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The weekly HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher begins its new season Feb. 18. Previously, Bill Maher created and hosted the late night political round-table show Politically Incorrect.

The University of Colorado is under pressure to fire a professor over remarks he made in an essay on the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Ward Churchill's essay described the attacks as retribution for the United States' foreign policy.

Investigators are trying to determine who poisoned Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko with a potent dose of a chemical called dioxin. NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with John Trestrail, a toxicologist who has served as an expert in many criminal poisoning investigations.

While its eventual fate is an open question, Jonah Staw says his new company may be worth $100 million dollars in three years. NPR's Ketzel Levine talks with Staw about Little MissMatched, the business Staw started after leaving a marketing career.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Carol Brey-Casiano, president of the American Library Association, about the impact of Google's plan to digitize the resources of five major libraries.

Both proponents and opponents of affirmative action are stirred up by a study that hasn't even been published yet. Richard Sander, a UCLA law professor, has analyzed the effects of racial preferences in America's law schools and concludes the net effect is actually fewer black lawyers. Commentator -- and Sander's UCLA law colleague -- Kimberle Crenshaw weighs in on the report.

German heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling was publicly associated with the Third Reich but was not a Nazi and refused an award from Adolph Hitler. Commentator Frank Deford talks about the man and the conflicts that beset him. Schmeling, known for his classic fights against Joe Louis, died last week at the age of 99.

Slate's Josh Patner explains some of the inner workings of New York's fall fashion week.

Walter Arvinger is a free man after 36 years behind bars. The Baltimore man, arrested for murder in 1968, was recently granted clemency and released with the help of a University of Maryland professor and some of his law students. NPR's Robert Siegel examines the case.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) is asking the FBI to investigate alleged election tampering in Ohio. NPR's Tavis Smiley talks with Conyers, Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and Melissa Harris Lacewell, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Chicago.

World War II paratrooper Joe Beyrle died this week at the age of 81. He has the distinction of being the only soldier in that conflict to fight for both the American and Russian armies. Hear Beyrle's biographer, Thomas Taylor, and NPR's Scott Simon.

Drawing on the centuries-old tradition of female vocal music from Eastern Europe, the women's ensemble Kitka has won wide acclaim for their lush harmonies. Their latest CD, Wintersongs, features Slavic and Balkan carols and hymns. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with members of the ensemble.

Youth Radio reporter Belia Mayeno reflects on her experience as a teenager living with bouts of severe manic depression.

The Bush administration has made Social Security reform a top priority in its second term. In arguing for partial privatization of the system, the president and his supporters warn of dire consequences unless something is done. Bush's critics say he is arguing for overly drastic measures. NPR Don Gonyea reports.

After months of intense negotiations, the House votes 336-75 to pass an anticipated intelligence reform bill. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra said in final debate on the bill that it may be one of the most difficult and involved bills in Congressional history. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

NPR's Emily Harris reports on an airport hangar in the former East Germany, once used for technologically advanced cargo shipping scheme that went belly up, now converted into a theme park called Tropical Islands Resort.

Making-up 60 percent of Iraq's population, Shiite Muslims look to be big winners in the Jan. 30 elections. Some worry the Shia community is too close to Iran and could push the country toward a more theocratic model. But some experts believe the Shia may be democracy's best hope in a new Iraq. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden speaks with Yosita Oramahi, an Indonesian now living in Singapore, about the fate of her sister's family in Aceh province. Her sister's husband lost 50 family members.

A powerful congressional chairman announces he is dropping his opposition to the White House-backed intelligence reform bill. A vote on a legislative compromise could come Tuesday in the House of Representatives, even though another key chairman remains opposed. Hear NPR's David Welna.

NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Adam Kobayashi, a guide for the surf tour company Sumatran Surfariis, about how surfers have contributed to tsunami aid efforts.

NPR's Madeleine Brand speaks with Day to Day personal finance contributor Michelle Singletary about the so-called "no-hassle" credit cards offered by Capital One and other companies. Many of those cards start out with low interest rates that can later skyrocket. Singletary writes the syndicated column "The Color of Money" for The Washington Post.

Tipper Gore, who launched a successful campaign for warning labels on explicit music lyrics, says parents are still the best line of defense against indecent material aimed at children. She talks with NPR's Robert Siegel.

House Republicans unexpectedly reinstate a tougher ethics rule governing their leaders. The move overturns a rule that was widely seen as intended to protect House Majority Leader Tom DeLay from having to step down if he is indicted in an ongoing campaign financing investigation. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

Reporter Allison Keyes talks with Malcolm Gladwell about his latest book Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking, which explores how impulse and intuition drive decision making.

For many, the Blackberry is a must-have gadget, a wireless hand-held computer that can send e-mail and make phone calls. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports that as the device wins fans, it's making a cultural impact.