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Two major dissident unions split from the AFL-CIO, citing declining membership. The walkout by the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters deprives the AFL-CIO of a quarter of its membership.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Jamal Qureshi with the Market Intelligence Service for PFC Energy about an oil shortage in Iraq, the country with the world's second-largest reserves. Poor security in Iraq has wreaked havoc on Iraq's oil industry. Managing pipelines in Iraq not only involves keeping an eye on looters, but also involves navigating the heavy damage incurred from months of war.

After nearly going extinct, the grizzly population in the Yellowstone region is 600 strong. The Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to remove them from the list of threatened species. Many conservation groups say it is too soon to de-list the bears, whose population is still fragile.

A growing number of people are making cheap long-distance calls using the Internet. Others are talking for free, using their computers and services like Skype. Renee Montagne used Skype to discuss the options with New York Times Technology writer David Pogue.

North Carolina and Virginia are getting $58 million from the federal government to help build out anticipated high-speed passenger rail service between the states’ capitals.

She is former partner-in-charge of Ethics & Responsible Business Practices consulting services for Arthur Andersen, Barbara Ley Toffler. She's the co-author of the new book, Final Accounting: Ambition, Greed, and the Fall of Arthur Andersen (with Jennifer Reingold, Broadway Books). Toffler writes about life inside the firm which she left before it collapsed in the wake of the Enron scandal. Toffler now teaches at Columbia University's business school.

Although mental health care for returning soldiers has vastly improved in the past 30 years, many within the government's medical community say they are barely able to treat veterans from previous conflicts. Funding for Veterans Affairs' mental health services has been slashed since the mid-1990s, and more cuts are looming. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers face tough questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee about the progress of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Senators question the doubling of the mission's cost and the extension of tours of duty for U.S. reservists to one year. Hear NPR's David Welna.

The Senate Armed Services Committee receives a closed-door briefing from Army officials on the alleged abuse of Iraqis detained by U.S. military police. Lawmakers want to know if the problem is more widespread than has been reported. Critics say Pentagon leaders aren't doing enough to address the allegations. Hear NPR's David Welna.

The nation's gross domestic product, or value of goods and services, grew at a 4.2 percent annual rate during the first three months of the year, an improvement over the end of 2003 but not as strong as many analysts were expecting. The Commerce Department's prime price index, omitting food and energy, rose 2.3 percent, compared with 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.