March 11, 2010 | NPR· With the mid-term elections approaching, Democrats and Republicans are battling to claim the clean-ethics crown. That's one reason why Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the Appropriations panel said he's killing off one of lawmakers' most lucrative perks: corporate earmarks. Most of the earmarks come from the subcommittee that oversees defense spending.

March 11, 2010 | NPR· President Barack Obama traveled to St. Charles, Missouri, to sell his health care overhaul plan Wednesday. He also helped raise some cash for Democrats made vulnerable by the long legislative fight.

March 11, 2010 | NPR· The health care plans before Congress require individuals to purchase insurance. But the penalty for violating the individual mandate may be so low that healthy people might be tempted to pay it instead of buying insurance. That would leave insurers with less healthy customers, prompting companies to raise their rates, prompting more people to drop out, and so forth.

March 11, 2010 | NPR· Cesarean birth rates are steadily rising and still less than 10 percent of women have successful vaginal births after cesareans. A National Institutes of Health panel has been examining the clinical risks and benefits of vaginal births after cesareans — as well as legal, ethical and economic considerations.

March 11, 2010 | NPR· The emerging consensus in Afghanistan is that military action alone will not win the war against the Taliban and a political solution will be necessary. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reached out to some Taliban leaders. But analysts say the Taliban and the U.S. are not ready for full-scale negotiations — yet.

March 11, 2010 | NPR· The South African cleric and human-rights activist Desmond Tutu joins Renee Montagne to reflect on his long life and his lasting message about forgiveness and reconciliation. His new book, Made for Goodness, is an explanation of his personal sense of spirituality and an invitation to share in his beliefs about the basic goodness of humanity.

March 10, 2010 | NPR· After a secret trip around the globe, a 3,000-year-old stolen sarcophagus is returning home to Egypt. On Wednesday, U.S. authorities sent the sarcophagus to Egypt. It was confiscated by customs officials at the Miami Airport in 2008. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, offers his insight.

March 10, 2010 | NPR· The Venezuelan band has found huge success in its native country. But the group has also built a following in the U.S. with its unique blend of disco, jazz, funk and Latin rhythms. Here, host Michel Martin talks with the Latin Grammy-winning band, which recently stopped by NPR for a performance and conversation.

March 10, 2010 | NPR· Since the U.S. invasion, 4 million Iraqis have had to leave their homes. An additional 2 million have left the country entirely, and many are still outside its borders. NPR's Deborah Amos tells the story of these displaced Iraqi citizens in her new book, Eclipse of the Sunnis.

March 9, 2010 | NPR· David M. Walker is the former comptroller general of the United States. His book, Comeback America, details the current financial crisis and offers his ideas on controlling spending and restoring fiscal responsibility in the United States.