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Martin Luther King Day had a special significance in New Orleans this year. It was a day to remember the slain civil rights leader, but -- nearly five months after Hurricane Katrina -- it was also a day for renewal and frank discussion about what kind of city New Orleans should be.

The father-daughter radio team of Mal and Jennifer Sharpe continue their exploration of what they call photo walls with a visit to The Magic Castle in the Hollywood Hills.

Colin Meloy, frontman for The Decemberists, and art-pop singer-songwriter Laura Veirs perform a night of solo, acoustic work, recorded live in concert.

A court has dropped charges against Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, who was accused of insulting the Turkish republic for writing about the genocide of Armenians in 1915 -- a taboo subject, and one that officially never happened, according to the Turkish government. Madeleine Brand speaks with Hugh Pope, a reporter in Istanbul, about the Pamuk trial and the author's place in Turkish popular culture.

As the Senate begins final debate on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, some states are imposing or considering broad restrictions on abortion. The ultimate goal is to force the high court to revisit its 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.

President Bush meets with Chinese president Hu Jintao to discuss trade and currency issues. He also attends services at one of China's few state-sanctioned Christian churches, and presses the premier to expand religious, political and social freedoms.

After 12 years in power, how can a political party that presides over a strong economy lose a national election? CBC political satirist Rick Mercer discusses the follies of the campaign that led to Monday's vote in Canada. Mercer says scandal and a botched election campaign have provided lots of material for his trade.

Los Angeles Laker star Kobe Bryant set a team record this past Sunday by scoring 81 points in one game. The performance put Bryant into the record books for the second-highest score in a single game, right behind basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain.

Voter turnout is heavy as Palestinians go to the polls in Gaza and the West Bank to elect a new parliament, the first in a decade. Unofficial exit polls show the ruling Fatah movement winning more than 40 percent of the vote, with the Islamist group Hamas garnering more than 30 percent.

President Bush insists his program allowing eavesdropping on international phone calls to the United States is legal. In Nebraska, some people express reservations about the surveillance, but others say it's necessary for the war on terrorism.

New York City announced reforms this week following the death of a 7-year-old girl allegedly killed by her stepfather. Some experts are voicing concerns about the city's emphasis on keeping families together. Cindy Rodriguez of member station WNYC reports.

The Islamic Hamas movement appears to have won Wednesday's Palestinian parliamentary elections. An official announcement will be made later Thursday. The apparent victory for Hamas, a sworn enemy of Israel, will have major implications for the Middle East peace process.

Several recent DVDs take up the history of punk music. Don Letts' Punk Attitude focuses on the ethos of teen rebellion, while All Dolled Up tells the story of the influential New York Dolls.

A young girl allergic to peanuts recently died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter sandwich. Madeleine Brand talks with Dr. Sydney Spiesel, a Connecticut pediatrician and Slate contributor, about the dangers of peanut allergies and what to do if your loved one is affected.

Palestinians voted Wednesday in their first parliamentary elections in a decade. The election pits the ruling Fatah Party of President Mahmoud Abbas against the militant Islamic movement Hamas, which is participating in elections for the first time.

Before Michael Connelly spun fiction about crime, he wrote about the real thing for the Los Angeles Times and other papers. Past stories are collected in a new, nonfiction title, Crime Beat.

Iran has enriched uranium -- and defied the U.N. Security Council, says the International Atomic Energy Agency. The finding sets the stage for a showdown in the Security Council, which is expected to meet next week to discuss punitive measures against the Islamic republic.

A Senate committee calls for dissolving the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the target of harsh criticism after Hurricane Katrina struck last year. The Senate Homeland Security panel's report on the federal response to the hurricane says FEMA's functions should be repackaged.

A Spanish-language version of the U.S. National Anthem is getting huge airplay on Spanish-language radio stations across the nation ahead of pro-immigration rallies slated for Monday, May 1. But the great-great grandson of the original songwriter, Francis Scott Key, is not pleased with the interpretation of the song.

The city of Vernon, with less than 100 legal residents, has long been controlled by just a couple of families and at one time went more than 25 years without an election. But a lawsuit and government investigations could change all that.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says a new immigration bill may be passed by Memorial Day, as his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Harry Reid, drops his refusal to allow GOP amendments to come to the floor. Hispanic organizers have planned a day-long boycott for Monday.

With gas prices passing $3 a gallon, accusations of price-gouging are common. But what exactly is price-gouging? How is it defined? And are the oil companies guilty of it?

The Bush administration misused intelligence to justify decisions like going to war in Iraq, according to former senior CIA official Paul Pillar. From 2000 to 2005, Pillar was the CIA's national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia.

John Kenneth Galbraith -- social economist, Harvard professor, diplomat -- is dead at 97. His work influenced Roosevelt, Kennedy and Johnson and generations of U.S. politicians. He spoke to Howard Berkes in 1999.

Cardiologists described Harry Whittington's setback Tuesday as a silent heart attack. A shotgun pellet from last weekend's hunting accident traveled to his heart. Whittington's doctors have not specified what treatment they are administering.