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Since Americans first debated government regulation of the fuel efficiency of passenger cars, it has always come down to safety vs. efficiency: lighter cars get better mileage, the conventional wisdom goes -- but they're not as safe as heavier cars. Does that argument still hold water?

Sally Regenhard's 27-year-old son Christian was a firefighter who was just starting out with the New York Fire Department when he was killed on 9/11. She says she went to the Federal Court House in Alexandria, Va., where the trial of Zacarias Moussaui was taking place, to see him for herself. Melissa Block talks with Sally Regenhard.

A New Jersey state court jury has awarded $4.5 million in a lawsuit filed by a man who suffered a heart attack while taking Vioxx, made by Merck & Co. The award of $4.5 million to John McDarby, 77, is for compensatory damages. On Thursday, the jury will decide whether Merck should face punitive damages as well.

The Iraqi parliament is filling key leadership posts this weekend. It's a next step in the nation's struggle to form a new government. A potential list of new officials begins with Jawad al-Maliki, who would serve as prime minister, replacing the outgoing Ibrahim al-Jafaari.

Apple Computers announces a new feature many thought would never happen: the ability to use Windows on a Macintosh. Apple, which now uses chips from Intel, a top provider for Windows-based machines, says its Boot Camp software allows users to install Microsoft Windows XP.

For George Caywood, 67, the challenge of raising four daughters was made harder by his struggle with depression. His oldest daughter recently interviewed him at a StoryCorps booth in Los Angeles.

We follow up on our invitation to listeners to tell us about sounds around them. We hear from a variety of callers before stopping by a tannery in upstate New York.

The WB and UPN broadcast networks will merge this fall into the CW Network -- a change that could signal the end for many of UPN's black-oriented programs.

Rain runoff from roofs of buildings across the United States adds to the pollution of lakes and streams and can overburden sewage systems and storm drains. But more of those roofs are turning "green." There's a push under way to grow plants on the tops of buildings to capture rainwater and air pollutants.

Farai Chiedya talks with NPR special Africa correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault about the growing scope of AIDS in Africa, and obstacles to efforts to slow the spread of HIV on the continent.

Canadian officials believe that Younis Tsouli, arrested last year in London for running al-Qaida Web sites, may have been involved in the alleged terrorist plot that was exposed last weekend. Madeleine Brand talks with Evan Kohlmann, author of Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network, about Tsouli's arrest and past activities.

Ten men accused of plotting bombings in major Canadian cities appear in court near Toronto. The men, all Muslims, were arrested Friday in a counterterrorism operation. According to charges made public in court, at least one of the suspects plotted to storm Canada's parliament and behead officials.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana delivers an offer of incentives to Iran from world powers who would like to see Iran curb its uranium enrichment program. Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani says the initiative contains "positive steps" but also some "ambiguities."

Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is facing the first war crimes trial since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian soldier could get life in prison for shooting a 62-year-old unarmed civilian in the head.

The five statewide primaries once again tested former President Donald Trump's influence on the Republican side — with mixed results. Here's what we learned on Tuesday.

What began as Elvis Costello's tribute to Allen Toussaint's music became a dedication to the rebuilding and return of New Orleans. The two musicians talk about their new album A River in Reverse.

The Pentagon has publicly named two soldiers who have been missing in Iraq since Friday. An umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents claims that it is holding the two hostage. U.S. officials are trying to determine what happened.

Zinedine Zidane led a cohesive French team of various ancestries to a 1998 World Cup title. Now, with French soccer in disarray and ethnic tensions rising, the son of an Algerian immigrant has come out of retirement.

Everyone has heard at one time or another about the old myth that if you dug a hole deep enough, you'd end up on the other side of the Earth, in China. As it turns out, the undertaking is much more complex than it might seem.

A vast chain of remote Hawaiian islands, teeming with endangered sea life, has become the nation's newest national monument -- and the largest patch of protected ocean on earth.

The World Cup finals feature soccer that is elegant, powerful and artistic. But the quadrennial tourney holds no guarantees for providing music that matches the magic conducted on the pitch. In fact, some of it could only be filed under "A" for awful.

George Takei famously played Mr. Sulu on Star Trek. These days, his voice can be heard on The Howard Stern Show. More importantly, he's traveling the country to advance gay rights. Takei tells Scott Simon about his latest mission.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has acted as a liaison among sectarian interests to help forge a unity government. He talks about Iraq's newly designated prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki of the Dawa Party, and other issues.

Should immigrants stay away from work and refuse to buy things Monday to show their impact on the U.S. economy? Organizer Juan Jose Gutierrez joins a boycott opponent, Maryland lawmaker Ana Sol Gutierrez, to discuss the issues with Scott Simon.

Wanda Walker operates a favorite booth at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, dishing out Cochon de Lait Po Boys, the local name for roasted suckling pig sandwiches. She has been serving the New Orleans specialty at Jazz Fest for six years. This year, Walker and her husband are living out of a trailer.