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New data obtained by NPR about the painkiller Vioxx show that all patients who took the drug were at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and other complications -- even those who took it for short periods of time. About 20 million Americans are estimated to have taken Vioxx before it was withdrawn in 2004.

This week, the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold millions of dollars in federal school aid from California because the state has failed to help students transfer out of low-performing schools, as required by the No Child Left Behind law.

A doping scandal has rocked the Tour de France before the cyclists have begun peddling. Favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso are among a list of cyclists who have been banned from the competition, which starts Saturday. Ullrich won the race in 1997.

Dennis Ross, a former envoy to the Middle East, disputes the view that the Israel lobby has too much influence on U.S. foreign policy. He says lobbying groups such as the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, are effective and have not had a negative effect on U.S. policy.

With nearly all the votes counted in Mexico's presidential vote, conservative candidate Felipe Calderon has a thin, but insurmountable lead. Calderon has declared victory. His rival, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is contesting the results and has called a protest rally for Saturday.

The House and Senate kick off a series of competing hearings on immigration. Each chamber claims the public will be swayed by its approach to immigration policy. But analysts aren't sure the hearings will be effective.

Scientists find evidence that mice and humans may share some sophisticated emotional characteristics. It's now thought mice have the ability to be affected by another mouse's pain or suffering.

North Korea test-fired another missile Wednesday, intensifying the furor ignited when the reclusive regime launched at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong, earlier in the day.

Later this month, the Democratic Republic of Congo is scheduled to hold its first free elections in almost a half a century. They're the most expensive elections ever held in Africa, with international donors spending more than $400 million on the polls.

Former Army interrogator Tony Lagouranis talks with Steve Inskeep about the tactics he used on Iraqi detainees, such as isolating them for weeks at a time. Lagouranis says that, overall, very little intelligence was gained through stressful interrogation tactics.