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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announces plans to reform the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The move, she says, will bring the foreign assistance programs into line with the Bush administration's push to spread democracy, or "transformational diplomacy."

Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot who lost both legs in a 2004 attack in Iraq, is running for the Illinois House seat occupied by retiring GOP Rep. Henry Hyde. Duckworth comes from a long line of veterans with serious war injuries who wind up in politics.

NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to Lara Weaver in Bloomington, Ind., about the city's new public art project. To encourage people to vote, Weaver enlisted artists to decorate 20 plywood voting booths that will line the streets of downtown Bloomington through Nov. 2.

A probe into the largest electrical outage in U.S. history focuses on an area in northern Ohio, where an investigator says three transmission lines failed just before the blackout. In New York City, power has been restored to most areas. But grid overseers warn of more rolling blackouts as a new work week begins. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden, NPR's Scott Horsley and NPR's Mike Pesca.

Ten coordinated explosions tear through trains and stations along a commuter line in Spain, killing at least 190 people and wounding 1,200 others at the height of Madrid's morning rush hour. Spain's interior minister says a van has been found near Madrid that contained seven detonators and a tape in Arabic. Jerome Socolovsky reports from Madrid.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee lined up Thursday to block a Democratic attempt to subpoena Bush administration legal memos on the use of torture on prisoners. The same day, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged ordering that an Iraqi prisoner be held in secret for more than seven months, violating the Geneva Conventions. Hear NPR's Nina Totenberg.

A truck bomb kills more than 50 people at a police station south of Baghdad Tuesday, wounding at least 75 others. The blast struck as civilians lined up at the building to apply for jobs. No American deaths have been reported. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and James Hider of The Times of London.

In the first of several speeches attacking President Bush's national security policies, Sen. John Kerry accused the president of failing to create an adequate multinational coalition to support efforts in Iraq. But Kerry's criticisms seemed constrained to many, a fact that analysts attribute to Kerry's effort to win swing voters by avoiding a hard-line stance. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Last week, Lisa Moore, a character in the "Funky Winkerbean" comic strip, lost her eight-year fight with breast cancer. The story line has garnered mixed reactions — some readers applaud the strip's approach to weighty topics; others argue that comics should simply be funny.

New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell talks about the life and career of actor, writer, director and civil rights activist Ossie Davis. A familiar face on stage and screen -- as well as the front lines of the fight against racial injustice -- Davis died Friday at 87.

Supporters of outgoing CIA Director George Tenet say he leaves behind an agency with greater morale, increased covert-operation capabilities and much-improved relations with the U.S. president. But critics say Tenet's support of faulty intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction crossed the line into policy advocacy. Hear NPR's Mike Shuster.

The results of Super Tuesday illustrate how states break into a patchwork — with different candidates winning different types of districts. Virginia — where voters go to the polls next Tuesday — is another state likely to divide along specific lines.

Florida gained more wealthy residents but also more families living below the poverty line between 2010 and 2015 when the Sunshine State participated in...

For thousands of years, the Psalms have been a powerful part of Jewish and Christian liturgy. In translation, they contain some of the most memorable lines ever written in English. Robert Alter has published a new translation of the Psalms.

Vera Wang, the high-end fashion designer, is launching a low-end line of clothing for the retailer Kohl's early next month. She's following in the footsteps of dozens of other luxury makers.

Today is the day groups planning to protest at the Republican National Convention this summer can get their protest permits, and some have had representatives waiting in line since 4 a.m. Monday. Groups are vying for 55-minute time slots during the convention to protest at a site near the convention hall. However, the American Civil Liberties Union announced today it would file a suit, arguing that the site is not close enough. Carrie Kahn of member station KPBS reports.

GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole today criticized Clinton administration policies toward Russia and Bosnia in a speech to the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Dole said Clinton's policies have encouraged the emergence of hard-line forces in Russia and the former senator said he hoped current Russian President Boris Yeltsin would win re-election in his race against Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov (zyoo-GAHN-ov). NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

NPR's Chris Arnold reports that despite the rush to hook schools to the Internet, there's still a lot of questions about just how useful on-line services are to students. Some schools that have just been connected find that without the right training, students and teachers often waste time learning how to use the Internet. Schools with more experience say it's crucial to structure lesson plans around Internet resources, and to make sure students are not just using computers as a toy.

allow a high-speed ferry line between Nyack and Manhattan with a 500-space parking garage for commuters. Opponents say the ferry and garage will ruin the small town nature of the community. Those in favor say the projects will provide a much-needed boost to the local economy

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the flurry of activity on capitol hill this week. Congress passed a number of bills -- including legislation to raise the debt ceiling, a line-item veto, and an overhaul of the farm bill . But lawmakers also got bogged down in some partisan fights, including a move by democrats to try to increase the minimum wage. That feuding is seen as a sign of trouble to come for the rest of the year, as democrats try to stymie the legislative efforts of presumptive gop presidential nominee Bob Dole.

in damage, this winter's floods out west have restarted the debate between environmentalists and the construction industry. To accommodate a population boom in California, people are building houses everywhere...in many places they shouldn't be...on fault lines, in flood plains and on hill sides.

The Office of Special Counsel has begun an investigation into whether Harold Ickes, the former White House deputy chief of staff, violated a law limiting political activities by federal employees. The White House says that Ickes faxed a memo to a Florida businessman which discussed how a friend could contribute to President Clinton's re-election campaign, but only after the businessman sought the advice. The investigation is another in a long line of inquiries currently taking place into alleged campaign finance irregularities involving the White House. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

of one of Detroit's most bitter labor disputes. More than two-thousand workers at the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press are striking over job cuts and wages. Despite the picket lines and the support of six unions, both papers have continued to publish by using replacement workers.

, best known for their kitchen appliances and outdoor gas grills. The company seems to be on the road to recovery thanks to "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap, a flamboyant chief executive known for rescuing ailing corporations. Sunbeam plans to cut its workforce in half, from twelve down to six thousand, and drop most of its ancillary product line.

Commentator Frederica Mathewes-Green (fred-REE-kah MATH-yooz GREEN) has noticed a generation switch with her children. She says they sport long hair and bellbottoms and seem to want to conform to a stage-managed version of her own adolescence and rebellion from the 60's. But her youngest son has turned the generational clock back even further. He's a 14 year old Rat Packer...adopting a version of rebellion more in line with his grandmother's generation.