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Legal scholar John Yoo talks with Steve Inskeep about the reach of executive power during a time of war. Yoo says the Constitution gives presidents expansive power in these situations, held in check by Congressional review and oversight.

Two anesthesiologists threw the death penalty in California into turmoil this week when they walked out of the execution of a convicted murderer. The doctors objected when the state asked them to do more than observe the execution. Now death penalty experts wonder whether other states will have the same problem.

The Canadian and United States hockey teams are heading home from the Turin Olympics after tough matches against rivals in Europe. Canada was beaten 2-0 by Russia in the quarterfinals and the Americans lost 4-3 to Finland.

Tourists to Northern England can now visit a "poison" garden planted with strychnine, cannabis, coca and psychedelic mushrooms, a new attraction at the renowned Alnwick Garden. Nessa Tierney reports on this offbeat attempt to educate the public about the dangers of drugs.

America's relationship with China is drawing renewed attention from the Bush administration. China is a growing economic power and is well along with a military modernization effort. What are China's ultimate intentions?

For every Olympic event involving ice, there's a specialist to make sure the surface is just right. Jill Hunter Pellettieri, managing editor of Slate, tells Alex Chadwick about the experts managing Turin's ice show.

A study in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that nearly 90 percent of adults and adolescents treated for AIDS in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince were alive after a year of triple-drug treatment, compared to only 30 percent before treatment was available.

The Museum of the African Diaspora, the latest addition to San Francisco's Museum Row, opens its doors to the public Friday. Through art and artifacts, the museum aims to tell at least part of the story of all people who can trace their roots to Africa -- from present day to ancient times.

A Colorado woman faces misdemeanor charges for refusing to show an ID to Department of Homeland Security guards while riding a public bus. Guards routinely seek ID before the bus goes through a federal office complex in Denver. Deborah Davis says she's resisting unconstitutional intrusions on her personal liberty.

Teens are committing half as many violent crimes as they were a decade ago, according to the Justice Department. Experts cite a variety of reasons for the drop, including demographics, the changing economy and new approaches by police.

Madeleine Brand discusses dust allergies with Slate contributor Dr. Sydney Spiesel of the Yale University School. Spiesel sheds light on a study from 1988 that concluded vacuuming may actually make your allergies worse, because it sends microscopic dust mites into the air.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is working to clarify what the U.S. does, and does not do, with its prisoners. In Europe Wednesday, she said U.N. rules against torture apply to Americans even if they are outside the United States. Rice spoke amid allegations about secret U.S. prisons -- and the grabbing of suspects abroad.

Five years ago, the Supreme Court blocked the federal government from regulating small, isolated wetlands and streams and returned those powers to the states. In some areas, such as the Houston suburbs, there is no effective regulation and thousands of acres are being filled in with dirt.

A U.S. civil liberties group files a lawsuit against the CIA in the case of a man who says he was kidnapped and sent to Afghanistan to be interrogated as a terrorism suspect. The ACLU suit is the first legal challenge of a practice known as "extraordinary rendition."

The announcement Tuesday that Harvard University President Lawrence Summers is resigning points to the difficulties of running a high-profile university, and the need to balance many constituencies: alumni, governing board, faculty and students.

Despite what his supporters say, President Bush has far more in common with Richard Nixon than Ronald Reagan. That's the idea put forth in economist and syndicated columnist Bruce Bartlett's new book, Impostor.

The bombing of one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines sparks mass protests and violence in many parts of Iraq. The top Shiite cleric urges followers to refrain from violence. With sectarian tensions already running high, the bombing prompts attacks on Sunni mosques.

The Supreme Court hears arguments about a challenge to the Clean Water Act. The case involves a developer who refuses to apply for a permit to build on wetland-designated property. He says the federal act should not apply to the land, which is 20 miles from Lake Huron.

The man who leads Haiti's national police force, Mario Andresol, sees widespread corruption amid hopes for democracy as a new president takes power. Andresol argues that Haitians will enjoy greater freedom if his purge of corrupt police is successful.

Col. Gary Anderson argues that the United States has to stay the course in Iraq. He says that leaving now would "dishonor" the Iraqis. Every eligible man in Anderson's family is fighting in or about to be deployed in Iraq.

Political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson are the authors of the new book Off Center. In it, the two professors examine the tactics of far-right Republicans — and how they've changed the system for years to come.

Egypt completes the third and final phase of parliamentary elections Thursday amid clashes between supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and the ruling National Democratic Party. The violence has escalated with the success of supporters of the opposition party at the polls.

The Montana Meth Project is sponsoring a new series of anti-drug advertisements designed to inform -- and perhaps to scare -- kids about the dangers of methamphetamine use.

Dick Boyd of the Omaha Community Playhouse in Nebraska is retiring, after playing Ebenezer Scrooge in the holiday chestnut A Christmas Carol for 30 years. Madeleine Brand speaks with Boyd about his career playing the legendary Christmas curmudgeon, and about his decision to retire next week.

French lawmakers are calling for legal action against several rap musicians for allegedly inciting violence and racism in last month's suburban riots. Rap artists say the music reflects economic and social reality, and shouldn't be blamed for the unrest.