Education Textbook-Free: Checking In at Laptop High May 31, 2007 • In the fall of 2005, Empire High School in Vail, Ariz., ditched its textbooks and gave each student a laptop instead. The experiment was meant to foster creativity and put the most current material in front of students. It is now the end of another school year, and time to see how the switch measures up.
National Intelligence Chief Hopes to Speed Staffing Checks May 31, 2007 • Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell will release recommendations to streamline intelligence agencies' background checks. The FBI is having particular problems: It now takes almost twice as long to identify and hire qualified analysts as it did last year.
National New Hampshire Approves Same-Sex Unions May 31, 2007 • New Hampshire became the latest state to allow civil unions Thursday, giving gay couples access to the rights and responsibilities of marriage. Gov. John Lynch signed legislation that also recognizes legal same-sex unions from other states.
Environment President Bush Outlines Plan for Climate Change May 31, 2007 • President Bush unveiled a long-term strategy on climate change. He called on the world's top 15 greenhouse-gas emitting countries to come up with a goal for reducing the greenhouse gases that spur global warming. The president's statement comes ahead of a summit next week in Germany where global warming will be a major topic.
World Bush Calls for Goal-Setting on Climate Change May 31, 2007 • Bush urged 15 major industrial nations to reach an agreement by the end of next year on goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
Election 2008 Thompson Ends TV Role, May Vie for White House May 31, 2007 • Republican Fred Thompson asked to end his television role as a gruff district attorney on the NBC crime drama Law & Order , sending one of the strongest signals yet that he might join the 2008 presidential race. Thompson, from Tennessee, would bring a right-leaning Senate voting record.
World European Security Officials Critical of U.S. May 31, 2007 • Many European security officials were highly critical of the U.S. for not sharing evidence they say is crucial for investigations and trials. Spain and Italy also rejected the U.S. military response to terrorism and insisted the best methods come from the criminal justice system.
World Concern Grows over Terrorism in Morocco May 31, 2007 • A series of suicide bombings in the north African nation of Morocco, including one outside the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca, has authorities on edge. They worry that severe poverty and the growing strength of Islamic political parties is breeding terrorism.
National New Suicide at Guantanamo Bay May 31, 2007 • A Saudi prisoner at the U.S. Detention Center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has apparently committed suicide. Three other suicides at the prison for terrorism suspects are still under investigation from last year.
Election 2008 L.A. Mayor Endorses Hillary Clinton May 31, 2007 • Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton picks up the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who will become a national co-chair of her campaign. The benefits for Clinton are significant as Villaraigosa is one of the country's most prominent Latino elected officials and leads the largest city in a state with an early February primary.
World Bush Calls for Billions in AIDS Funding May 30, 2007 • President Bush is urging Congress to authorize an additional $30 billion to fight AIDS in Africa over five years. The money, which would double the current U.S. commitment, would provide treatment for 2.5 million people under the president's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief.
Opinion News Analysis Sudan Puts Bush to the Test, Again May 30, 2007 • Darfur presents President Bush with another test of his global leadership. Sanctions aside, the United Nations will continue to drag its heels, as the United States pushes for action.
Election 2008 Fred Thompson Moves Closer to 2008 Candidacy May 30, 2007 • Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, a 2008 "dream candidate" for many conservatives disenchanted with the Republican presidential field, on Monday will announce the creation of a preliminary fundraising effort to see if there is room for another GOP candidate Monday.
Political Junkie: Iraq War Vote, Fred Thompson May 30, 2007 • In this edition of the Political Junkie, NPR political editor Ken Rudin talks about the fallout from the Iraq war vote and the likely presidential candidacy of former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson (R-TN).
World Robert Zoellick Tapped to Lead World Bank May 30, 2007 • President Bush named Robert Zoellick as the next president of the World Bank. Zoellick was President Bush's first Trade Representative and then the No. 2 official at the State Department. He will replace Paul Wolfowitz, who resigned two weeks ago after a bitter battle over charges of ethical lapses. Zoellick will have to heal a World Bank sharply divided over Wolfowitz's leadership.
