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NPR's Scott Simon takes a moment to note a new animal rights law just past in Austria that prohibits, among other things, cropping your dog's ears.

Byrony Lavery's drama about the murder of a child and its repercussions is up for four Tony Awards. Last week, actor Brian O'Byrne won an Obie for his role as the killer. Critics have praised Frozen for the chillingly ordinary way it presents its terrible tale without sensationalizing it. The Broadway production also stars Swoozie Kurtz as the mother. Jeff Lunden reports.

In the French film Since Otar Left, a mother and daughter conspire to hide tragic news from 90-year-old grandmother Eka. The film, which won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2003, explores the poignant interplay between the three generations of women in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

When the game of chess spread from the Middle East to Europe, there was no piece representing a queen. When the icon emerged around the year 1000, it was the weakest piece on the board. But by the time Queen Isabel of Spain became more powerful than her husband in the 1400s, the chess queen's power was unmatched. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Marilyn Yalom, author of Birth of the Chess Queen.

In Las Vegas, close to 2,600 hopeful card sharks have entered the World Series of Poker, playing rounds of a game called Texas Hold 'Em. Older poker players are marveling at the new crop of players, and the loads of fresh money at stake: The winner stands to rake in a $5-million jackpot. NPR's Mike Pesca reports.

What would happen if all of the Latinos in California, the world's fifth-largest economy, suddenly vanished? NPR's Tavis Smiley has a conversation with Sergio Arau, the director and co-writer of the "mockumentary" A Day Without a Mexican. Arau's wife, Yareli Arizmendi, joins the conversation. She co-wrote the film's screenplay and plays the role of the last Latina left in California.

In the last years of the Depression, government photographers traveled the country to capture images of America: at play, at work, and struggling to survive. The black-and-white images that emerged became emblems of the time. But many photographs were also taken in full color -- and those images are now being released in a book, Bound for Glory: America in Color 1939-43. Hear NPR's Melissa Block.

For country music fans, this year's hot summer hit is 'Redneck Woman' from newcomer Gretchen Wilson. It's No. 1 on the charts and shows no signs of losing steam. Melissa Block talks with XM radio's Jessie Scott about the song and the reasons for its popularity.

NPR's Tony Cox sits down with internationally renowned flutist Hubert Laws for a conversation about his expansive music career and latest CD, Moondance, which blends classical and jazz vibes.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to actor Eli Wallach about his seven decades on stage and screen. A remastered collector's edition of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is being released this month, featuring new dialogue by Wallach and Clint Eastwood for their classic roles in the film.