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NPR's Martha Raddatz reports that former Maine senator William Cohen appeared today before a friendly Senate Armed Services Committee for hearings on his nomination to be defense secretary. Cohen, a Republican joining a Democratic administration, called for bipartisanship on defense issues. He said the United States should not be the policeman of the world, but that it should not shirk its responsibilities either. Cohen's nomination was then overwhelmingly approved by the Senate.

One hundred years ago today, William Jennings Bryan delivered his "Cross of Gold" speech at the Democratic Convention, persuading Democrats to take up the cause of a Silver and Gold currency (as opposed to a Gold-only one) and thereby ending the chances that the Populist Party (which had championed the Free Silver Movement) might break into the two-party national politics of the day.

recently in Japan...a 300-year old manuscript of Haiku. Reid compares the find to uncovering a book containing William Shakespeare's original plays.

NPR's Mara Liasson reports on this week's fundraising controversies involving Vice President Al Gore and Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief of staff, Maggie Williams. What's clear is how raising money pushes limits. It's a craft that works in loopholes, gray areas and blurry lines, making it difficult to determine if the letter of the law was broken.

Commerce Secretary William Daley has developed new guidelines for deciding which private sector representatives go on government trade missions. Critics have charged that former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown invited business executives to take the trips as payback for supporting the Democrats. NPR's Phillip Davis reports that Daley has announced that politics won't be a consideration in any future invitations.

Democrats have begun hammering President Bush and the GOP for not doing enough to keep America safe from terrorists. NPR's Juan Williams talks with NPR's Renee Montagne about the flurry of off-season political activity in Washington, D.C.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports that Los Angeles' Hollywood-style police chases may soon be curtailed. New Police Chief William Bratton proposes banning a majority of chases, citing an alarming rise in collisions resulting in injury, and sometimes the death of innocent bystanders.

President Bush nominates veteran investment banker William Donaldson to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Donaldson's selection comes just a day after the president announced railroad executive John Snow as his choice for treasury secretary. NPR's Jack Speer and Scott Horsley report.

A sound montage of some of the voices in this past week's news, including Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris; Senator Joseph Lieberman; Governor George W. Bush; Vice President Al Gore; former Secretary of State James Baker; Chief Justice William Rehnquist; Theodore Olson, attorney for Governor Bush, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Even as Haiti marks 200 years of freedom as a former colony of France, some of its people are wondering if the current situation there doesn't call for drastic action -- perhaps even temporary foreign occupation. NPR's Tony Cox speaks with Los Angeles Times Caribbean bureau chief Carol Williams.

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds an abbreviated hearing for one of President Bush's nominees to the federal appeals court, William G. Myers III. Myers' previous nomination was blocked by Senate Democrats last year, and it appears another battle is brewing.

Speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry criticizes President Bush's plan to redeploy 70,000 troops over the next 10 years. Kerry says the plan signals a lack of commitment that does not help the war on terrorism. Hear NPR's Juan Williams.

Sen. John Kerry denounces an independent political ad questioning his service in Vietnam, saying the Bush campaign approves of the charges. The ad, running in several key battleground states, alleges that Kerry fabricated parts of his military record. NPR's Juan Williams reports.

The Bush and Kerry campaigns are looking at combinations of electoral votes from swing states that could spell victory. This year the Electoral College map presents a new set of possibilities for victory, defeat and even a tie. Hear NPR's Juan Williams.

Echoing music from the 1950s and '60s, Pay the Devil is the new album from Van Morrison. The album has Morrison reprising songs made famous by Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and Connie Smith.

Jazz bassist Ron Carter has more than 2,000 recordings to his credit. From 1963-1968 he was part of the Miles Davis Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Wayne Shorter. Over the years he's played with Randy Weston, Herbie Mann, Betty Carter, Eric Dolphy, Sony Rollins, McCoy Tyner and others. Carter's new CD is Stardust.

Juan Williams talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the Bush administration's approach to U.S. diplomacy. She discusses how the world views the United States, and how she views herself.

When the candidates finished their closing statements last night, the first presidential debate was over, but the spinning had just begun. With so much riding on public perception of the debate, both campaigns invested heavily in trying to shape public perception of who won. Hear NPR's Juan Williams.

The folk-rock trio brings its soulful harmonies to the studio and discusses the tragedy that inspired many of its songs.

Astronomers using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory have corroborated the presence of dark energy — a mysterious force pushing the universe outward. William Forman, an astrophysicist with the project, says the findings help explain how the universe evolved — and how it may end.