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NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the Columbia tragedy and human exploration of space.

There's an underlying question as the Bush administration confronts Saddam Hussein and Iraq: What is the moral basis for this or any war? NPR's Scott Simon talks with two theologians: Shaun Casey, who teaches Christian Ethics at the Wesley Theological Seminary, and George Weigel, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu is in New York City and walks in on a meeting of young radicals toasting Old Communists. He notes the fact that old commies never say "die." They just die. He listens to them, believing some of the conversations may have started in the 19th century.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says that the wave of vulnerability felt by Americans since Sept. 11 has affected how they and the Bush administration react to national disaster.

Investigators continue to gather clues that might help explain what went wrong when the space shuttle Columbia broke up Saturday morning, killing all seven crewmembers. Today's memorial service with President Bush will offer NASA officials rare pause in an otherwise tedious examination of flight videos, computer data, and debris. NPR's Richard Harris reports that while NASA is making strides in piecing the accident together, officials say they're far from any conclusions about what caused the disaster.

President Bush's 2004 budget proposal includes major new health initiatives to address the AIDS epidemic in Africa and the Caribbean, as well as changes to Medicare and Medicaid. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

The Bush administration proposes two new types of savings accounts with higher contribution limits than current IRAs. The White House says the plan will help Americans save more, but critics say the plan is just a tax shelter for the rich. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.

The growing U.S. military force assembling in Kuwait is busy honing its war-fighting skills. Elements of the army's 3rd Infantry Division are also practicing what some military planners say they most fear if war comes: urban, house-to-house fighting in Iraq's cities. NPR's Eric Westervelt followed along as soliders attacked a mock city in the desert. See some of his photos of the action.

NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on the future of the NASA space program after the Columbia tragedy, and why it will be much harder to replace the space shuttle than it was in 1986 after the Challenger disaster.

Voters in Santa Ana, Calif., head to the polls in a recall election of a school board member accused of leading the district to violate the state's anti-bilingual education initiative. NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports.