High Court Takes Up Vt. Election Law February 28, 2006 • The Supreme Court is taking up Vermont's campaign spending caps law this week. Republican lawyers say the law is a violation of free speech.
South Dakota Bill Renews Abortion Debate February 28, 2006 • All eyes are on South Dakota, waiting to see if Gov. Mike Rounds will sign a bill banning nearly all abortions in the state. That action would force many on both sides of the issue to re-imagine their strategy on abortion.
Law Anna Nicole Smith's Supreme Effort February 28, 2006 • A melodrama makes the Supreme Court's agenda: Actress Anna Nicole Smith's fights for a stake of her late husband's multimillion-dollar estate. Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick fills Alex Chadwick in on the details.
Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns Coast Guard Report Aired Concerns on Ports Deal February 28, 2006 • The political turmoil continues on Capitol Hill over the operational takeover of some U.S. port facilities by a Dubai-based firm. In a Senate briefing on Monday, lawmakers asked about a Coast Guard evaluation from last year that raised security concerns about the deal.
Law Vermont Challenges Tie Between Speech, Spending February 28, 2006 • The Supreme Court considers a challenge to a Vermont law that would overturn three decades of federal campaign finance law. Current precedent limits the amount of money individual donors can give candidates, but not the amount candidates can spend in a campaign. Vermont wants to set spending limits on gubernatorial candidates.
World U.S. at a Crossroads in Response to Darfur Conflict February 28, 2006 • The United States ambassador to the United Nations says he's hoping the Security Council will move quickly to impose targeted sanctions on people linked to atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. John Bolton says this is a case of say what you mean and mean what you say. But the U.S. hasn't kept its own pledge to sanction militia leaders in Darfur. Michele Kelemen reports.
National California State Prisons Chief Steps Down February 27, 2006 • In California, the head of the state's prison system resigns amid turmoil. Rockerick Q. Hickman was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He says he wasn't getting the support he needed to reform the crowded system. Some prison facilities have been on lockdown because of racially motivated riots.
National Iowa Senator Pushes Red Cross to Reorganize February 27, 2006 • Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) releases thousands of pages of internal documents that raise questions about the Red Cross' ability to respond to the next big disaster. He began investigating the charity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
National Army Will Pay Most of Halliburton Subsidiary's Costs February 27, 2006 • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reimbursing a Halliburton subsidiary for almost all disputed charges from a no-bid contract to repair equipment and supply fuel in Iraq. Pentagon auditors had questioned $250 million in charges from Kellogg Brown & Root, but the Army now says it will penalize the company $10 million.
Katrina & Beyond Levees in Question as Hurricane Season Approaches February 27, 2006 • With hurricane season three months away, worries surface about whether the levees and floodwalls of New Orleans will be ready to hold back another storm. Col. Louis Setliff with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers talks to Robert Siegel about the responsibility of keeping the city safe from another flood.
Opinion Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns Political Fallout of Ports Deal Filters Through Washington February 27, 2006 • Renee Montagne talks to NPR News Analyst Cokie Roberts about the political furor over Dubai Ports World and its potential takeover of terminal operations at six U.S. seaports.
Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns U.S. Lawmakers Welcome New Ports Deal Review February 27, 2006 • Dubai Ports World has asked for an additional 45-day review of its takeover of terminal operations at six ports in the United States. The company hopes to defuse national security concerns about handing that role to a company owned by the government of Dubai.
Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns Dubai Ports World Accepts Closer Scrutiny February 27, 2006 • Dubai Ports World is at the center of a debate over port security. The company has now said it would invite a closer review of its own operations.
DeLay Faces Tough Texas Primary Challenge February 27, 2006 • Republican Congressman Tom DeLay of Texas was once the most powerful member of the House of Representatives. Now, under indictment and without a leadership post, he faces a tough challenge in the Republican primary on March 7th.
Education Bush Science Push Fails to Transform Critics February 26, 2006 • President Bush's call for more science funding comes amid criticism of his administration's approach to scientific research. Scientists say the White House puts ideology first. The president's chief science adviser calls the complaints "irrelevant."
