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Stand-up comics can say pretty much anything these days -- no matter how obscene or offensive their material -- thanks in no small part to Lenny Bruce. In the late 1950s and early '60s, the iconoclastic comedian often found himself in trouble with the law for saying whatever was on his mind. NPR's Juan Williams reports on a new book detailing Bruce's legal battles.

Commentator Alison apRoberts says her belief in the shared sacrifice of the military draft doesn't make the recruitment brochures mailed to her teenage son any easier to stomach.

The $41 Kobe beef patty at Manhattan's Old Homestead Restaurant is the most expensive hamburger in New York City. Is it worth it? Hear from NPR's Scott Simon and Brooke Gladstone, host of NPR's On the Media.

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) recently introduced the Universal National Service Act of 2003, calling for mandatory military service. Commentator John Ridley agrees and says if the military comprised only rich white males then war would only be a last resort.

Host John Ydstie talks with Christine Brennan of The Washington Post about the U.S. Figure Skating Championships underway in Dallas.

Homeland Security nominee Tom Ridge appears at a Senate confirmation hearing Friday. Ridge is expected to win approval but will likely face questions about the administration's spending plans for homeland security. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq examine the 11 empty chemical warheads they discovered at an ammunition storage area. Iraq insists the weapons are old. NPR's Tom Gjelten and NPR's Mike Shuster explore the significance of the find and the potential for war.

The Supreme Court upholds a 20-year copyright extension passed by Congress in 1998. An Internet publisher challenged the extension, which lengthens copyrights to 70 years after the creator's death, arguing it threatened the public domain. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and Rick Karr.

Federal prosecutors submit evidence they say merits a life sentence for Richard Reid, who pleaded guilty to attempting to blow up a jumbo jet with explosives hidden in his shoes. Before that could take place Reid was subdued by passengers and crew members aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Sentencing is Jan. 30. Alex Ashlock reports.

As the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, political debate over abortion continues. With Republicans now in control of both the House and Senate, supporters of the decision, which guarantees a woman's right to an abortion, fear it could be overturned. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

The births will be the first for Menari, zoo officials say. She is expected to give deliver the twins sometime this winter.

Fidel Castro, now 76, is the subject of Ann Louise Bardach's new book Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana. She believes rapprochement is near for Cubans and the stridently anti-Castro Cuban-American community in South Florida. Bardach speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. nuclear agency, and chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix arrive in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials. They are expected to warn Iraq that it must cooperate more intensely with arms inspectors. Hear NPR's Kate Seelye and Walter Russell Mead of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Terrorism concerns prompt Britain's Queen Elizabeth to order extraordinary security precautions at Buckingham Palace.

Last week we asked listeners to phone in their questions concerning the standoff between the U-S and North Korea. Today we answer some of those question with the help of Ambassador Wendy Sherman who is the former special advisor on North Korea during the Clinton administration. She's now a partner at the international consulting firm -- the Albright Group. Also joining the conversation: Donald Oberdorfer, a professor at Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He's also the author of "Two Koreas: A Contemporary History." (12:30) Oberdorfer's book is published by Basic Books, 1999.

A federal judge, has ruled that ABC television's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here is not a copy of the CBS reality show Survivor. Commentator James Poniewozik remarks on the judge's ruling.

South Korea is joined by China, Russia, Japan and Australia in supporting U.S. diplomatic efforts to get North Korea to suspend nuclear weapons development. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

As Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly heads to Beijing for talks on North Korea, China offers to host discussions between the United States and North Korea in an effort to resolve the their standoff. Anthony Kuhn reports.

A new study may indicate which women will benefit most from taking the drug Tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer. The drug has proven an effective treatment, but it has potentially dangerous side effects, so many doctors have been reluctant to prescribe it to healthy women for breast cancer prevention. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

Brazil's new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is leading a South American initiative to help resolve the crisis in neighboring Venezuela, where a general strike has crippled the nation's oil industry. Venezuela's opposition questions the leftist Lula's impartiality and is eager for U.S. involvement. The United States has endorsed an electoral solution to the crisis. NPR's Martin Kaste has the story from Rio de Janeiro.

A San Diego school district experiments with fast-food vending machines, replacing candy, sodas and chips with healthier foods and snacks like yogurt, vegetable- and fruit-plates. A nutritionist says it proves kids will chose healthier foods when given the chance. Kenny Goldberg of member station KPBS reports.

Soap Lake, Washington, seeks a tourist attraction, and some townsfolk think a big blast from the psychedelic past might be just the thing to propel the town into the future.

Drugmakers spend billions of dollars each year trying to persuade doctors to prescribe their medicines. One company currently is in federal court, charged with illegally marketing its drug Neurontin for uses not approved by the FDA. And a family in Minnesota is asking why doctors prescribed the epilepsy drug to treat their son Dustin for manic-depression. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on the powers states have to regulate the managed health-care industry. A Kentucky law, seeking to give consumers wider choices in selecting doctors, is being challenged by the health-care industry. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.

Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter who pairs stark lyrics with instrumentals that are sometimes surprisingly upbeat. Meredith Ochs reviews her debut album Failer.