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Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, tells Steve Inskeep about audits of billions of dollars worth of contracts overseen by the U.S. government. Bowen says the rebuilding work is on track, though his office continues to uncover fraud in spending.

Gang-related violence in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, has claimed nearly 200 lives in the last week. Now a police crackdown on the violence is raising alarms. Officers are accused of rounding up suspects, shooting them in cold blood and burying the victims in mass graves. Human-rights advocates claim innocent people are being killed and fear police are carrying out reprisal killings.

Recent comments by two Roman Catholic cardinals have some scientists wondering if the church is changing its position on evolution. For more than half a century, the Vatican has said evolution is compatible with Catholic theology. But now what was thought to be settled doctrine doesn't seem so settled.

The U.S. government will sharply boost royalty rates for companies as federal officials weigh efforts to fight climate change against pressure to bring down high gasoline prices.

Brands are now offering the option of opting out of Mother's Day e-mails. NPR's Michel Martin reflects on this new trend.

President Bush focused on his proposals for reforming Social Security during a trip to Rochester, N.Y., Tuesday. The president has worked to distance himself from events on Capitol Hill, including the recent filibuster battle.

An independent commission votes Wednesday on a list of military bases slated for closure. Anthony Principi, chairman of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, talks about striking a balance between saving tax dollars and maintaining military preparedness.

Jurors in Alexandria, Va., spent another day deliberating the fate of Zacarias Moussaoui, deciding whether the al-Qaida conspirator would be put to death. Robert Siegel talks with Professor Janice Nadler of Northwestern University Law School about victim impact statements in a capital case.

In the second of a two-part series, we hear about arguments for an American withdrawal from Iraq.

A short-lived program in the early 2000s allowed married couples to consolidate their student loans for a lower interest rate. Now, they're missing out on thousands in loan forgiveness.