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NPR's Bob Mondello and Susan Stamberg read excerpts of two of the best submissions for Round 11 of our short story contest. They read The Art of Compromise by Lindsey Appleford of Boerne, Texas, and Claudia Who Found the F by Sean Enfield of Denton, Texas.

Court-appointed defense lawyers begin presenting arguments to spare Zacarias Moussaoui's life. The prosecution rested its case for the death penalty in the sentencing phase of the confessed terrorist's court saga after presenting a series of emotional accounts from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Researchers say they've successfully treated monkeys who were infected with Marburg virus, a cousin of the Ebola virus. This is the first time a vaccine has been shown to be effective as a treatment for deadly viruses like Marburg.

The Senate has passed the most sweeping revision of the nation's immigration laws in two decades. The vote was 62 to 36; most of the ayes came from Democratic senators, who were joined by a minority of the ruling Republicans.

The plan to firm up a porous Southern border by sending in the National Guard suggests the White House sees illegal immigration as an emergency. But the real target of this administration's move may be in Washington, where Congress is debating what to do about people in the country illegally.

Leading astronomers declare that Pluto is no longer a planet, shrinking the solar system from nine planets to eight. Pluto was discovered in 1930. It lost its planetary status when the International Astronomical Union approved a definition for planets that Pluto fails to meet.

One year ago, President Bush made a speech from Jackson Square in New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina. In it, he made several promises to area residents. NPR White House correspondent David Greene reviews how the process has worked.

President Bush nominates the head of one of Wall Street's top financial firms to lead the Treasury Department. Henry Paulson Jr. -- chairman of Goldman Sachs -- is slated to replace resigning Secretary John Snow. The White House hopes Paulson will do a better job than Snow selling the president's economic record.

Americans' telephone records, secretly gathered by tricking telephone companies into revealing private billing information, are often bought by businesses, and sometimes law enforcement agencies. That's the testimony of data-broker witnesses grilled by members of the House Energy and Commerce committee.

Illinois senate appointee Roland Burris was hoping to claim his position yesterday, but was turned away after his paperwork lacked a key signature needed for approval. The corruption case surrounding Burris' appointee, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, raises concern about the integrity of the powerful appointment.