The Story on WUNC

Ten years ago today, the massive statute of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad was toppled, and there was a feeling that a new country was ready to rise. The past decade has seen continuous war and violence: at first there were U.S. troops and now there are constant bombings and attacks between factions.

Host Dick Gordon covered the days after the U.S. invasion with his translator Ahmed Fadaam. They recall the destruction, and we hear reports from that time. Then, they call back to Iraq and talk to two Iraqis about life there now.

Charlie Ornstein, a reporter for the investigative newsroom ProPublica, had covered healthcare in America for more than 15 years, and he thought he understood the decision a family would face if a relative were being kept alive through artificial life support.

Some New Yorkers have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the New York City Police Department 's "Stop and Frisk" policy unfairly targets African Americans and Latinos. We hear from one of the young men behind the lawsuit, Nicholas Peart, who has been stopped by police three times.

Kat Honaker’s husband survived the war in Iraq. Now that he’s home, he’s fighting for his life again. Dealing with her husband’s trauma has meant that she, too, has a diagnosis of PTSD from reliving the war with him.

Zofia Abramowicz was Polish and Catholic, but was still rounded up and imprisoned at Auschwitz during World War II. During that time, Zofia wrote poetry - really strange, scary, beautiful poetry.

She then buried it in jars in the camp. After the war, the jars were dug up and returned to her.

Sean Cole talks to the woman who is the keeper of these poems, Cherie Braun.

The next time you get an outrageous hospital bill, don’t get worked up. Take a breath and negotiate.

For a good strategy, listen to Pat Palmer, who knows how to land the best price for services rendered. And she’s seen it all: from $400 bills for a single Tylenol, to a teddy bear masquerading as a very expensive "cough support device."

Pat, who has worked for an insurance company, shares her tricks for finding savings in the fine print of a hospital bill.

Rucker Park is hallowed ground: the New York City basketball courts where the best players in the country make pilgrimages to play.

Guest host Sean Cole speaks with one of the Rucker legends, "Pee Wee" Kirkland, who captivated crowds and honed his skills for college ball and got an offer from the NBA.

"Pee Wee" declined the offer from the Chicago Bulls, in part because he was deep into a life of crime.

Guest host Sean Cole explores the lives of Islamic women and men who have been rounded up, sent to prison or put under surveillance. He speaks with Victoria Brittain, who has spent years meeting and interviewing the families of suspects imprisoned in London and Guantanamo Bay. That is the basis for her book, "Shadow Lives: The Forgotten Women of the War on Terror."

Mike Checuga was a 25- year old white guy and Victor was a 10 year old black kid. Mike adopted Victor and his family did not approve. As Victor became a young man, he drifted away from his adoptive father, and struggled on his own.

Producers Alex Kotlowitz and Amy Drozdowska capture the unfolding connection between a man and his adopted son. 

A man is burned by boiling water and citric acid at work. No one rinses him off or calls 911. Instead, his boss sends him to a small clinic and they finally send him to the hospital. He arrives 98 minutes later. WBEZ's Chip Mitchell and Jim Morris of the Center for Public Integrity investigate this case, which exposes weak U.S. safety protections for temporary workers.