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The California Supreme Court rules that San Francisco's mayor overstepped his authority last February when he led the city in issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The ruling invalidates the unions of more than 4,000 same-sex couples who got married before the court shut down ceremonies in March. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Richard Gonzales

Rep. Tom DeLay is the House Majority Leader and in many minds the most influential Republican in the Congress. He has made his reputation as a strong advocate for his ideas and a matchless fundraiser for candidates and causes. At one time he had planned to make this convention in New York City -- the richest source of political money -- the apogee of his fundraising career. But problems arose, and the man once called "The Hammer," shifted strategies. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

NPR's Liane Hansen speaks with acoustic guitarist Kaki King, who performs selections for us in our studio. The 25-year-old guitar whiz honed her unusual fingerstyle technique playing in New York City subway stations. Her new CD is Legs to Make Us Longer.

A self-described "reformed sneaker fiend," author Robert Garcia --a.k.a. "Bobbito" -- has come out with a tribute to the truly American shoe: Where'd You Get Those? New York City's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Garcia about the book and the author's lifelong obsession.

The Federal Reserve says business and consumer confidence has risen slightly since the war in Iraq, particularly in Kansas City, Dallas, New York and Minneapolis. But it also warns that much of the country is still struggling with "sluggish, subpar or subdued" economic growth. The Fed will use the data from its survey of economic conditions when it sets interest rates in late June. Hear NPR's Scott Horsley.

Fights over an increasingly strained water supply in the Western United States have become nastier in recent years, and a new report says the problem will only get worse. Interior Secretary Gale Norton is now proposing a plan to ease the tension among cities and farmers by making it easier to buy and sell water. But critics say the plan punishes poor people. Read the proposal online.

Philadelphia brought back an indoor mask mandate, and the virus is spreading across U.S. cities. But case numbers and hospitalizations remain low.

All Things Considered talks with three people about how their worlds have changed since Sept. 11, 2001. Rick King is the assistant fire chief of Shanksville's volunteer fire department and owner of Ida's Country Store. He talks with us about the change in his small town's character. We also talk with Anna Switzer, principal of City Hall Academy, about downtown Manhattan, and Col. Philip Smith, deputy director of Army personnel, about working in the rebuilt section of the Pentagon.

Stephen Harrigan explores the worlds of space travel, adultery and motherhood in his new novel, Challenger Park. The Texas-based author was inspired to write the book while visiting the Houston suburb of Clear Lake City, home to NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Soon after the San Francisco earthquake and fires of 1906, actors in New York City recorded a dramatic reenactment of the disaster on wax cylinders. This "audio theater," called The Destruction of San Francisco, lasted just two minutes but captured the horrors of the catastrophe.