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Alfred W. McCoy's new book, A Question of Torture, chronicles the CIA's development and use of torture since the Cold War. He speaks with Steve Inskeep about the past, present and effectiveness of torture.

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with Jon Levy, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health, about the thread he wrote about wearing a mask.

A Russian sergeant pleads guilty for killing a Ukrainian civilian in the war's first war crimes case. Such cases usually occur after a war ends. Ukraine wants to prosecute while the evidence is fresh.

President Bush this week is expected to sign a $70 billion tax-cut package into law. It will lower rates for investors and save billions of dollars for families with above-average incomes. Now Republicans in Congress are turning their attention toward the estate tax. They want it repealed permanently.

Syria's ruling Baath Party opened a congress Monday to discuss political and economic reforms. Syria, which has a centrally planned economy, suffers from a high unemployment rate. Economists and businessmen say they have seen positive changes in recent years, but warn that the government must do more to battle corruption and streamline the inefficient state bureaucracy.

Russia has given Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol a chance to surrender as they close in on the port city. Meanwhile, Russia is intensifying rocket attacks elsewhere in Ukraine.

These young politicians have few memories of life under Soviet rule — and they say the war has accelerated their efforts to push for a more Europe-focused future.

Vice President Dick Cheney says he did not know Ambassador Joseph Wilson. But Cheney's life intersected with Wilson's during the first Iraq war. Wilson is the husband of Valerie Plame, the undercover CIA agent whose name was leaked to the press.

Ukrainian forces have driven Russian attackers out of the city of Kharkiv. Ukraine's second-largest city had been under heavy bombardment for weeks.

President Bush has called for more than $7 billion to find and guard against any dangerous new strain of influenza. The lawmakers who would have to approve that request generally welcomed the initiative, but some have criticized elements of the plan.