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President Bush has called for more than $7 billion to find and guard against any dangerous new strain of influenza. The lawmakers who would have to approve that request generally welcomed the initiative, but some have criticized elements of the plan.

NPR's Katie Gradowski goes behind the scenes for an in-depth look at the much-maligned sport, and the story behind the sweet science of boxing.

Robert Siegel talks with Charles Snee, senior editor at Linn's Stamp News, about the recently rediscovered "Ice House" envelope, believed to be lost for 38 years and recently rediscovered in Chicago. It has the only known cover of an 1869 Abraham Lincoln 90-cent stamp.

New Orleans has reopened an old garbage dump to handle the hundreds of tons of debris left in Hurricane Katrina's wake. But some toxic waste experts and environmentalists fear the landfill lacks environmental safeguards and protections against toxic waste.

The Olympics broadcast this year offers viewer-friendly features such as "simulcam," which allows viewers to compare the performance of two skiers. Hank Adams, CEO of Sportvision, talks to Michele Norris about the technology being used in this year's broadcast.

A respected Democratic lawmaker's call for U.S. troops to withdrawn from Iraq has drawn a response from the White House. The Iraq war topic continued to stay in the spotlight as President Bush attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea.

The House of Representatives is set to vote Friday night on a resolution calling for a quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. GOP politicians continue to criticize the proposal's sponsor, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a former backer of the war and a Vietnam veteran considered a hawk on defense.

In her new novel, Amy Tan sets a group of tourists off to Burma accompanied, in spirit, by a friend and guide named Bibi Chen — who mysteriously dies before the start of the trip. While Chen mirrors other characters of Tan's previous novels, Saving Fish From Drowning marks a departure from Tan's stories of close-knit Chinese-American families. Lynn Neary talked with Tan about her new direction.

Phyllis Wheatley was America's first published black poet -- a native of Senegal, sold into slavery in Boston in 1761 and taught to read and write. Now a newly discovered letter by her is expected to fetch top dollar at auction.

Ed Gordon talks with Mick Hucknall of the R&B group Simply Red. Hucknall, who is English, has a new CD, Simplified, that includes some American soul favorites.

Attorneys Douglas Cox and Sarah Havens take up the cases of 11 detainees from Yemen -- men who have had no contact with people outside the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay for more than three years. Gaining the trust of these men proves to be as difficult as getting to Cuba in the first place.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says Israel will do whatever is required to defend the nation against attacks. The Cabinet approves assassinations of Palestinian militants. The actions follow attacks by Hamas at the southern Israeli town of Sderot.

Former President Jimmy Carter talks with Ed Gordon about his latest book, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, where Carter argues blurring the line between church and state threatens civil liberties. In 1982, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, co-founded the Carter Center, which works to advance human rights around the world.

Some of the levees in New Orleans patched up after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city were unable to hold back surging waters from Hurricane Rita. Parts of the city that had been mostly drained of standing water are flooded again.

Steve Reich is one of the pioneering voices of the minimalist movement in classical music. Now he's written two pieces that he says may be his best work. A CD of these pieces is being released this week.

The vast marshes of the Mississippi Delta that help protect New Orleans from hurricane storm surges have been weakened by ship channels and flood controls. But some say both the city's shipping port and the marshland can be saved, if it's done right.

In February, 21-year-old Matthew Carrington collapsed in a frat house basement at Chico State University, dying several hours later. Five of his fellow students pleaded guilty in his death; one will serve a year in jail. Carrington's parents are among those who want penalties for hazing toughened.

Whether you're cooking up jambalaya or the turkey-duck-chicken creation known as "turducken," it's the spice -- not the cooking that makes the difference. Audie Cornish reports on the herbs and spices that New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme says adds to cooking and to life.

It is less than three months before the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy, and Patrick Quinn is closer than he has ever been to achieving his Olympic dream. He hopes to represent the U.S. in doubles luge at the Games.

After five decades Tibor Rubin was finally recognized Friday for his heroic efforts to save fellow U.S. soldiers during the Korean War. The 76-year-old former Army corporal was awarded the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony.

Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico remains largely suspended Monday after Hurricane Rita swept through the region on Saturday. The storm damaged several big refineries in Texas and Louisiana, but the impact appears to have been less than expected.

The CPB Board is facing a new set of questions as a result of recent audits of its financial conduct. They show that the two most recent chief executives have received compensation in excess of their published annual salaries of $170,000 -- and such compensation could be illegal.

Weekend Edition essayist Diane Roberts visited England recently, where she found some of her favorite doughnuts in the unlikeliest of places: Britain's famously hoity-toity department store, Harrods. The Southern native took one bite of the sublime confection -- OK, several bites -- and felt right at home...

The global HIV epidemic continues to expand, with more than 40 million people now estimated to have the AIDS virus, the United Nations says. The epidemic shows no signs of abating in southern Africa, but in some countries prevention efforts are finally starting to pay off.

Individual countries have launched investigations into possible CIA rendition and torture of terrorism suspects. Evidence has been revealed that the United States transported suspects to secret sites in various EU countries.