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National

Monday

Calif. Budget Deadline Looms

Facing a midnight deadline, California legislators continue to disagree on a budget for the next fiscal year. The Democrat-dominated state legislature must bridge a $38 billion budget gap, but Republicans won't budge on raising taxes. Hear NPR's Ina Jaffe.

Calif. Budget Deadline Looms

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New Boston Archbishop Likely

The Vatican is reportedly considering naming Bishop Sean O'Malley to lead the troubled Boston archdiocese. An interim administrator has run the archdiocese since December, when Cardinal Bernard Law resigned over several priest sex-abuse scandals. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports.

New Boston Archbishop Likely

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Mourners Bid Farewell to Strom Thurmond

More than 1,000 people visit the South Carolina state house in Columbia to pay their last respects to Sen. Strom Thurmond, who will lie in state until his funeral Tuesday. The longest-serving U.S. senator, Thurmond was 100 years old when he passed away Thursday. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

Mourners Bid Farewell to Strom Thurmond

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Dean Campaign Raises Millions Online

The presidential campaign of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is raising unprecedented amounts of political contributions online. Campaign officials say more than two-thirds of the approximately $7 million raised this quarter came from Internet sources. Hear NPR's Peter Overby.

Dean Campaign Raises Millions Online

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Teammate May Have Shot Baylor Basketball Player

Authorities in Waco, Texas, say they are treating the disappearance of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy as a homicide. According to court documents, police are investigating claims by an informant that Dennehy was shot by a teammate. Hear Jeff Caplan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Teammate May Have Shot Baylor Basketball Player

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Sunday

Whitman's EPA Legacy Unclear

Former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman has left her job as head of the Environmental Protection Agency after two years on the job. As a moderate in a conservative administration, she sought a difficult middle course. Replacing her could pose a tough political test for the White House. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and New York Times environment reporter Andrew Revkin.

Whitman's EPA Legacy Unclear

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World

U.S. Bounty Hunters Face Charges in Mexico

Three American men who captured Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster face up to eight years in a Mexican prison. A Mexican judge has ruled that U.S. bounty hunter Duane Chapman, his brother and his son should stand trial for abducting Luster in Mexico, where bounty hunting is illegal. Hear Eric Niiler of member station KPBS.

U.S. Bounty Hunters Face Charges in Mexico

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Time Needed to Gauge Impact of High Court Rulings

Legal scholars agree recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action and gay sex are major landmarks. But the full effect of the decisions awaits the test of time. Meanwhile, President Bush anticipates the potential resignation of key justices. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and Weekend Edition legal adviser Mimi Wesson.

Time Needed to Gauge Impact of High Court Rulings

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U.S. Prepared for Attack?

A new study by the Council on Foreign Relations suggests that almost two years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the United States remains "dangerously unprepared" to handle an attack on U.S. soil. The report, which surveyed law enforcement, medical workers and public health providers, says emergency responders are underprepared and underfunded. Hear study co-author Richard Clarke.

U.S. Prepared for Attack?

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Saturday

Hill Tussle over Medicare Drug Benefit in Final Phase

House and Senate leaders are preparing to merge different versions of bills that endorse a prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. Passing the bills was a big step, but the reconciliation process has its own challenges. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Hill Tussle over Medicare Drug Benefit in Final Phase

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High Court Ends Busy Session

The U.S. Supreme Court concludes a busy session with several major decisions. Justices support affirmative action in the university admissions process, elminate a Texas law banning gay sex and shore up standards for adequate legal defense. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Nina Totenberg.

High Court Ends Busy Session

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Friday

States Consider Gambling to Ease Budget Shortfalls

Casinos that became cash cows for some American Indian tribes are increasingly attracted to some cash-strapped states. Eleven states are considering boosting gambling taxes or expanding the kinds of gambling they allow. NPR's Anthony Brooks reports.

States Consider Gambling to Ease Budget Shortfalls

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Whitman Leaves EPA Amid Pollution Lawsuit Controversy

Last year, an Alabama court found Monsanto liable for pollution resulting from its production of PCBs near the town of Anniston in the 1970s. But the Environmental Protection Agency intervened, offering a deal to Monsanto and two successor companies that saved the corporations millions of dollars. As EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman leaves her post, many question whether her agency improperly derailed the state court process. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Whitman Leaves EPA Amid Pollution Lawsuit Controversy

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