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President Bush nominates Jim Nicholson as secretary for Veterans Affairs, after the retirement of Anthony Principi. Nicholson is a Vietnam vet and former chairman of the Republican National Committee. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

Spooked advertisers are steering their more controversial ads away from the Super Bowl and featuring them online. While the broadcast line-up will include family-friendly spots with patriotic themes and the Muppets, the Internet has become the destination for those seeking edgier advertising.

Shout! Factory Records releases a four-CD set celebrating the music of the city called Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans. Hear cuts from the big ol' box.

President Bush delivers a $2.57 trillion budget to Congress that would eliminate or reduce spending on dozens of government programs, including education, farm subsidies and health care for veterans. Former Congressional Budget Office Director Robert Reischauer discusses the president's 2006 spending plan.

The trek of millions of Monarch butterflies from their breeding grounds in North America to central Mexico is one of nature's great mysteries, scientists say. But many in the area taken over from November to March see it as a mixed blessing.

In the United States, men generally earn more money than women -- about 25 percent more, on average. But that’s not the case in rural King County, Texas, where women make about 30 percent more than men. NPR’s Howard Berkes recently visited King County to examine the reasons behind the gap.

Fans of the hit independent film Sideways are flocking to Santa Barabara County to trace the footsteps of the movie's characters, who search for the meaning of life and a good glass of pinot noir. The restaurants and wineries featured in the film are becoming cult destinations.

The U.S. trade imbalance with the rest of the world, especially China, is forcing American manufacturers to find ways to boost their exports in order to stay afloat. NPR's Adam Davidson visited two factories in Erie, Pa., that are focusing on niches that cheap labor in China cannot easily fill.

As Jen Batara was seeing her husband, Army Sgt. Ray Batara, off for deployment in Iraq in December, the couple thought she would stay at his base in Fort Stewart, Ga. But Jen has changed her mind.

Bandleader, clarinetist and arranger Artie Shaw has died at home in Los Angeles. His health had declined since Thanksgiving. He was 94. Shaw's recording of "Begin the Beguine" became so popular in 1938 that it brought him to an even footing with the other so-called "King of Swing" -- Benny Goodman. NPR's Robert Siegel has a remembrance.