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A top Palestinian official says he's hopeful that a "small window" of opportunity exists for peace with Israel in the wake of this month's cease-fire agreement. But Nabil Shaath, foreign minister for the Palestinian Authority, says Israel is moving too slowly on several issues.

Actor Ossie Davis has died at 87. He was found this morning in a hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called Retirement. The cause of death was not immediately known. Davis was a distinguished presence on stage, on screen, and as an activist taking on racial injustice.

NPR's Juan Williams joins NPR's Alex Chadwick to assess the week's political events, including the State of the Union speech and President Bush's efforts to promote his Social Security privitization plan.

Preparations are underway for Medicare, the program for the elderly, to launch a new prescription drug benefit in 2006. Meanwhile, Medicaid -- the federal and state program for the poor -- takes center stage in what's expected to be a major budget fight. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner.

The Anaheim Angels in the City of Angels? NPR's Luke Burbank reports on an effort by officials in Anaheim, California to prevent Major League Baseball's Anaheim Angels from changing their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

NPR's Madeleine Brand reports on some low-cost but high-tech and efficient building structures proposed to house refugees displaced by the Indian Ocean tsunami.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reads from listeners' letters. Listeners commented on the Chrisitian beliefs of America's Founding Fathers, volunteering and digital photography's role in the current scrapbooking craze.

Jamaica's government and police have been accused of permitting, and even condoning, anti-gay harassment and even violence. The island nation's leading gay activist was murdered last summer as Human Rights Watch was preparing a report on the alleged discrimination against gays, lesbians and those with HIV. Correspondent Cheryl Devall speaks with Rebecca Schleifer, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, and with "Nick," a gay man in the capital city of Kingston who says he's felt the hate first-hand.

Millions of Iraqis defied death threats and violence to vote in the country's first contested election in a half century. Polling was marred by several suicide bombings around Baghdad, and a government official reported 30 people killed around Iraq. NPR's Emily Harris reports.

In an expected vote in the Senate Wednesday, 30 of the 45 Democrats plan to oppose the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as the next attorney general. Democrats accuse Gonzales of having played a leading role in providing legal grounds for the torture of foreign detainees.

Longer than three football fields, freighters ply the Great Lakes hauling iron ore, coal, stone and a crew of hard-working men who consider the skill of the cook before signing up for duty. Hidden Kitchens explores life and food aboard the Great Lakes freighters.

A grounded freighter continues to spill heavy fuel oil into a pristine Alaskan wildlife area as poor weather conditions hurt cleanup efforts. Six people remain missing. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales' nomination as attorney general. Committee Democrats are expected to focus on Gonzales's role in drafting controversial memos that redefined torture. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Middle East expert Peter Khalil discusses a potential U.S. exit strategy in Iraq following the Jan. 30 election and whether Iraq's new government might demand an immediate withdrawal of American forces.

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Bob Moon of Marketplace about the controversy over Weyco, a Michigan company that's requiring employees to take a nicotine test. Four employees who refused to take test as part of its zero-tolerance policy on tobacco use quit before they were fired.

For nearly a century, civil rights organizations have fought for racial equality in the United States -- but the organizations that once led the fight so vigorously are now wrapped up in struggles of their own. Reporter Allison Keyes wraps up her two-part series on the state of American civil rights organizations with a look at what some are calling the "new" civil rights movement.

In Wisconsin, people are celebrating a retro yuletide tradition: the aluminum Christmas tree. In 1959, the Aluminum Specialty Company rolled out the Evergleam, the first mass-produced aluminum tree on the market. Wisconsin Public Radio's Patty Murray reports.

NPR's Mike Pesca explains the lack of armored vehicles for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, highlighted Wednesday when a National Guard soldier challenged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the issue at a news conference in Kuwait. The U.S. military is currently rushing to armor Humvees heading for combat zones, but transport and supply trucks may remain vulnerable.

President Bush nominates Jim Nicholson as secretary for Veterans Affairs, after the retirement of Anthony Principi. Nicholson is a Vietnam vet and former chairman of the Republican National Committee. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

President Bush's nominee to run the Department of Homeland Security faces tough Senate confirmation hearings. Slate military affairs writer Phillip Carter argues that critics have unfairly linked Michael Chertoff with controversial Bush administration policy decisions following the Sept. 11 attacks.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports on the different ways Latinos identify themselves by race. A new study from the Pew Hispanic Center shows broad regional differences in how American Latinos regard themselves.

Inspiring people to volunteer all year long is Melanie Denise Cunningham's job. NPR's Tavis Smiley talks with Cunningham, the nationa field representative for the National Exchange Club, an all-volunteer service organization made up of some 900 clubs and 30,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

His electrifying speech at last year's Democratic National Convention catapulted Barack Obama to political stardom. Already, the junior senator from Illinois finds himself quelling rumors of a 2008 presidential run. NPR's Ed Gordon talks with Obama about his expectations for the future.

Shout! Factory Records releases a four-CD set celebrating the music of the city called Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans. Hear cuts from the big ol' box.

With three candidates left in the race for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship, former presidential candidate Howard Dean is now considered the front-runner. Slate columnist Chris Suellentrop talks with NPR's Alex Chadwick about the upcoming election.