North Africa have demanded an apology from the U.S. government over a video that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad. While even highly offensive speech is protected by U.S. law, that level of protection is quite unique, even among many Western countries.

Russia's takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea this spring was cheered by many Russians — many of whom have always considered Crimea a part of Russia. We'll visit the center of Russian power — Moscow, where a shuttered McDonald's is a visible sign of tensions with the West.