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Twenty years ago the nation faced a new drug scourge: crack cocaine. With it came thousands of children born to addicted mothers and labeled "crack babies." When the drug first hit the streets of New York in the 1980s, the city had 17,000 children in foster care. A decade later, that number had soared to 50,000. Many of the children had been exposed to crack cocaine before birth. NPR's Cheryl Corley speaks with several people who were affected in some way by the crack epidemic.

Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide steps down, bowing to months of protests and a growing armed rebellion that had taken over several cities. International attempts to broker a power-sharing agreement between Aristide and the opposition proved fruitless, leading several nations -- including France and the United States -- to call for Aristide to step down. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with NPR's Gerry Hadden from Port-au-Prince.

U.S. forces arrest a key aide to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and wage battles with militia loyal to the Shiite leader. The aide, Riyadh al-Nouri, was taken captive at a house in Najaf. He is al-Sadr's brother-in-law. An Army spokesman said a "very large number" of youths -- members of al-Sadr's militia -- were killed in fighting in Najaf and Sadr City. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

One of the summer's expected blockbuster movies opens Friday. The Day After Tomorrow imagines a scenario in which global warming leads to a massive tidal wave engulfing New York City and puts most of the Northern Hemisphere in the deep-freeze. All Things Considered sent NPR's Richard Harris to review the movie -- and perhaps not surprisingly, he found that Hollywood's version of global warming plays fast and loose with scientific truth.

The Justice Department says Jose Padilla, accused of plotting to detonate a bomb containing radioactive material, had conspired with top al Qaeda leaders in his plan. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, has been designated an enemy combatant and held without charge or access to counsel for two years. Officials say he planned to detonate explosives, possibly to destroy apartment buildings in U.S. cities. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Just in time for Mother's Day, participants in the StoryCorps national oral history project make special recordings with, and for, their moms. Hear a sampling of the conversations recorded in a booth at New York City's Grand Central Terminal.

In Atlantic City, N.J., Democrat John Kerry began a series of campaign speeches that will focus on the economic difficulties facing middle-income Americans. Kerry called the federal budget deficit "reckless" and accused the Bush administration of saddling future generations with debt to pay for tax cuts for the rich. President Bush, meanwhile, said his economic stimulus program was working. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.

If you think it's cold outside, consider whether your dog shares your shivers. This time of year, many dog owners put coats and other rugged outwear on their pets before heading outdoors.

More than 50 years ago, Groce City college fired Larra Gara from his teaching job. They said he was a communist. Decades later, a researcher found Gara's case and persuaded the college to apologize.