Talk of the Nation

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show topics including the controversy over homeless hotspots, why some songs get stuck in our heads, and sober advice for former Illinois Governor Blagojevich as he begins a long sentence in federal prison.

Sgt. Robert Bales is expected to be charged with murdering 16 civilians in Afghanistan. It raises questions about how the military screens troops. Former Surgeon General of the Army, Ret. Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, and Ret. Brig. Gen. Steve Xenakis talk about how the military tests mental fitness.

Bo Xilai, a Communist Party chief from Chongqing, was replaced by deputy prime minister Zhang Dejiang. A report released online details why he was pushed out. The scandal could the transition of power this fall when the executive committee of the Chinese Communist Party names seven new members.

After more than a week of grueling days on a dog sled, Dallas Seavey won 2012's Iditarod, beating his father and grandfather in the process. The race took off from Willow, Alaska, on March 4, Seavey's 25th birthday. Nine days, 4 hours and 29 minutes later, he crossed the finish line in Nome as the youngest musher ever to win the race.

Seavey talks with NPR's Neal Conan about the extreme conditions of the Iditarod, from freezing dogs to sleepless nights, and what it means to be in a legacy racing family.

In recent months, a swarm of controversies have erupted over issues of women's health — from the split in the Catholic church over employer coverage of contraceptives to the proposed ultrasound laws in Virginia and Texas to the uproar over funding for Planned Parenthood.