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Afghanistan is preparing for new national elections in September, but a major obstacle could be the nation's powerful warlords. NPR's Renee Montagne recently visited the Afghan city of Herat, on the border with Iran, to profile one of the warlords whose cooperation -- and willingness to give up some power -- may hold the fate of a nation. See exclusive photo essays, and hear more stories in this series.

A federal elections panel meets to examine the future of touch-screen voting machines, as several states reconsider the machines' reliability. Last week, concerns about accuracy prompted California's secretary of state to decertify 42,000 machines in 14 counties for the November election. John Myers of member station KQED reports.

In her new book, Georgetown University law professor Sheryll Cashin argues that modern segregation is often by choice -- a choice that involves finding a neighborhood that offers strong schools and safe streets. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Cashin.

Leaders from 22 Arab countries end a summit meeting in Tunis by adopting a plan for political and social reform. Dispute over the issue had delayed the Arab League session by two months. The promise of reforms led Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to leave the meetings Saturday. Hear NPR's Linda Wertheimer and New York Times reporter Neil MacFarquhar.

Essayist Naomi Lewin connects the 17-year cicada season to world events. Lewin, living in Cincinnati, also traces the bugs' place in literature, from the Bible to cookbooks.

In a turning point in American history, the Supreme Court ruled 50 years ago that separate educational facilities for blacks were inherently unequal. A look at how Americans reacted, through the letters they wrote to their president, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Friday would have been the 100th birthday of pianist, singer and songwriter Fats Waller. Critic Jim Fusilli says that a new CD collection commemorating Waller (Fats Waller: Centennial Collection, RCA Records, 2004) is good, but he wishes there were more.

Stephen Cambone, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, is a focus of the ongoing investigation into abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Members of Congress and military investigators are looking at the role that military intelligence officers under Cambone's authority might have played in the scandal. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.

Elvin Jones, a renowned drummer and member of the John Coltrane Quartet, died Tuesday in a New Jersey hospital of heart failure. He was 76. Jones' powerful, complex playing helped changed the role of the drummer in jazz groups and influenced a generation of rockers, including The Doors, the Grateful Dead and Santana. NPR's Renee Montagne has a remembrance.

The Ride is the latest album from Los Lobos, a band known for mixing folk, blues, rock and Latin rhythms. The group, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, was formed by classmates at an East Los Angeles school. The Ride, their 12th album, is on the Hollywood Records/Mammoth label. Critic David Greenberger has a review.