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President Bush spoke briefly to reporters today about the continuing standoff over the 24 Americans being held on the Chinese island of Hainan. The 24 were crew members aboard a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft that was forced down after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet 10 days ago. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from the White House.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Winston Lord, former U.S. Ambassador to China, about what's at stake in the current standoff. Ambassador Lord says it's important for the United States to be firm and cautions against making a formal apology.

NPR's Kenneth Walker reports on the Zimbabwean government's continuing crackdown on independent journalists and news organizations.

Host Bob Edwards talks with Representatives Roy Blunt (R-MO) and John Spratt (D-SC). They take a look at President Bush's budget, which was released yesterday.

Rachael Myrow from member station KPCC in Los Angeles reports on Gov. Davis' plans to help California out of its power crisis.

Pet Parenting -- The BBC's Charles Scanlon reports that as couples choose to have fewer children, Japan's pet population has skyrocketed. But dog-parenting comes with its own problems.

How many monthly fees are too many for one consumer to handle? With the advent of more and more communications technology -- like DSL service, cell phones, pagers, cable TV, and now satellite radio -- the number of bills for tech-savvy households is growing. Robert Siegel talks with Howard Horowitz, president of Horowitz Associates in New York about whether this trend can continue.

Rex Doane of NPR's On the Media has the story of corporate anthems -- elaborate songs and even shows that were geared not to the customer, but to the employees. The songs -- like a school fight song or a national anthem -- were meant to elevate morale.

NPR's David Welna reports the Senate has approved a federal budget with a tax cut that falls about $400 billion short of President Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut plan.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on disappointing results released today from the National Assessment of Educational Progress -- a report known as the "nation's report card." Reading scores of fourth graders have improved little over the last eight years and the achievement gap between white and minority students remains substantial.