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Thursday, June 10, 2004
Former President Ronald Reagan is often cited for transforming the Republican Party. He is said to have made the organization a truly national one, giving it grass-roots energy that is still felt today. We talk to Ed Rollins and Ed Rogers, two longtime strategists for the GOP.

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Wednesday, June 9, 2004
When he wasn't writing mystery novels about country music and Manhattan, Kinky Friedman used to perform offbeat ditties with his band, the Texas Jewboys. Now he wants to be the governor of Texas. We talk with Friedman about his new political goals.

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special features

Rebuilding Congo's Railroad An overgrown section of the Kindu-Lubumbashi Railway in the Congo; Photo: Jason Beaubien, NPR
As the Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to recover from a five-year civil war, international relief agencies try to restore a vital rail link in the central African nation's interior. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.
Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Kinky Friedman, Texas Funnyman Kinky Friedman; Photo: Susan Feeney, NPR
Kinky Friedman used to perform offbeat country songs with his band, the Texas Jewboys. He later turned to writing mysteries. Now he wants to be governor of Texas. His slogan for the 2006 campaign: "How Hard Can It Be?"
Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Intersections: The Many Faces of Billy Crystal Billy Crystal
Comedian Billy Crystal is known for his gift for improv and impersonation. He credits his ease with riffing to lessons he learned as a child from jazz greats.
Monday, June 7, 2004

Study Sheds Light on Compulsive Hoarding Disorder A scan of the human brain shows areas that had significantly lower activity in compulsive hoarders than in healthy control subjects. Credit: UCLA
For some people, throwing away normal garbage can cause intense unease and anxiety. They're called compulsive hoarders, and a new study finds their brains work differently from non-hoarders.
Monday, June 7, 2004

Patty Griffin, Live at NPR Patty Griffin
Artists from Bette Midler to the Dixie Chicks have capitalized on Patty Griffin's songwriting talents. On a new CD, Impossible Dream, Griffin performs her own material. She stops by NPR's Studio 4A for a performance chat.
Friday, June 4, 2004

Germans Mark Bitter WWII Anniversary The La Cambe German cemetery in Normandy, France; Credit: Normandie Mémoire
As World War II Allies mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day, German veterans make a quiet pilgrimage to a cemetery in Normandy where their former comrades are buried.
Friday, June 4, 2004

David Sedaris, Dressed in 'Corduroy' David Sedaris. Credit: Hugh Hamrick
The self-deprecating humorist is back with a new collection of autobiographical essays. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim offers tales about his eccentric family and experiences abroad.
Thursday, June 3, 2004

Robert Ballard Returns to the Titanic A view of the bow of the Titanic; Photo: NOAA
Robert Ballard returns to explore the Titanic, 19 years after he first located the world's most famous shipwreck. Using new technology and better equipment, Ballard says large sections of the ocean liner are now visible that he couldn't see in the mid-1980s.
Thursday, June 3, 2004

Graduation Beamed to Soldiers in Iraq Chris Hochstetler receives his diploma in a ceremony that was seen by his stepfather in Iraq; Video still courtesy Killeen Independent School District
As if Chris Hochstetler wasn't excited enough about graduating from his Killeen, Texas, high school, his ceremony carried with it some added emotion. Thanks to a special two-way video hookup, his stepfather, Army Sgt. Eugene Mont, was looking on from halfway across the world in Baghdad.
Wednesday, June 2, 2004