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Howard Dean, who opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, concedes the action has provided some benefits to the Iraqi people. But the Democratic presidential hopeful says the world may face greater dangers if a fundamentalist regime emerges in Iraq. Hear an extended interview with the former Vermont governor.

The Polyphonic Spree consider themselves a symphonic rock band, and play upbeat songs of happiness and celebration. But in their uniform white robes, the 23 members of the band look more like a religious cult. NPR's Bob Boilen profiles the band — hear a cut from their debut album, featured in All Songs Considered.

The U.S. imports more oil from Latin America than from all Middle Eastern countries combined. Oil wealth has long generated dreams of prosperity, but in the lands of production, the reserves have often brought political and economic instability. In the first of a three-part series, Sandy Tolan looks at what went wrong with Venezuela's oil dream.

Bernie Barker, a retired nuclear engineer, was 60 when he launched his new career: dancing for women. Guinness World Records has since recognized him as the oldest male stripper. Hear his story on Morning Edition.

The New York Subway system is designed to move millions of people quickly and efficiently. But on any given Friday afternoon, trombonist Alex Lo Dico and his jazz band can bring commuters to a complete halt. The subways have been Lo Dico's stage for two decades now, and his philosophy is "swing 'til you drop." NPR's Robert Smith has the first in a summer series of street musician profiles.

He responds to concerns about conflict of interest in awarding military contracts to private companies. Pawlik explains how the Army Corps of Engineers gave contracts to put out oil fires in Iraq to Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), a subsidiary of Halliburton. Vice President Dick Cheney, a former Secretary of Defense, was the CEO of Halliburton before he became vice president.

She was the founding executive director of the Harvard University Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. She's written for U.S. News and World Report, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist and The New Yorker. Her book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, is winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Orizio is the author of the book Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators. He interviewed deposed dictators who have not apologized for their crimes and weren't rehabilitated. They were Uganda's Idi Amin, Haiti's "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Ethiopia's Mengistu and others. The interview is conducted by Fresh Air guest host Dave Davies.

Her latest book, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, is about a little-known religious text that was rediscovered in Egypt in 1945. She will explain why the Gospel of Thomas was suppressed by the church and kept out of the canon. Elaine Pagels has been called one of the world's most important writers and thinkers on religion and history. She won the National Book Award for her book, The Gnostic Gospels. Pagels is a professor at Princeton University.

Lucinda Williams' latest album is full of love songs, but they're the kind you might play over and over after an ugly breakup. "I guess you could write a good song if your heart hadn't been broken, but I don't know of anyone whose heart hasn't been broken," Williams tells NPR's Bob Edwards. Hear samples from 'World Without Tears'.