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President Bush has chosen Wall Street veteran Henry M. Paulson Jr. to be his third treasury secretary. If confirmed, he would succeed John Snow. The Wall Street Journal's David Wessel tells Steve Inskeep that the Goldman Sachs CEO can make a difference at Treasury by taming the federal budget process and the tending to the value of the dollar.

Divisions among Democrats take center stage as the Senate debates two Iraq amendments to the defense bill. One, from Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), calls for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by a certain date. A competing amendment, also from the Democrats, is an open-ended call for the withdrawal of troops. Republicans stand largely united against the amendments.

President Bush addresses the diplomatic challenge of North Korea's missile tests at a press conference in Chicago, where he vowed to work with allies to pressure the Stalinist nation to abandon its aggressive nuclear weapons program. Don Gonyea talks with Alex Chadwick about the president's remarks.

Humanitarian groups are finding cheaper ways -- namely, filtering systems -- to clean up contaminated drinking water in developing nations. That could greatly reduce diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites among the billion people worldwide who drink unsafe water.

The Senate continues to debate the contentious nomination of John Bolton as U.S. envoy to the United Nations. Democrats allege Bolton may have mishandled classified information and are trying to delay a vote.

Bird lovers say they're friendly and intelligent -- but a Connecticut power utility calls them a nuisance, and it's rounding them up to kill them. Tandaleya Wilder of member station WSHU reports on the skirmish over the wild monk parakeet.

Boeing is paying a $615 million fine for defense contract wrongdoings. At the same time, the company continues to pursue new deals for defense contracts. One watchdog group says the agreement points to anti-trust problems in the defense industry.

Rain runoff from roofs of buildings across the United States adds to the pollution of lakes and streams and can overburden sewage systems and storm drains. But more of those roofs are turning "green." There's a push under way to grow plants on the tops of buildings to capture rainwater and air pollutants.

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said they will release a secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse.

About 1,000 people have been evacuated from a town in Southern California after a landslide Wednesday. Multimillion-dollar houses in Laguna Beach were destroyed as residents escaped. Meanwhile, construction continues on new and glamorous homes in the area. Member station KPCC's Rob Schmitz reports.

A rare mushroom that grows in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest may offer protection from smallpox -- an infectious disease that security experts feel may be a biological weapon of choice for terrorists who wish to attack America.

Kansas City's Carter Broadcast Group is the country's oldest Black-owned radio company. Currently Black ownership nationwide represents less than 2% of the market and is on the decline.

Jazz singer Nina Simone, once dubbed the "High Priestess of Soul," died two years ago. Now the RCA record label has released an anthology of her music, called The Soul of Nina Simone. Musician and writer David Was has a review.

Business and labor groups are weighing in on proposed immigration legislation. The Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO are both against certain provisions in the bill. But agri-business interests are backing the proposals.

One brigade slated for deployment to Iraq this summer will instead be staying in Germany, courtesy of the Pentagon's reassessment of troop levels. Will political progress in Baghdad allow the Defense Department to lower U.S. force levels in the weeks ahead?

India's educated young people are demanding suitable jobs, but they don't exist. Plus, wages are declining. This came to a head with riots in some of the poorest districts of northern India.

For fans of the Iditarod, there's a way to get up close to the sled dog race without ever going outside: fantasy mushing. It's a collaboration between coder David Hunt and musher Danny Seavey.

Fresh Air's TV critic previews the new series Breaking Bad, about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who decides that cooking crystal meth is the best way to support his family after he's gone. The show premieres on the AMC cable channel on Jan. 20.

Billions of people rely on glaciers for drinking water, hydropower and irrigation. A raft of new research suggests there is less ice left than previously thought.

Rachel Martin talks with KPCC's Annie Gilbertson about the pending resignation of John Deasy, who had been at the center of a controversial plan to purchase 700,000 iPads for students and teachers.

March Madness is hitting a fever pitch, as only the last "Sweet 16" teams are left standing on the men's and women's brackets.

The trees in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico were raked bare by Hurricane Maria. Grizelle Gonzalez from the International Institute of Tropical Forestry talks with NPR's Melissa Block.

Los Angeles County's annual homeless count came out Friday and shows a double-digit increase over last year. The pandemic is also causing future homelessness projections to skyrocket.

The reelection of French President Emmanuel Macron next month seems virtually assured due to the war in Ukraine, but many say the lack of debate means democracy is being cheated.

Movie theater owners from around the country gathered in Las Vegas this week to strategize about how they can get audiences back in front of their big screens.