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On Raul Midon's debut CD, State of Mind, Stevie Wonder shows up to play the harmonica. Midon's voice and music remind many of Wonder. Midon tells Liane Hansen about his influences and aspirations.

How much are you saving for retirement? How much should you be saving for retirement? And why is Ben Stein worried? David Gardner does some retirement planning with actor, author, and economist Ben Stein.

"Solidarity Forever," the unofficial anthem of the American labor movement, was written in 1915 by a little-known poet named Ralph Chaplin and set to the civil war tune "John Brown's Body." Since then, it has been sung in union halls, jails and on picket lines across the country.

FEMA photographer Michael Rieger followed an disaster medical-assistance team that deployed to New Orleans, where they set up a makeshift triage unit at the city's international airport. For npr.org, he shares photos documenting the first day at the hospital.

The body of Chief Justice William Rehnquist is lying in repose at the Supreme Court, where the public has been allowed to visit. The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings for Rehnquist's proposed successor, John Roberts, next Monday.

Last week, high school freshman Jackie Kantor and her younger sister Melissa had an idea: they wanted to give displaced children new backpacks. More than 2,000 backpacks have been collected for kids who lost all their other possessions in Hurricane Katrina.

Madeleine Brand speaks with Slate military affairs contributor Fred Kaplan about how Hurricane Katrina could affect prospects for restructuring the bureaucracy in the Department of Homeland Security. That department oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), widely blamed for confusion in post-storm relief efforts.

The hip-hop collective known as Black Sheep — rapper Dres and DJ Mister Lawnge (pronounced "long") — have reunited after more than a decade for a North American tour and a new album.

More than 5,000 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers launch operations against Tal Afar, considered to be a logistical hub for insurgents across Iraq. Some 200 suspects have been arrested outside the city. Melissa Block talks to The Washington Post's Jonathan Finer.

In the second of a two-part series, we hear about arguments for an American withdrawal from Iraq.

Hundreds of people are still being plucked daily from the roofs of their homes or other buildings in New Orleans as the Coast Guard and U.S. military conduct the largest airlift operation in the nation's history. But some residents are defying calls to leave the city.

One of the untold success stories of Hurricane Katrina is how quickly New Orleans was able to pump out floodwaters. That work was done by the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. For three weeks, about 300 employees did the work of 1,000 -- in the most harrowing of circumstances.

New Orleans is still off limits to most of its residents. NPR's Cheryl Corley drove to the city's Gentilly neighborhood to check out evacuee Mary Jacobs' home, and called her with a report.

A group of parents Tuesday sued El Tejon Unified School district over a rural school's philosophy class. The class includes instruction about the evolution alternative Intelligent Design.

A commission charged with mapping out plans to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina recommends that reconstruction be allowed in all areas of the city. Residents of heavily damaged areas will be given four months to prove they are viable. Mayor Ray Nagin still must approve the plan.

William Bastone, editor of TheSmokingGun.com, discusses an article he wrote that details discrepancies between stories in James Frey's best-selling memoir A Million Little Pieces and public records such as police reports and court records. Through his attorney, Frey has strongly denied the accusations.

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven discusses his decision to provide state aid for prescription drugs under the new Medicare plan. Hoeven was concerned that problems with the new system would force some people to forego their drugs. The state will pay for medicines for those affected by the change until Jan. 23.

Former President Bill Clinton talks to Ed Gordon from Atlanta, where earlier this week Clinton delivered the keynote address at the 30th-annual National Association of Black Journalists convention.

The Transportation Security Administration announces changes to the way airline passengers are searched, including more random searches. Also, it updates the list of prohibited items aboard planes, allowing more sharp objects, such as small scissors and screwdrivers. The changes are effective Dec. 22.

As Israel completes a portion of the barrier it is building in and around the West Bank, Bethlehem is effectively sealed off from Jerusalem ahead of the Christmas season. Locals worry that holiday tourists will find it inconvenient to visit there.

The 14 Marines killed in Iraq and the six killed Monday all belonged to the same Ohio-based battalion. The Headquarters & Services Company, 25th Marine Regiment, 3rd battalion is headquartered in Brook Park, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Renita Jablonski of member station WCPN reports.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's announcement last week that he supports federal funding of new human embryonic stem cell research rattled the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Madeleine Brand speaks with Slate political analyst Will Saletan about whether Sen. Frist is really a pro-choice politician in disguise.

The film Hustle & Flow follows the story of a Memphis pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. Relative newcomer Craig Brewer wrote and directed the film, which won the 2005 Audience Award at Sundance. Brewer and star Terrence Howard discuss the gritty movie.

We follow the adventurous, and tragic, story of a recovery effort in the world's largest freshwater cave.

As a child, Deirdre Sullivan learned from her father to always pay her respects at funerals. Now, this NPR listener believes those simple acts of human kindness are as important as the grand gestures.