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President Bush's long-term plan to send humans back to the moon and on to Mars meets with skepticism in the House Science Committee. Lawmakers Thursday grilled Bush administration officials about the long-term costs of the plan. Among their concerns is that valuable science at NASA will fall victim to an agency budget crunch. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu laments the hard time non-blockbusters have catching browsers' attention on bookstore shelves. He details the thought-process that a potential reader goes through in making a bold determination if he or she should actual buy a lesser-known work. It is this detail that gives us insight into the difficulties of authors. Codrescu's latest book is It was Today: New Poems, available from Coffee House Press.

President Bush has reportedly privately scolded Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for failing to tell him about pictures depicting the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. The White House has asked Congress for $25 billion in reserve funds to continue military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the rest of the year. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, refuses to apologize for calling his Republican opposition "crooked." Kerry took part in the Senate's budget debate Thursday and met with House Democrats eager to boost his candidacy. Congressional Republicans repeated calls for Kerry to retract his remarks. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

The House is scheduled to vote on a federal budget plan for fiscal year 2005, which starts in October. Both Democrats and Republicans are seeking ways to reduce the ballooning deficits predicted for coming years. But as the general election approaches, the debate on Capitol Hill is increasingly politicized. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

As members of Congress head home for their spring break, they have little to tout in the way of legislative success. A pattern has developed: Republicans propose legislation, Democrats attach amendments that win support from moderate Republicans, and the Republican leadership pulls the bills before a vote, apparently out of deference to the White House. Hear NPR's Howard Berkes and NPR's David Welna.

President Bush on Friday welcomed foreign diplomats to the White House to commemorate the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The president said the world was safer with Saddam Hussein deposed, and warned those present that there was no middle ground between "good and evil." NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

President George Bush would like to make his tax cuts permanent, and add some new ones. The most dramatic new proposal from the White House would allow Americans to pay less tax on their savings. Many Democrats contend it's just another tax break for the wealthy. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

The cloning of embryonic stem cells in South Korea has re-ignited the debate in the U.S. Congress about how to regulate cloning. Congress is evenly divided on whether stem cells should be cloned for regenerative medical research. The White House has pressed for bans in Congress and in the United Nations, without success. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifies before Congress Friday about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in U.S. custody, one day after the U.S. House passed a resolution condemning the incidents. Rumsfeld's failure to inform Congress of the abuse before it was reported in the media has angered many lawmakers. Democrats intensify calls for him to resign. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.