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In Iraq, another deadline has come and gone without agreement on a draft constitution. Thursday, the speaker of Iraq's National Assembly, Hashim al Hassani, announced shortly before midnight that negotiators need more time.

Hong Kong's Wong Kar-Wai is a visual stylist: witness In the Mood for Love and Days of Being Wild. His latest film, 2046, runs riot with color, texture -- and beautiful people.

Former prosecutor Jeff Chamberlain gave up his briefcase five years ago for a life in baseball. He shares stories of his new life as an umpire in a semi-pro league.

In 2000, Jill Scott's critically acclaimed, platinum-selling debut CD pushed the R&B singer into the spotlight. Scott's latest project tackles a different, yet equally lyrical genre: poetry. She shares her personal poetry collection in The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours.

In his Thursday night press conference, President Bush cited a proposed change to Social Security called progressive indexing. The measure would cut promised benefits significantly for about 70 percent of future retirees.

First Lady Laura Bush spent three days on the West Coast this week, promoting her initiative to help America's youth -- in particular, America's young men. NPR's David Greene has this report of Mrs. Bush's trip.

Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, has once again made news. And, once again, it's because of something he has said. His colorful description of Republicans may have caused some Democratic leaders to wince. But party support outside of Washington, D.C., remains strong.

NASA postpones shuttle Discovery's planned May launch to July 13, at the earliest. Engineers discovered that the shuttle's external fuel tank still needs work to reduce the chances that hazardous debris will fall from it during liftoff.

John Thune, the freshman senator from South Dakota became a hero in the Republican Party last year when he toppled Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle. Thune said that, as an ally of President Bush, he would make things happen for South Dakotans. But the Pentagon's decision to close Ellsworth Air Force Base has put him on the defensive.

The G8 group of industrialized nations wipes out $40 billion in debt owed by 18 poor nations. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa. Some observers say much bigger steps are still needed. British officials will push for a larger effort at G8 talks in Scotland, coming in July.

An ambitious new project just offshore from the United Arab Emirates capital city of Dubai hopes to re-create the geography of the globe. The project, named "The World," consists of 300 man-made islands grouped roughly into continents and countries.

California-Irvine grad student Garnet Hertz's robot design has a bug in the system. He uses a Madagascar hissing cockroach, poised on a tracking ball, to control a high-tech rover. Hertz explains his experiment.

Ian MacKaye is known as a punk rock veteran, the guitarist and vocalist who founded the seminal band Minor Threat in the early '80s. But his most recent album, the self-titled debut of his new band The Evens, is lilting melody.

DVD-by-mail business Netflix reported record revenues last week and a record number of subscribers as well. But the company says it will lose money for the year, and its shares have lost ground. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings talks about the DVD delivery business.

Paul Rusesabagina has been hailed worldwide as a hero for saving more than 1,000 people at a hotel he managed in Rwanda in 1994. His story was portrayed in the critically lauded movie Hotel Rwanda, starring Don Cheadle. Rusesabagina often speaks out on the issue of debt relief for African nations including Uganda, Benin and Rwanda.

It might surprise you to learn that a Los Angeles rabbi, Yaacov Deyo, invented Speed Dating -- a rapid-fire courtship concept in which singles spend just a few minutes getting to know each other. It started as a way to help Jewish singles meet each other, but it's spread beyond the Jewish community.

In the debate between nature and nurture, journalist and social activist Gloria Steinem believes we are asking the wrong question. She says we are an unpredictable mix of both, a mix that creates endless possibilities for a better future.

Stephen Mansfield, author of the book The Faith of the American Soldier, reads an open letter to Cindy Sheehan. He says that he does not want to detract from her grief, but he fears that she is detracting from the heroic death of her son by her demonstration in Crawford, Texas.

The panel that oversaw NASA's effort to relaunch the space shuttle after the Columbia disaster issues its final report, giving NASA high marks. Still, critics outline problems with the agency's ability to manage the safety and reliability of the shuttle.

The Washington Nationals play their home opener Thursday night at RFK Stadium. It will be the first regular season pro baseball game in the nation's capital in 34 years. Melissa Block talks with Tom Boswell of the Washington Post.

The House of Representatives approves an overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws, voting 302 to 126 in favor of a bill that will make it more difficult for people to erase debts by declaring bankruptcy. The Senate passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act last month.

General Motors is still the world's largest car manufacturer, despite losses of more than $1 billion in the first quarter of 2005. GM is unlikely to declare bankruptcy anytime soon. But it still has to turn itself around -- and it can't depend on Washington to bail it out. This report is the second in a series on the U.S. auto industry.

As a new, more restrictive bankruptcy bill comes closer to becoming law, our commentator points out there are other ways Congress could reduce individual bankruptcy filings. Capping interest rates, a health insurance overhaul and better consumer education could also have an effect. Liz Pulliam Weston is a personal finance adviser and author of the book Your Credit Score.

To mark the day taxes are due, we hear from taxpayers in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., who talk about how they filed their federal tax returns.

Residents of LaPorte, Ind., the hometown of Jeffrey Ake, holds a candlelight vigil for the 47-year-old American contractor who is being held hostage in Iraq.