The Pakistani government agreed to suspend a military offensive and to impose Islamic law in the country's Swat valley as part of an ongoing effort to pacify a Taliban revolt in the region. The announcement comes after the government major offensive against the Taliban in the region had stalled. We speak with the BBC's Owen Bennett Jones.

Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern joins us for a President's Day conversation about the 16th president. McGovern's book, "Abraham Lincoln," is part of The American Presidents series. McGovern says Lincoln is a national treasure and a legend that best represents the democratic ideal.

A look at a personal list that's become a Facebook craze. What are people revealing about themselves and why? We speak with Danah Boyd, a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

Ever since Negro History Week began in 1926, and through its evolution into Black History Month in 1976, many within the black community have been asking whether it should even exist. And now, the election of Barack Obama as the country's first African-American President adds another layer to the debate. We speak with Rochelle Riley, columnist for the Detroit Free Press, who has called for the end of Black History Month. We also hear from Daryl Scott, who opposes the idea. Scott is a history professor at Howard University.

The powerful sound of this garage rock trio from Ohio springs from a petite and painfully shy woman named Erika Wennerstrom. She joins us for a conversation about the band's music and their new CD, "The Mountain." The Heartless Bastards are on tour right now.

Music from the Show

• Bach: Solo Suites for Cello/Rostropovich
• The Lickets: "Meat City"
• Kim Weston: "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
• The Heartless Bastards: "The Mountain," "I Could Be So Happy," "Hold Your Head High," "Early in the Morning," "Out at Sea" and "Sway."