Medical Examiner D.J. Drakovic, in Pontiac Michigan, explains how every crime scene is like a novel.

Etgar Keret tells the story of how his mother convinced an army general to send her son home for a day in the middle of a war.

Edwin's life in a rarified world of flutes and feathers.

Ira Glass talks to Brian Reed about encountering an intriguing plaque in Alabama.

There is a library that's on the border of Canada and the United States — literally on the border, with part of the library in each country. Producer Zoe Chace interviews journalist Yeganeh Torbati about how lately, it's become a critical space for a surprising set of visitors.

Shalom Auslander reads his true story, "The Blessing Bee." It's about the time when, as a third-grader at an Orthodox Jewish school, Shalom saw his chance to both make his mom proud, and push his drunken father out of the picture. Part of his scheme involved winning the school's bee on the complicated Hebrew blessings you say before eating certain foods.

In Norway, Kirk tracks down fugitive feathers.

Miki Meek tells the story of an unlikely alliance between an ICE agent and a group of undocumented immigrants. (34 minutes)

A group of kids is told that “education is the door to their futures.” But these kids are in jail, facing adult sentences. Why learn algebra when you’re facing 25 years? Eli Hager reports.

Hannah Dreier with ProPublica spent a year reporting in Brentwood, Long Island where three teenagers mysteriously disappeared. All three were considered runaways by the Suffolk County Police.

Lydia Sigwarth spent a lot of time in her public library growing up – all day, almost every day, for six months straight. Producer Stephanie Foo returned to that library with her, after years away.

LaDonna Powell starts her new job out on the tarmac at the airport.

Host Ira Glass talks with Ben Calhoun about how Democrats are furiously trying to retake New York’s 19th congressional district. The sitting Republican is considered very vulnerable, and has been the subject of weekly protests that even have a house band.

Hannah Dreier’s story continues. She confronts former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini with her findings.

Kelefa Sanneh sits in on one of Starbucks’ anti-racial bias classes. There’s one thing that no one seems to want to talk about.

Zoe Chace goes to a conference hosted by Turning Point USA, where college students get trained to fight political battles.

Sometimes criminals return to the scene of their misdeeds — to try to make things right, to try to undo the past. Katie Davis reports on her neighbor Bobby, who returned to the scene where he robbed people and conned people. This time, he came to coach little league.

Where do parents go when they’re deported? For some, the answer is: as close as possible to their kids. That often means Nogales, Mexico.

There’s a problem with having a Facebook account after you’re dead that you’ve never, ever, ever thought about. Producer Stephanie Foo tells this story, about Dave Maher.

A private basketball coach teaches a young student some things his parents don't agree with. David Kestenbaum has the story.

Ben Calhoun spent months following some key leaders in the Democratic Party, to find out the party’s best strategy for the future. He got some answers.

Senator Jeff Flake goes to the White House and discovers a president who seems to be very open to doing whatever immigration deal the senate brings him. He spends an optimistic 24 hours writing a bill with his bipartisan partners.

Reporter Steve Kolowich goes to the University of Nebraska where one new recruit to Turning Point goes out on campus to sign people up for her club. And that one act immediately devolves into a political battle of epic proportions.

Since losing their daughter in the Aurora, Colorado shooting, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips have gone to the locations of many mass shootings. They know lots about the challenges grieving families face, and have information only people who have lost someone to a shooting can know.