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Historians and other scholars are examining the state of black studies. Some 400 black studies programs and departments exist, but there have been few conferences such as the one in New York this weekend, and some say there's an identity crisis. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports that last night more than 2,600 hopeful homebuyers in Marin County, Calif., participated in a lottery for 351 affordable homes on an abandoned Army air field at Novato. Novato officials said they worked with developers for years to find a way to offer below-market homes that local firefighters, police and teachers could afford. The median home price in Marin County is $554,000.

Search crews near Fort Worth find a large segment of wing from space shuttle Columbia. It could provide important clues about the cause of Saturday's disaster. NASA continues to study photos taken by the Air Force in Columbia's final minutes of flight, reportedly showing damage to the craft's left wing. Hear from NPR's Richard Harris.

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Stefan Fatsis, sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal about this weekend's National Basketball Association All-Star game in Atlanta. The game will feature Michael Jordan in, presumably, his final all-star appearance. A big topic of discussion among players is a petition by two 17-year-old Europeans to gain early entry into the league.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in Europe to rally support for regime-change in Iraq, says he doesn't know how long a war in Iraq would last, but doubts it would take six months. Meanwhile, Arab leaders have tried to avert conflict in Iraq, but many now say hope for a peaceful solution is fading fast. Hear reports from NPR's Tom Gjelten and NPR's Kate Seelye.

Richard Blomberg, who spent 15 years on NASA's Aerospace Safety Board, raised concerns nearly a year ago about the safety of future shuttle flights. The forecast now appears prescient, but Blomberg says he did not expect disaster to strike so soon. He speaks to NPR's Scott Simon.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu is in New York City and walks in on a meeting of young radicals toasting Old Communists. He notes the fact that old commies never say "die." They just die. He listens to them, believing some of the conversations may have started in the 19th century.

NPR's Michael Sullivan has the second of a five-part series on terrorism in Southeast Asia. Al Qaeda's Southeast Asian operations may have begun in the Philippines, but neighboring Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world and it has provided the most fertile ground for militant Islam. Several alleged terrorist groups have been active in Indonesia for years. One of them is the group called Jemaah Islamiyah. Jemaah Islamiyah is believed responsible for dozens of attacks in Indonesia in the past several years including the bombings on the resort island of Bali in October. And investigators say it's clear the group has close ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

NPR's John Nielsen examines the arduous process of finding the pieces of the shuttle Columbia that have been spread across such a large area. He explains the difference between shuttle "forensics" and the investigation of plane crashes.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that the wave of vulnerability felt by Americans since Sept. 11 has affected how they and the Bush administration react to national disaster.

More space shuttle Columbia fragments and human remains are discovered Monday, yet little new information is learned about the cause of Saturday's disaster. Meanwhile, critics express concern over whether NASA's budget cuts and use of contractors may have compromised safety. Hear reports from NPR's Richard Harris, NPR's Howard Berkes and NPR's Chris Joyce.

Investigators continue to gather clues that might help explain what went wrong when the space shuttle Columbia broke up Saturday morning, killing all seven crewmembers. Today's memorial service with President Bush will offer NASA officials rare pause in an otherwise tedious examination of flight videos, computer data, and debris. NPR's Richard Harris reports that while NASA is making strides in piecing the accident together, officials say they're far from any conclusions about what caused the disaster.

President Bush's 2004 budget proposal includes major new health initiatives to address the AIDS epidemic in Africa and the Caribbean, as well as changes to Medicare and Medicaid. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

President Bush sends Congress a 2004 budget totaling $2.23 trillion, with the largest increases going to defense and homeland security. But some in Congress say the president should scale back some of the proposed tax cuts and allow more social spending. NPR's David Welna reports.

Among the attendees are people who also spread misinformation about 2020 presidential election and other conspiracy theories.

NPR's Neda Ulaby has a profile of painter Dan Keplinger. Keplinger has cerebral palsy and was featured in the 1999 Oscar-winning documentary short, King Gimp. Although it's difficult for him to control his movements or speak, he's had several successful shows in New York, and he's completing his second college degree at Towson State University, Md.

Host Michele Norris talks with NPR's Debbie Elliott from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, where an independent board appointed by NASA began its investigation of the shuttle disaster today. Debris from Columbia will be taken to the base for scrutiny.

CDC endorses booster doses of Moderna and J&J vaccines. Many people apply to nursing school, but there aren't enough teachers. An interview with the secretary of Department of Veterans Affairs.

Internet auction site eBay removes listings posted by people selling what they claim is debris from the space shuttle Columbia.

NASA administrator Mike Kostelnik says there was no reason to think that possible damage to the space shuttle Columbia on liftoff was reason for concern. Meanwhile, the agency expands the search for debris, establishing a second collection site in Texas. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

Dan Keplinger was born with severe cerebral palsy. But at 30, he's already a successful artist, the subject of an Oscar-winning film, and he's finishing his second college degree. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports on the Baltimore, Md., artist's inspirational story. View a video clip from the documentary, and view examples of his art.

Jazz percussionist Mongo Santamaria dies on Feb. 1 at 85. Santamaria scored a Top-10 hit with his version of Herbie Hancock's jazz-funk classic "Watermelon Man" in 1963. He also wrote the song "Afro Blue," later performed and made famous by John Coltrane. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has a remembrance.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is set to address the U.N. Security Council tomorrow to present new evidence that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is hiding weapons. NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Robert Siegel remark on how Powell's appearance at the United Nations is reminiscent of Adlai Stevenson's famous speech during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Space shuttle Columbia's nose cone is found in the eastern Texas woods. Recovery teams hunting for debris from the Feb. 1 disaster spread out further Tuesday, searching as far west as Arizona. NPR's Eric Niiler reports.

The new Netflix series Maya and the Three takes place in a world inspired Latin American folklore. It's the work of the husband-and-wife team Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua.