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Saddam Hussein is back in court, but Iraqis are increasingly disinterested in the proceedings. Most are focused on escalating sectarian violence and growing fears that the country is on the brink of civil war.

Scotland's art-pop hipsters Belle and Sebastian and the Canadian power pop group The New Pornographers visit Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club for a night of live music.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) discuss Wednesday's hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Among other issues, Alito answered more questions on abortion and executive power.

Mine disaster vigils like the one in West Virginia last week have played out across the nation's Appalachian mountains for decades. Frank Langfitt, NPR's Labor and Workplace Correspondent, has covered them before and writes about this sad ritual.

Balkan Beat Box fuses clarinets and horns with hypynotic trance music and a techno beat. The band's Israeli-born founders Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat tell Jacki Lyden about their first-ever CD.

Pianist Billy Childs' new CD is nominated for a Grammy as Best Jazz Instrumental Album. He visits NPR's Studio 4A, where he tells Liane Hansen about his "jazz-chamber music" and performs selections from Lyric.

Baltimore's Department of Health has developed a plan for dealing with the new Medicare drug benefit. It treats Medicare Part D as a medical emergency, with a response center to handle problems, active outreach to pharmacies, and a fund for purchasing drugs for people who fall between the cracks.

Jeanne Dumestre is one of the founders of Tipitina's, the New Orleans club that remains one of the city's musical landmarks. Since 1985, Dumestre has worked as a nurse in the city, helping people who have HIV/AIDS -- but don't have insurance.

Thousands of students and alumni from Gallaudet University insist a new appointee for president can't represent them because she grew up speaking instead of using sign language. The appointee, Jane Fernandes, who is deaf, met with students Sunday and asked them not to prejudge her.

An e-mail chain letter floating around the Internet urges people to boycott Exxon Mobil in an attempt to bring down gas prices. Renee Montagne talks to Tim Haab, associate professor of agricultural, environmental and development economics at The Ohio State University, about the idea. He says it wouldn't work.

A new wave of car bombings in Baghdad leaves dozens dead and wounded. Prime Minister Jawad al-Maliki begins efforts to form a national unity government.

A loose, fun, freewheeling energy dominates the new Bruce Springsteen CD, from the very first strains of songs like Old Dan Tucker, Jesse James, Erie Canal and others — songs first made popular by folk music icon Pete Seeger.

Renee Montagne speaks with reporter Alex Kleimenov in Kiev, Ukraine, about ceremonies taking place to mark 20 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case Wednesday about whether prosecutors can use federal racketeering laws to try corporations allegedly hiring people living and working in the United States illegally. Madeleine Brand talks with Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick about whether the case could set a precedent for other immigration cases.

Among those helping to rebuild New Orleans is a small army of illegal immigrant workers from Brazil. Their journeys to America often involve the perils not just of crossing the Rio Grande, but of financing the trip by turning to loan-sharks back home.

MiniKiss is a cover band devoted to the face-painting rock music group, entirely comprised of "little people." Madeleine Brand talks with Joey Fatale, founder of MiniKiss, about how the band now faces some competition from other bands, and what life is like as the miniature Gene Simmons.

In the period after the Civil War, former slaves were made promises of equality and citizenship by the federal government. Historian Eric Foner analyzes the fate of those promises in Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction.

Seventy-six people died last week when a hostel collapsed in Saudi Arabia; the victims were in the country for the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Josh Levin of Slate explains why there have been so many deaths during the hajj over the years.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is increasingly courting U.S. minority groups. This week, a delegation of prominent Latino and African American leaders wraps up a visit to see the social reform program led by Chavez.

Cambodian-born Andrew Thi committed crimes in the United States as a teenager. Now 30, he faces deportation to a homeland he barely remembers. Thi's story is told as part of "Crossing East," a radio series about Asian-American history.

The Bush administration wants Congress to authorize billions to bolster New Orleans levees. But most of Plaquemines Parish is not included in the request. Communities such as Port Sulphur fear they'll be left out.

Commentator Annabelle Gurwitch gauges how high school seniors are dealing with "admissions angst" as they wait for college admissions letters. She found that parents are often more nervous than the kids.

While six retired military generals have come out in the past weeks calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to step down, no active generals have followed suit. Time magazine reporter and commentator Douglas Waller offers some historical perspective on speaking out against a senior official.

For 60 years people living in Northwest Tennessee have been able to hear a radio program called Swap Shop. The format of the show is simple, harkening back to the days when radio was a predominently local medium. Listeners call or write in to buy or sell items, ranging from household items to farmyard implements. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister heard the program, and as part of an occasional series, they asked musician Kurt Wagner and his band Lambchop to use the show as inspiration for an original song.

Russia and the European Union joined the United States in condemning Iran for advancing its nuclear program. On Tuesday, Iran said it had enriched uranium, in defiance of a United Nations demand.