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When lawyers at the Justice Department during the Bush administration said that certain interrogation techniques like waterboarding were not torture, at least one lawyer at the State Department disagreed. In 2005, Philip Zelikow was a counselor for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He explains to Renee Montagne why he disagreed.

President Obama is promising new help for Mexico in its battle with drug traffickers. The President met one-on-one Thursday with his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderon. Their meeting marked the beginning of a four-day Latin American tour, in which Obama is hoping to show that the U.S. is once again paying attention to the region.

California's Central Valley produces many of the fruits and vegetables consumed by Americans — but not by the residents themselves.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor returns to the Senate Judiciary committee Thursday for what is expected to be her fourth and final day on the witness stand. There were more questions about abortion on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court has upheld Kentucky's method of execution by lethal injection. The justices said the state's use of a three-drug combination does not violate the Constitution's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. NPR's Ari Shapiro reviews the high court's opinions with Steve Inskeep.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Monday unveils plans to expand the federal government's power over U.S. financial markets. It's being called one of the biggest overhauls of the regulatory system since the Great Depression. The plan comes in the middle of a credit crunch that may already have pushed the economy into a recession.

Pope Benedict XVI praises America as a land of opportunity during his first public Mass in the U.S. Tens of thousands of worshippers filled the new baseball stadium in Washington, D.C., for an open-air service.

The U.S. mission in Iraq is likely to change in the coming months. President Bush may placate the Democrats and gradually pull out troops or move them out of harms by stationing them at bases and having them train the Iraqis. But the new mission will take years.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is visiting Appalachian communities in Ohio, which holds its Democratic primary on Tuesday. Voters there tend to be poor and less educated — a voting block that has delivered for her in previous states.

NPR's A Martinez talks to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service's Joshua Flax about the role of mediators in contract standoffs following last-ditch talks between SAG-AFTRA and major studios.

Hispanics in Nevada are poised to have a substantial say in choosing the Democratic presidential nominee. The Democratic Party is aggressively courting the community for caucus participants in Saturday's caucuses. Many of them are savoring the moment as a sign of political clout.

Treasury Department Undersecretary Robert Steel outlines how the Bush administration's proposal to overhaul government oversight of the financial industry would broaden the Federal Reserve's risk assessment role and define consumer protection goals.

An investigation found that Bank of America raked in tens of millions of dollars in resubmitted insufficient funds fees. The bank also illegally opened credit cards without customers knowledge.

The randomness of the destruction of California's wildfires is striking. One house may burn to the ground, while the one next door is spared. About 1,700 homes have been destroyed, leaving many who have fled their homes eager to see if they are among the lucky ones.

Terryn Wingler-Petty and other Virginia Tech students were walking to class Monday morning when their day was interrupted by gunfire. Wingler-Petty was herded into a building across from Norris Hall, where she watched as people jumped out the window.

J.K. Rowling gave the commencement address at Harvard on Thursday. While some graduates were giddy to hear from the Harry Potter author, others grumbled. They noted that Harvard is known for inviting heavy hitters, like Bill Gates, to address students.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama made history Thursday night by accepting his party's nomination for the presidency. He's the first black American to hold such a major party nomination. To the cheers of an estimated 84,000 people at Denver's Invesco Field, Obama said America has had "enough" of broken politics and doesn't want John McCain to continue "the failed policies of George W. Bush."

Before Barack Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate, there was intense speculation who the vice presidential candidate would be. Eric Holder, co-chair of the committee that selected Biden, says the Delaware senator was always on Obama's list.

The Senate may vote on an auto bailout as early as Tuesday after Congress sent White House details of a $15 billion rescue plan. General Motors is doing its best to ease the way. It has run full-page ads admitting past mistakes and promising to overhaul the company.

President Obama arrived in Tokyo on Friday, hoping to shore up relations with a new Japanese government, which is seeking to be more assertive with Washington. The trip is the start of a weeklong tour that will include stops in Singapore, China and South Korea.

ABC World News anchor Charlie Gibson is retiring at the end of the year. Diane Sawyer will replace him. That means women will anchor two of the three major network evening newscasts. Bill Carter of The New York Times talks with Renee Montagne about the changes at ABC.

Critic Milo Miles reviews The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics. It's Dennis Kitchen and Paul Buhle's illustrated biography of influential artist and writer Harvey Kurtzman, the inventor of MAD Magazine.

The New Orleans Saints play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in the Super Bowl XLVI. Despite the hoopla surrounding the clash, the players say they remain focused on the game. Still, it's not easy for players to remain focused.

Toyota has insisted the problem with sudden acceleration involves the pedals on its vehicles, but many are questioning whether it's really the electronics. Now, there are reports of problems with the Prius, the company's best-selling hybrid. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is trying to explain what he meant when he said don't drive a recalled Toyota until it's fixed.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner faced questions Wednesday about the bailout of insurance giant AIG. Lawmakers pressed Geithner on why so much money intended for American International Group ended up instead with its trading partners.