Talk of the Nation on KAZU

U.S. plans for sanctions on Iran are escalating what some analysts call a covert war between the two countries. Patrick Clawson, director of the Washington Institute's Iran Security Initiative, and Columbia University's Gary Sick discuss how the Obama administration should deal with Iran.

Five more bodies were recovered Tuesday from the Italian cruise ship that ran aground off the shore of Tuscany. Prosecutors have accused Capt. Francesco Schettino of manslaughter for abandoning the ship before evacuation was complete. Maritime law professor Bob Jarvis offers insight into the responsibilities of ship captains.

New Year's resolutions have notoriously short lifetimes, but for a blogger in Pittsburgh named Laurie Woodward, a promise to herself became an Internet sensation.

Woodward was inspired to bake one recipe each week from Dorie Greenspan's popular cookbook Baking From My Home To Yours. And she found plenty of company — more than 100 bakers decided to take up the challenge with her. Every week, they made a recipe and posted their cooking stories to the online community Tuesdays with Dorie.

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show segments, including responses to a conversation about independent voters, and a video depicting U.S. Marines desecrating the bodies of Taliban fighters.

What's wrong with saying "No problem" instead of "You're welcome"? Is it acceptable to answer a phone call with an email? In "Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That?, author Henry Alford chronicles his search for etiquette in our fast-moving, increasingly connected culture.