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Mayor Ray Nagin suspends his ambitious plan to reopen parts of New Orleans. He said he was concerned about the threat from Tropical Storm Rita, now moving west toward the Gulf of Mexico. The mayor was also under pressure from federal officials who say the city is still unsafe.

Residents of the French Quarter stage a classic New Orleans funeral parade for a visitor they're glad has departed: Hurricane Katrina.

A flood protection project under way in New Orleans will come at the expense of Bucktown, a neighborhood that was home to both the well-known Sid-Mar restaurant and to commercial fishermen.

Ford Motor Co. announces plans to eliminate 25,000 to 30,000 jobs in North America -- more than 20 percent of the workforce. The long-awaited restructuring plan also includes closing 14 plants in the United States, Mexico and Canada over the next six years.

The Supreme Court declines to review the case of Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen arrested in Chicago and held without charges for more than three years. The government initially declared Padilla an enemy combatant. The justices warned that if Padilla's status changed again, they would return to the case.

House Republicans vote in a closed session Wednesday on whether to make rules changes that could shield Majority Leader Tom DeLay. A Texas grand jury has indicted several members of DeLay's staff on criminal charges related to campaign finances. A rule change could keep DeLay in his post if he were indicted. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

Time is running out for convicted murderer and co-founder of the Crips gang, Stanley "Tookie" Williams. The California Supreme Court refused to block his execution Wednesday. Now, his fate is in the hands of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Williams is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Dec. 13.

A court in London finds prominent British Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri guilty of 11 counts, including inciting murder. He is sentenced to seven years in jail. Al-Masri, who maintained his innocence, is still wanted by the United States on terrorism charges.

Embattled Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announces changes in the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency deals with major disasters. New measures include a full-time response force and an improved tracking system for supplies.

John Kenneth Galbraith -- social economist, Harvard professor, diplomat -- is dead at 97. His work influenced Roosevelt, Kennedy and Johnson and generations of U.S. politicians. He spoke to Howard Berkes in 1999.