One person is dead and dozens are wounded after an underground steam pipe exploded near Grand Central Terminal in New York City. WNYC's Richard Hake brings us the latest.

We speak to Georgina Howell, who has written a new biography of Gertrude Bell. Bell was a contemporary and colleague of T.E. Lawrence — and she helped map out modern day Iraq. Howell's book is titled "Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations."

Bartle Breese Bull of Prospect magazine says that the United States and the "radical cleric" have parallel interests. We speak with Bull about Sadr and hope for the future of the war-torn Iraq.

Listeners sound-off on what they heard on Here & Now.

We speak to Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater about their hit musical, "Spring Awakening."