Talk of the Nation

The New York Yankees may be the most polarizing team in the U.S. In a new collection, Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World's Most Loved (and Hated) Team, writers share the stories behind their passions.

In 2011, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction banning Los Angeles police from confiscating and destroying the belongings of homeless people on Skid Row. In the Los Angeles Times, Carol Schatz argues that the ruling, intended to protect the homeless, puts them in greater danger.

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NEAL CONAN, HOST:

There is some evidence to suggest that citizens monitoring their communities can reduce crime. But the Trayvon Martin shooting focused new attention on neighborhood watch programs. Many neighborhoods have them, but the Martin case has brought questions about what they can and can't do to the fore.

New York City has been referred to as a concrete jungle. But researchers say it is more 'jungle' than you might think. A panel of experts discuss the plant and animal life found in city waters and green spaces. They also discuss the impact of urbanization and climate change on a city's biodiversity.