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President Bush taps former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to head the Homeland Security Department. Kerik was the top police official in New York during the Sept. 11 attacks. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and WNYC's Andrea Bernstein.

An old theater in south Memphis that served as the studio for Stax Records is making its debut this weekend as the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Two of the top songwriters at Stax were Isaac Hayes and David Porter. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Magic Hollow, a new four-CD retrospective of the band The Beau Brummels, a '60s British Invasion-era pop group from California. Their biggest -- and only top 10 -- hit was "Laugh, Laugh."

Most polls show health care is a top concern for Democratic primary voters. The Democratic presidential candidates talk about health care regularly, but they don't always provide an accurate description of the issues and figures involved. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Voters headed to the polls Tuesday for statewide primaries in Ohio and Indiana. In Ohio, an open Senate contest has top billing.

Military officials deny that the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, knew about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in American custody. Reports in The Washington Post described prospective testimony that would place Sanchez as a witness of some abuses. The story brought stern denials from the Pentagon. Hear NPR's Libby Lewis.

Tom Terrell has a review of a new boxed set of reggae music that spans 1960-1975. The four CDs include music from top artists such as The Wailers and Jimmy Cliff, and lesser-known singers from reggae's early beginnings.

HBO ran over the competition at last night's Emmy Awards, taking 16 awards. The cable channel's Angels in America, a mini-series about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, took seven honors. The Sopranos won for best drama. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kelsey Grammer took top comedy acting honors.

Numerous levees have already failed to hold back floodwaters in parts of the Midwest this week. The federal government says many more are likely to be topped. Engineering experts agree the nation's levee system needs a second look. Adriene Hill of Chicago Public Radio reports.

Updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is one of Congress's top priorities in 2008. FISA, as the law is known, generally tells the president that he must have a court order to spy on Americans in the United States.

Religion professor Philip Jenkins talks about his latest book, The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. The book is a follow-up to his 2002 title, The Next Christendom: the Coming of Global Christianity, which was named on of the top religion books of that year by USA Today.

Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson's memoir, Yes, Chef, debuts at No. 14. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, the James Beard award-winning chef has been a judge on Top Chef, Iron Chef America and Chopped.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports George W. Bush says he's making education his top priority when he takes office. He has an advantage. Congress just approved the single largest increase in educational funds. Now, Bush's plan is to give states a block sum in the form of grants and each state can deem best how to use it.

- Daniel speaks with investigative reporter Scott Armstrong about the nature of FBI background checks. The FBI has over 3 million files on a wide range of people from top presidential aides to low level workers who have access to certain government offices. Armstrong argues that the creation of these files is a waste of money and time, particularly considering that very little relevant information is uncovered by background checks.

President Clinton urged what he called a "spirit of reconciliation" today in a speech at a prayer breakfast at the White House. As NPR's Mara Liasson reports, Mr. Clinton called on Americans to heal divisions caused by politics, race and other factors. The president said his top priorities for his second term are education, welfare, family values, the economy and foreign policy.

The annual meeting usually lets the leaders of the seven largest free market democracies discuss their economic policies, but the truck bombing in Saudi Arabia has pushed terrorism to the top of their agenda.

of Mexico's government for the way it handled the dismissal of its top drug enforcement official. The administration expressed disappointment that the Zedillo government did not inform Washington that it suspected General Jesus Gutierrez of taking bribes from Mexico's largest drug cartel.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports from Moscow that President Boris Yeltsin has ordered his entire cabinet to resign, except for the top two men. Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin and his deputy Anatoly Chubais will stay on to form a new government. Giving control to Chernomyrdin and Chubais is seen as an attempt by Yeltsin to gain control of the Russian economy and push for economic reforms begun in the early 90's.

Liane speaks with NPR's Mark Schramm about the 31st Super Bowl contest, to be held tonight in New Orleans. The New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers are vying for football's top honor. Liane and Mark discuss team strategy, the news about Patriot's coach Bill Parcells (who may jump to another team after the game) and the hoopla surrounding the game and the television broadcast.

Noah talks to NPR's Peter Overby about a recently released top ten list of zip codes-- pointing out where people live who have given the most to presidential campaigns. Four of those zip codes are on the upper east side of Manhattan and one of the zip codes is 90210. Peter Overby talks about who lives in these places, and why they give.