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In 1908, Philadelphians were riding in style on a brand new subway system. George Smerk, professor of transportation at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, talks about the subway's history.

The first war-crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay starts tomorrow with Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Hamdan, the defendant. Hamdan has been in U.S. custody for seven years. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Miami Herald reporter Carl Rosenberg.

Three generations of women from an African-American family in the historic city of Philadelphia reflect on how their city and its people have changed during the past century.

The panicky mood sweeping Wall Street and Main Street a week ago has subsided somewhat. The Dow staged a strong comeback late in the week as it became apparent Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren't in immediate jeopardy, and that most banks remain financially sound.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a retired West Point psychology professor, teaches military and police officers how to manage the crippling mental and physical effects of extreme fear. He utilizes a technique called "stress inoculation."

Afghanistan is the first stop on a week-long overseas trip during which Sen. Barack Obama also plans to visit Iraq. His presence there is considered part of a congressional delegation and not part of his presidential campaign.

Since Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford took office late last year, he's been a man on a mission. His city has an annual budget of about $430 million, yet he's proposed more than a billion dollars in new projects. But Langford's ambitious agenda has been hobbled by charges that he accepted kickbacks in the past.

Representatives from the United States and Iran sat down at the same table in Geneva on Saturday to talk about Iran's nuclear program. It was a historic moment, but didn't produce a diplomatic breakthrough. What is clear is that Iran faces a new deadline and the threat of more sanctions.

Must-see TV is not seen by many it seems. Television critic Ed Bark talks about why many of this year's Emmy nominees have small niche audiences.

This week, the Senate approved a $48 billion extension of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Included in the bill was a provision that would lift a ban, in place since 1987, on visas for people with HIV.

American diplomat Winston Lord was involved in secret negotiations with Vietnam during the height of the war and also in secret talks with China. He talks about how to open a dialogue and negotiate with enemies of the United States.

A story is making the rounds through e-mail about a man who saved a nestful of baby ducklings from jumping off a second-story awning by catching them just before they hit the sidewalk. "Duck Hero" Joel Armstrong talks about the rescue.

Multilateral talks aimed at curbing Iran's uranium enrichment program began Saturday in Geneva. But any hope that the Bush administration's decision to send a high-ranking envoy to the talks will change Iran's position faded when an Iranian official said Iran would not stop enriching uranium.

London recently held its annual gay pride festival. A tour operator who promotes gay-friendly tourism to several U.S. cities bought some ad space for posters that said, "South Carolina is so gay." South Carolina caught wind of the ad campaign and was not happy.

Being a Chicago Cubs fan isn't always easy. For true die-hards, parting with the perennial also-rans, under any circumstances, is unthinkable. Now they won't have to — ever. How? A Wrigley Field-themed cemetery, of course.

In Northern California, organized crews of poachers are raiding residential recycling bins, sometimes threatening homeowners who get in the way. San Francisco alone estimates it is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to recycling bandits.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has passed a resolution urging governments to phase out bottled water in city buildings. Scott Simon talks with Martin J. Chavez, mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., and one of the co-authors of the resolution.

Scott Simon talks to Alan Binder, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, about whether the Fed can bring inflation under control in the face of spiraling energy and food prices.

Three years after Hurricane Katrina, there are more than 3,000 trailers left in the city. City officials want to get residents out of FEMA trailers and back into their houses. Housing inspectors are hoping to get residents motivated to fix their homes.

Independent groups have yet to unveil an ad as damaging as the Swift Boat Veterans spot that hurt Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid in 2004. But as the summer goes on, more groups are producing radio and TV spots targeting the presidential race and key Senate battles.

The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers who own environmentally important areas to leave them idle. But in recent years, the demand for crops such as corn has prompted calls to put many of these protected wildlands back under the plow.

These days, influence peddling in politics rarely takes the form of outright bribery. Instead, through political action committees and other means, the identity of donors and recipients of campaign funds are often disguised.

In today's economic climate, many Americans are finding it more difficult to obtain mortgages. Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America, points to fewer low down-payment mortgage programs and piggyback loans, as well as higher credit score requirements.

Gasoline prices can vary widely from place to place. What seems expensive in Tucson, Ariz., can seem downright cheap just up the road in Phoenix. In fact, the difference in the two cities provides a good example of how geography often affects what you pay at the pump.

In a time of ever-increasing energy prices, this week President Bush overturned a long-standing executive order banning offshore oil exploration in certain parts of the country. The move is largely symbolic at this point, as additional congressional action would be needed to fully open up offshore oil drilling.

Every five years, Texas Monthly chooses the best barbecue in a state that reveres smoked meat. Snow's BBQ in Lexington was unprepared for the onslaught of customers following its first-place win.

Fast food restaurants in New York will start getting fined Friday if they don't post nutrition information. We talk to Times Square restaurant-goers about whether they still have an appetite for that five-piece fried chicken meal once they can see the calorie count.

Holocaust survivors who worked in German-controlled ghettos during World War II may be eligible for a reparation payment by the German government. Legal clinics have sprung up around the country to help the estimated 20,000 survivors living in the U.S. apply for the funds.

Illinois senator Barack Obama begins his travels this weekend to meet with leaders in Europe and the Middle East. It's his first trip abroad as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Obama's campaign hopes the trip will show his preparedness to deal with foreign policy.

A federal jury Thursday found that Bratz dolls were in fact conceived by a designer who was on Mattel's payroll. Mattel, Barbie's corporate parent, had accused Bratz maker MGA of stealing the idea. Next week, a jury will decide on damages. It could award Mattel royalties to Bratz, which bring in hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The White House overruled a senior Executive Branch official who suggested firing the man in charge of representing government whistleblowers, NPR has learned. Special Counsel Scott Bloch has been under increasing pressure from inside and outside his office to step down.

This weekend, the Bush administration is sending U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns to Geneva to join talks with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. The talks may mark a diplomatic shift in U.S. relations with Iran.

In the latest political podcast, NPR Senior Washington Editor Rob Elving and Political Editor Ken Rudin discuss the candidates' speeches before various special interest groups and the controversial cover of the "New Yorker."

While Congress is struggling to address plummeting home values and mortgage meltdowns, some members of Congress are facing another kind of housing crisis: Questions have been raised recently about the fairness of what they pay for their own digs.

Financial concerns at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have dominated the news and introduced more specialized business jargon into the mainstream society. One of those terms is "short selling."

In France, inflation hit an 18-year high last month. But the country isn't facing an economic slowdown similar to the United States.

Senate officials say some foreign banks routinely use dummy corporations, shell companies and trusts to help U.S. residents avoid taxes. A subcommittee report says the overseas tax shelters cost the United States about $100 billion a year.

The nominations for the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Thursday in Los Angeles. The surprise was that basic cable programs cleaned up. AMC's Mad Men racked up 16 nominations, including one for Best Drama, along with FX's Damages.

School districts across the nation are experimenting with paying teachers based on performance. An important and troubled district in Washington, D.C., is now moving closer to merit pay. Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the District of Columbia's public schools, talks about her proposal.