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Joshua Levs of member station WABE reports from Atlanta on day four of the Comair pilots strike. Pilots for Delta Airlines, who also threaten to strike, are watching the Comair negotiations carefully. The Comair and Delta pilots share an issue: they insist that pay and benefits for pilots at regional air carriers should be comparable to those at major airlines.

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to New York Times Magazine ethicist Randy Cohen and "Vic" in Washington state about Vic's ethical dilemma. Vic is a food wholesaler whose customers, the distributors, want him to submit inflated invoices and kick back the difference to them. This drives up the prices consumers pay.

A relatively new concept, the health savings account was created as a way to help consumers save and pay for family health care. The tax-free accounts require users to do their own research on medications and procedures, but they may be a big money-saver for some families.

Aboard the International Space Station this week are five astronauts and one "space flight participant" -- to use NASA's words. Mark Shuttleworth is the world's second space tourist. The 28-year-old South African Internet businessman is paying $20 million for the trip. Advocates of space tourism see Shuttleworth's voyage as the long-overdue dawning of a new era. For All Things Considered, David Kestenbaum reports.

Mourners continue to pay their respects to the late President Ronald Reagan at the library named for him in California's Simi Valley. NPR's Madeleine Brand reports from the Reagan Library, where crowds wait for hours to view the former president's coffin.

Texaco provided the details of its plan to increase minority employment today and Jesse Jackson called an end to a boycott of the company's gas stations. The company pledged to increase both the percentage of minorities employed by the company...and the number of minorities in upper management positions. Texaco recently agreed to pay $170 million to settle a class-action discrimination suit. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Federal and state regulators are expected to announce a major settlement into allegations of conflicts of interest at the nation's largest banks and brokerage firms. The companies will pay nearly a billion dollars in fines as part of the deal. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports on a provision in the 2001 federal budget that requires Medicare to pay twice the usual rate if doctors use a new technology -- digital mammography -- to test for breast cancer. Proponents say digital mammograms provide a better image. But critics say the provision benefits General Electric, the maker of the technology, more than it helps patients.

A survey of call centers says many consumers are not satisfied with their customer service experiences. The study suggests that low pay, high turnover of workers and strict limits on how long a representative can be on the phone with a customer contribute to poor service. NPR's David Molpus reports.

Public schools in Oakland, Calif., appeal to the state for a $100-million emergency loan to help pay teachers and keep doors open for the rest of the year. If granted, it would be the biggest bailout of a school system in California's history. KQED's Kathryn Baron reports.

Bristol-Myers Squibb agrees to pay $670 million to settle several lawsuits. The suits accused the pharmaceutical company of fraudulently restricting competitors from selling cheap copies of two of its best-selling drugs. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

"Frau Walburga" runs afoul of Germany's TV license fee, and faces a fine that she's unable to pay. Maybe if they'd sent the bill out 1,200 years earlier...

Nine school districts and the nation's largest teacher's union file a federal lawsuit in Michigan claiming the No Child Left Behind Act has placed new demands on school districts without providing the funding to pay for them.

Wisconsin is a swing state in the middle of a fierce presidential campaign, where the undecided voter is the most coveted prize. The state has been deluged with political ads, as many as 500 in a week. While many people say they pay the ads no mind, scholars suggest that things may not be as they seem. NPR's John McChesney reports.

Microsoft reaches two antitrust settlements, hoping the European Commission will drop its fines. The software giant will pay $536 million to Novell, Inc. and an undisclosed amount to an industry trade group. Still, the EC still plans to go ahead with sanctions. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Former Iraqi soldiers could prove crucial to US efforts to quell resistance to the occupation. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were demobilized when U.S. forces dismantled the Iraqi army following the war. Some are now in the pay of insurgents attacking U.S. troops. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

The Massachusetts legislature has enacted a bill designed to provide health insurance for nearly all its citizens. If Gov. Mitt Romney signs it, the state would become the first in the nation to require all individuals to have health coverage or pay a penalty.

For 18 straight weeks, movie box-office grosses have been lower than they were a year ago. To address the problem, movie studios are trying new strategies. They're simultaneously releasing films in theaters, on pay TV and on DVD.

The Medicare program that helps the elderly and disabled pay their medical bills turns 40. The legislation was decades in the making, and the final bill was written in just two days, a result of compromises and expediencies. Many health planners feared it would fall apart. But it has become one of the most popular government programs ever.

NPR's Noah Adams talks to personal finance commentator Michelle Singletary about the right time to make claims on a homeowners insurance policy -- and whether homeowners should pay for repairs themselves, to avoid the possibility of future premium hikes. Singletary writes the syndicated column "The Color of Money" for The Washington Post, and is the author of 7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life.

Lesley Harrison, 70, of North Tyneside borrowed the German language textbook in the 1960s. Without an amnesty on late fees, she would have had to pay over $2,400.

The Los Angeles Archdiocese has agreed to pay $660 million to settle lawsuits from hundreds of people who claim they were abused by Roman Catholic clergy. It is the largest settlement yet reached in the church's clergy sexual abuse scandal.

Beverly Sills, the Brooklyn-born opera star with the charming smile and the clean, silvery coloratura, died Monday at the age of 78. Fresh Air's classical music critic pays tribute.

Voters in Taiwan go to the polls on Saturday to pick a new president. The government in Beijing is watching very closely, but are people in China paying that much attention?

Masked thieves stole priceless jewels from the Louvre on Sunday morning. The Paris museum has suffered a string of successful art heists, dating back to the theft of the Mona Lisa in 1911.