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A federal judge in New York rules that a portion of the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional. The judge said the FBI's power to demand records from companies does not provide sufficient oversight or controls. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

The Supreme Court announces it will hear arguments on posting the Ten Commandments on public property. Such cases have been making their way through courts in many states, and have resulted in conflicting rulings. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Nina Totenberg.

Hundreds of tons of explosives disappear in Iraq. NPR's Alex Chadwick speaks to Los Angeles Times correspondent Monty Morin in Baghdad about that development and insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's claim that his group is behind the assassination of nearly 50 Iraqi soldiers.

Congress is considering changes to the way the Food and Drug Administration handles drug safety. An FDA scientist testified that superiors pressed him to soften conclusions on the safety of profitable drugs... and that at least five drugs on the market have major problems. Hear NPR's Joanne Silberner.

The fighting in Fallujah rouses strong -- but mixed -- emotions among Iraqis. It is also triggering further violence in several parts of the country. Insurgents reportedly mounted the third major attack on the Iraqi police within four days, storming their bases in Baquoba, 40 miles from the capital. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

American and allied Iraqi government forces push into the center of Fallujah in the second day of an offensive meant to expel insurgents from the city. The military expects several days of tough urban fighting. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.

Opening the 109th Congress, the House reelects Dennis Hastert as speaker, and majority Republicans opt not to push certain ethics rule changes that Democrats had claimed would weaken the ethics committee's work. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announces he will leave the Bush administration early next year. His successor will face the challenges of securing the nation's borders, transportation systems and airports. The next secretary will also confront a federal bureaucracy still shaken by the Sept. 11 attacks. Hear NPR's Pam Fessler.

President Bush names Treasury deputy secretary Samuel Bodman as his new secretary of energy. Bodman, a chemical engineer and former business executive, was previously deputy secretary of the Commerce Department in Bush's first term. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

Doctors in Vienna say Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned by dioxin. The opposition leader has suffered from stomach ulcers, severe acne and terrible pain since the fall. What are the effects of dioxin? Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and Dr. Arnold Schecter, of the University of Texas School of Public Health.