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Israel's former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who suffered a devastating stroke in 2006 at the height of his political power, died Saturday after spending eight years in a coma. NPR's Scott Simon remembers Sharon with former ambassador Dennis Ross, who has played a leading role in shaping U.S. policy on Israel.

Playwright Tracy Letts won the Pulitzer Prize for August: Osage County, a story of secrets and family dysfunction. Now it's been released as a film, for which Letts wrote the screenplay. The story and its characters came from his own experiences, Letts says.

From Connecticut to Minnesota to California, correctional authorities are finding all kinds of reasons to produce food inside prison walls. A new video provides a glimpse of one of these projects, a vegetable garden inside San Quentin State prison outside of San Francisco.

Sunni leaders in Iraq are trying to retake control of two important cities in Anbar province. That's raising fears in Afghanistan, where al-Qaida operatives still reside near the border with Pakistan. The Washington Post's David Ignatius talks to NPR's Rachel Martin about the rise of al-Qaida-affiliated groups and America's relations with Afghanistan.

The new Baseball Hall of Fame inductees were announced this week — and it's not just who got in and who didn't that's causing a stir; the voting itself has people talking. Sports correspondent Mike Pesca speaks with NPR's Rachel Martin about that and the reduction of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez's suspension.

Tunisian lawmakers are poised to give final approval to a new constitution later this week. Political wrangling over the document has long delayed the ratification process, but if the constitution gains final approval on Tuesday, as planned, it will set the stage for a new round of parliamentary elections.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died on Saturday. He was a soldier-turned-politician who believed in hardline military solutions but also looked beyond force to try to bring peace in Israel. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Ari Shavit of The Haaretz newspaper about what Sharon meant for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

More than 40 percent of Greeks over 15 smoke, among the highest percentages in the world. Three years ago, the government banned smoking indoors in bars, restaurants and cafes — but the ban has never been enforced.

Upscale department store Neiman Marcus is the latest retailer to disclose data security breaches. The disclosure comes just a day after Target issued another apology for a data breach that occurred during the holiday season. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Brian Krebs, who broke both stories on his blog, KrebsOnSecurity.

Authorities said the numbers are moving in the right direction, but they're still days away from giving an all-clear.