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Actor Jerry Orbach died Tuesday at age 69 of prostate cancer. Orbach spent years on the New York stage as a song man in hit musicals, but he was perhaps best known for his role as acerbic New York homicide detective Lennie Briscoe in the long-running hit series Law and Order.

A newly released memo from former White House counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke warned then National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice that al Qaeda was an "active, major force" that needed immediate attention. The communiqué was written five days after President Bush took office in 2001.

House Republicans unexpectedly reinstate a tougher ethics rule governing their leaders. The move overturns a rule that was widely seen as intended to protect House Majority Leader Tom DeLay from having to step down if he is indicted in an ongoing campaign financing investigation. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

Following the recent removal of the drug Vioxx from the market, lawmakers are reconsidering a portion of medical malpractice reform. Caps in the malpractice bill would affect pharmaceutical and medical product manufacturers. Democrats oppose the caps, but Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) calls the situation a "feeding frenzy" for trial lawyers. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

Iraq's National Assembly votes to extend its deadline to draft a constitution by one week. The extension was agreed to after Kurdish leaders requested more time; feverish last-minute talks failed to resolve contentious issues, from the role of Islamic law to regional autonomy.

Scientists studying anthrax say they are making progress understanding the bacteria and developing new vaccines. But the field is much larger than it once was, and some wonder if that's wise or necessary.

The official re-opening of parts of New Orleans begins Saturday. But residents are already trickling back in. And that's creating challenges for the police and security forces. The authorities are struggling to cordon off areas that remain off-limits.

The UK, Germany and France will call for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency early next month to discuss possible action against Iran. The United States has been pushing to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, where it could face sanctions.

The Supreme Court, ruling in its first abortion case since 2000, reiterates that restrictions on abortion are unconstitutional if they do not provide for an exception to protect the woman's health. But it sends the case back to the lower courts and steers clear of any major new pronouncements.

The Base Closure and Relocation Commission approves the closure of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The commission is considering hundreds of other Pentagon recommendations, including closing Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.