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President Bush appears before a joint session of Congress Tuesday to deliver his annual State of the Union Address. Liane Hansen speaks with two lawmakers who will be in the House Chamber for the speech: Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY).

Envoys from the United States, Russia, the U.N. and the European Union consider halting aid to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist. The militant Islamist group is likely to lead the next government after its success in last week's polls.

After 150 years, the era of the telegram came to a quiet end last week. Romanticized in film and song, the hand-delivered paper messages were made useless by telephones and e-mail.

Writer and commentator Jimi Izrael offers his views on New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's comments about welcoming black residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina back to their "chocolate city" -- a city Nagin said God himself wants to preserve as a majority-black area. Nagin has since distanced himself from those comments.

Prosecutors in the trial of terrorism suspect Jose Padilla say they've found a document that shows he "applied" to join the al Qaeda global terrorist organization. Slate senior editor Andy Bowers answers the question of whether would-be terrorists actually fill out applications before joining extremist groups.

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals some alarming trends among African-American smokers. The news comes just as the National Medical Association (NMA) begins a new campaign to "stomp out" smoking in black communities. Ed Gordon discusses the campaign with NMA head Dr. Sandra Gadson.

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Bush talked about fighting terrorism, making certain tax cuts permanent and easing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Madeleine Brand talks with Slate political correspondent John Dickerson about the president's tone, and some of the issues he addressed.

Not long ago, "new journalism" referred to changes in approach and style, ushered in by such writers as Hunter S. Thompson and Joan Didion. They're the subject of Marc Weingarten's new book.

We hear excerpts from a speech Coretta Scott King gave in New York City three weeks after the assassination of her husband, Martin Luther King Jr. He was scheduled to address an anti-Vietnam War rally. Speaking from notes found in his pocket after his death, King delivered his messages to the group.

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will preside over his last interest-rate meeting Tuesday after more than 18 years in the post. Waiting in the wings is his successor, economist Ben Bernanke. Steve Inskeep talks with David Wessel, deputy Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal.

The Onion bills itself as American's Finest News Source, though its brand of news is far from the "real" variety. Recent headlines include: "Cat General Says War On String May Be Unwinnable," and "Miracle of Birth Occurs for 83 Billionth Time." Now a daily audio version is zooming to the top of iTunes' list of most-downloaded podcasts.

Grandmothers, charity volunteers, a former police officer, and a devoted sister. These are some of the stories of the people killed at a grocery store in Buffalo.

In 1968, the Wolford Wolves, representing a tiny town, played for North Dakota's state high school basketball title. John Ydstie was on the team. He remembers the game with his coach and teammates.

Tommy Lee Jones stars and makes his directorial debut in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. The film was in theaters briefly in December to qualify for Oscar consideration. It didn't receive any nominations, but critic Bob Mondello says it's as deserving as the films that did.

Esera Tuaolo played many years in the National Football League while hiding a secret from teammates: he's gay. He tells Liane Hansen about his memoir of the experience: Alone in the Trenches.

In 1989, a girl from the projects stepped into a Karaoke booth at a mall and sang an Anita Baker tune. Today it's Mary J. Blige's songs the young girls sing. She tells Debbie Elliott about her latest CD, The Breakthrough.

Experts disagree on whether Katrina's floodwaters are the source of the high levels of contaminants in New Orleans' soil, or if the contaminates were there before the storm. What's not in dispute is that the lead, arsenic and other hazardous chemicals found in older neighborhoods needs to be cleaned up.

Maytag's new owner, Whirlpool, says it will make huge cuts to the white- and blue-collar work force in Newton, Iowa, laying off thousands of workers. Slated to close are Maytag's corporate headquarters and research center in Newton, a town synonymous with Maytag that has seen generations of family members work in the state's most visible Fortune 500 company.

Vatican reporter John Allen's new book is Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church. The book is billed as the first serious journalistic investigation of the highly secretive organization Opus Dei, an international association of Catholics.

General Motors last week announced plans to eliminate 30,000 jobs and close plants over the next two years. Industry analysts say the cuts are a good first step to return the automaker to profitability, but most say the job of fixing GM is far from over. Much of the task of turning the company around rests on the shoulders of GM's chairman and CEO, Richard Wagoner.

Gold Creek, Mont., has no stores, gas stations or bars, and its one church is closed. But it is rich in grazing land, and it still has a one-room school that is turning out above-average students.

Senate conservatives push through an immigration-bill amendment calling for 370 miles of fencing to be built along the U.S.-Mexico border -- a measure that saw only 16 senators voting "no." The Senate is in its second attempt to pass an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws.

Much of Cambodia's psyche is connected to water -- the Water Festival is a national holiday -- and fish supplies as much as 70 percent of the protein in the nation's diet. But there are fears the world's most productive fishery may be on the decline.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg comments on the recent controversy surrounding the Spanish-language version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Daniel Okrent was the first ombudsman of The New York Times. His new book is a behind-the-scenes look at the art and politics of America's most respected newspaper. Okrent has spent more than 25 years in the print-media business, with writing and editing jobs at Esquire, Time and Life magazines.