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Bernard Ebbers, who as the once-swaggering CEO of WorldCom oversaw the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history, wept in court Wednesday after a judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison -- the toughest sentence yet in the string of recent corporate scandals.

Despite Washington's focus on the war in Ukraine, the White House is trying to demonstrate that it is stepping up in the Asia-Pacific.

Last week's attacks are believed to mark the first suicide bombings in Western Europe. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports on the implications of the spread of a tactic that's long been mostly a phenomenon of the Middle East and Iraq.

After soaring to fame with Saturday Night Live, Dan Aykroyd built a solid film career. But he's still capitalizing on his early hit, The Blues Brothers (now available in a 25th-anniversary DVD). He serves on the board of the "House of Blues" restaurant and concert-venue franchise, and last year he published a book as his Blues Brothers alter-ego, Elwood, interviewing blues greats. (This interview was first broadcast on Nov. 22, 2004.)

A dispute over who deserved money from an oil company ended with a government attack on the town of Odioma, Nigeria, that left the community in tatters. Some residents were killed and others made homeless.

As President Bush prepares to nominate a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a battle looms among various groups on the political spectrum. NPR looks back at recent Supreme Court confirmation fights.

Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip beginning next week will uproot some 8,000 Jewish settlers. The planned pullout has provoked deep divisions within Israel. Among Palestinians, the move brings much confusion and uncertainty about what the withdrawal will mean.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard invokes a new state law in an effort to seize control of the school district in Colorado City, Ariz. Goddard says district funds have been drained to benefit a polygamist group and school officials.

Who turned out the lights out, and what's being done about it? Two years ago this weekend, the biggest blackout in U.S. history struck parts of the Northeast, Midwest and Canada, knocking out power to millions of Americans. Karen Grigsby Bates looks at what's been done since to fix the problems that led up to the blackout.

The federal government is expected to pay $24 billion in farm subsidies this year. Critics, including quite a few farmers, say taxpayers shouldn't pay for corn or cotton surpluses. Instead, they say the funds should go toward things that benefit the public, such as cleaner water and a healthier environment.