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The difficulty and expense associated with nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan has made the notion of nation-building unpopular with Democrats and Republicans alike. But throughout U.S. history, the idea has always staged a comeback.

Singer-songwriter Nick Lowe joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross for an in-studio interview and performance featuring several songs from his 13th solo album, The Old Magic.

The son or daughter who can't get away. A nephew who is serving in Afghanistan. Perhaps, the favorite aunt who passed away. Guest host John Donvan talks with listeners about the people missing from their Thanksgiving table, and how they remember absent family and friends.

Gerdes is a neo-soul performer out of Boston, but she considers herself a Southern singer. She talks with NPR's Guy Raz about her latest album, Shred, and letting go.

For a lot of the people in Joplin, Mo., this Thanksgiving is going to be one more to endure than to celebrate. But new dreams are slowly taking root here. While the losses have been terrible, they've left a lot of people more grateful to be alive than they were last Thanksgiving.

In Latvia, a country haunted by its Soviet past, the rise of a Russian political party seemed unthinkable. But the global economic crisis hit the Baltic nation so hard that voters turned to Harmony Center, a party with Russian ties, promises of government help and a socialist economic platform.

A pilot program in Seattle, Wash., and surrounding King County allows some low-level drug offenders to go to rehabilitation programs instead of prison. Guest host Tony Cox speaks with King County's sheriff, a public defender and a member of the Seattle police department about the bi-partisan plan.

South African Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs discusses how a once-divided nation can abandon the impulse to avenge past wrongs and, instead, come together to build a new democracy. One of the framers of the country's constitution, Sachs also mulls over just what it means to determine the "intent" of a nation's founding fathers.

NPR correspondent John Burnett's high school English teacher, Christine Eastus, may have been demanding, but she encouraged his interest in writing. Burnett is thankful that Eastus gave him the boost he needed as a teenager. You can thank a teacher, too, on Twitter with #thankteacher, or on the StoryCorps Facebook page.

This weekend, Catholics may experience a surprise when they attend Mass. The words and music are different, thanks to the first major change of the English-language Mass in 40 years. Supporters say the new prayers are more elegant; critics say they're clumsy and are a triumph of conservatives.