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Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Evil Urges, the new album by the Kentucky indie-rock band My Morning Jacket. The band moves away from their Southern influences, instead using Manhattan as their muse for the album.

NATO troops and Afghan government forces are battling Taliban militants on the outskirts of the southern city of Kandahar. Taliban fighters seized villages in the Arghandab valley, just north of Kandahar earlier this week.

Two of this year's contenders for the musical-revival Tony Award — Gypsy and South Pacific — kick things off with a splashy, old-fashioned overture. Jeff Lunden explains why that's music to many theater-lovers' ears.

About 20 years ago, researchers discovered Prochlorococcus, a photosynthetic marine microorganism. Penny Chisholm, a biologist at MIT whose work led to the discovery of the microbe, talks about its role in producing 20 percent of the oxygen in the Earth's air.

Tim Russert, moderator of NBC's Meet the Press, died suddenly of a heart attack on Friday. For more on Russert's life and legacy, Farai Chideya speaks with two people who knew him well: Michele Norris and Gwen Ifill.

As floods soak the Midwest states, the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it's trying to honor reforms put in place after Hurricane Katrina. These include coordinating more closely with state and local officials for a quicker response.

In Iowa, devastating floodwaters are beginning to inch their way down the southern part of the state. The next city that's in jeopardy of being swamped is the railroad hub of Burlington. Residents are digging in to try to save their town.

Numerous levees have already failed to hold back floodwaters in parts of the Midwest this week. The federal government says many more are likely to be topped. Engineering experts agree the nation's levee system needs a second look. Adriene Hill of Chicago Public Radio reports.

The FBI says it has arrested more than 400 people in the last three months on charges related to mortgage fraud. Agents have arrested real estate agents and others. On Thursday, the FBI arrested two Bear Stearns investment fund managers. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston and Michelle Norris discuss the arrests.

In the 1970s, George Carlin's seven dirty words routine was the center of a famous obscenity case. More recently, the comic was named the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Carlin died of heart failure Sunday at the age of 71.

In Zimbabwe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew Sunday from the upcoming runoff election. Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, said he's stepping down because he can no longer watch his supporters being killed for the sake of power.

The Supreme Court is expected to reach a decision this week regarding Washington, D.C.'s ban on handguns. A Supreme Court reporter and a gun policy expert weigh the issues.

Most know her as an actress, from her work in projects such as Almost Famous and Weeds. Now, with M. Ward, she's part of the musical duo She & Him. Their debut album came out in March 2008.

Robert B. Parker doesn't romanticize the city that is home to his fictional private eye, Spenser. "If I lived in Cincinnati, Spenser would be working in Cincinnati," says the author.

The American Medical Association (AMA) is apologizing for years of discriminatory practices against African-Americans within the medical community. Dr. Ronald Davis, immediate past president of the organization, discusses what inspired the apology. Davis is joined by Dr. Carl Bell, a black doctor, who says the AMA still has a long way to go.

Congress this week passed — by a veto-proof margin — legislation to cancel a 10.6 percent pay cut to doctors who care for Medicare patients. But President Bush says he'll veto it anyway, because the bill also reduces funding to private insurance plans that participate in Medicare.

When the votes came in for Prospect magazine's list of the top 100 public intellectuals, at No. 1 was Turkish Sufi cleric Fethullah Gulen. Prospect Magazine editor Tom Nuttall says Gulen's global network of supporters propelled him to the top spot.

Customers of IndyMac faced closed doors Friday after federal regulators took over the California bank. Risky lending practices and a $1.3 billion bank run were part of IndyMac's demise. Banking consultant Burt Ely talks about how the failure happened and what it signals for the broader economy.

NPR correspondent David Welna explains how he hunted down Minnesota's reclusive former governor. Jesse Ventura finally talked with Welna in an empty parking lot in White Bear Lake about the Senate contest between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken — and whether or not he'll join in.

Sudan's president has been charged with genocide by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor after an investigation into atrocities in the country's western Darfur province. Judges in The Hague are expected to take months to study the evidence against Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Susan Wachter, professor of financial management and real estate at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, gives a history lesson in the mortgage industry — this week's stars are "Fannie," "Freddie" and "Indy."

Former White House press secretary Tony Snow died early Saturday at age 53. NPR's Juan Williams, who had appeared with Snow as a commentator on Fox News Channel, talks about his friend and former colleague.

Federal regulators seized IndyMac Bank Friday, one of the nation's largest lenders, because of questions about its viability. The bank is now being run by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Karen Shaw Petrou, managing partner at Federal Financial Analytics, about what that means for the financial sector, speaks with NPR's Liane Hansen.

With an eye on the fast-growing Hispanic vote, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens on Tuesday. Both presumptive presidential nominees spoke about immigration.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke called on Congress Tuesday to write new laws that would expand the Fed's role in preventing financial crises, such as the collapse of Bear Stearns last March. He also indicated the Fed may keep its discount window lending open to big financial firms longer.