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Examines U.S. President George W. Bush's proposed budget and the deal making that will be needed to get it passed by Congress. Expectation that the fight over the $2.7 trillion budget for 2006 will be impassioned for many reasons including the fact he left out the costs for the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and more; Questions over the validity of Bush's claim to reduce the deficit in light of increased costs; Expectation of massive cuts in education, veterans healthcare and environmental protection to pay for homeland security and defense; Conservatives who are concerned about the figures.

Profiles American soldiers wounded in the Iraq War and their efforts to create a new life for themselves back in the United States. Challenges faced by the solders; Confusion as to what to do next; Loss of jobs and marriages; Impact of the pain and discomfort they feel; Discussion of the some of the wounds suffered and the impact on family and friends; Diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder; Focus on head injuries that are a frequent by-product of the Iraq War; Reflections of some of the solders on their wartime service; Reference to National Guard and Reserve units who never expected to see combat overseas but who make up 40 percent of the troops in Iraq. INSET: LIVES ALTERED BY INJURY.

Offers a look at problems within the state juvenile justice systems in the United States as of July 2004. Prevalence of prisoner assaults on staff at youth correctional facilities; Inability of the system to rehabilitate most juvenile inmates; Abuse of prisoners by staff; Rate of suicide among juvenile prisoners; History of the juvenile justice system and its aim to rehabilitate instead of punish; Rise of violent crimes committed by juveniles; Lack of funding for juvenile facilities; Increase of youths with mental health problems within the system.

Offers a look at United States Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's choice of Senator John Edwards to be his vice-presidential running-mate in the 2004 elections. Popularity of Edwards due to his populist credibility; Discussion of Edwards' critique of the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the United States; Appeal of Edwards to middle-class citizens on economic issues; Criticism of Edwards issued by the Republican Party; Reference to the book "Four Trials," by John Edwards; Lack of foreign relations experience.

Focuses on World War II veterans in the U.S. Dedication of the new national World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.; Conversations between older and younger soldiers; Mention of friendships between soldiers during the war; Comments of World War II vets who live in Circle, Montana, including Phillip Haglund, Polly Wischmann, Orville Quick, Elmo Dreyer, Merlin Shennum and Andy Rychkun,.

Offers a look at a fire at a Rhode Island night club that killed one hundred and injured two hundred more in 2003. Imposition of a new fire code in Rhode Island by Governor Donald Carcieri; Indictments that have been issued; Blame placed on night club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian; Reaction of the victims' families; Role of attorney general Patrick Lynch; Proposal of legislation that would make it a crime to cause injury through negligence; Lawsuits that have been filed; Investigation of what is left of the night club; Research being conducted to improve safety.

Focuses on the role of Bob Ecoffey, an Oglala Sioux who worked the night shift at the jail on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1976. His involvement in solving the murder of Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash; Background on the Indian siege of Wounded Knee, South Dakota in 1973; Conditions on Pine Ridge that prompted the protest; The role of the radical civil rights group, American Indian Movement; Background on Pictou-Aquash who grew up in a Micmac Indian village in Nova Scotia; Reason that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation considered her an armed and dangerous fugitive; Murder suspects, Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham.

Focuses on Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., which helps American soldiers with combat and non-combat injuries recover and readjust to civilian life. View of the United States Pentagon that the Walter Reed complex is the 'crown jewel' in the 75-hospital military system; Discussion of the orthopedic treatment and rehabilitation of returning soldiers; Dedication of the staff at Walter Reed; Soldiers, including famous people, who have been treated there; Brief history of Walter Reed General Hospital since 1909; How the hospitals aids soldiers' families; Amount spent on an Amputee Center of Excellence in 2002; Details of the Center's partnership program with the nonprofit support group, Amputee Coalition of America; Types of injuries that have been managed by occupational therapy; Mention that former prisoner-of-war, Jessica Lynch, arrived at Walter Reed on April 12, 2003 from Iraq; Breast cancer research being done at Walter Reed.

The seven astronauts who were lost in the Columbia space shuttle disaster are remembered in this article. Rick Husband was not a man who left much to chance. Before his first mission on the space shuttle, in 1999, he spent nearly all his free time getting ready for the moment he had dreamed of all his life. It didn't take a fighter pilot to do what Ilan Ramon did on Columbia's last flight. The Israeli Air Force colonel was a 'payload specialist' on the shuttle, meaning he was in charge of some of the scientific experiments. Kalpana Chawla, the Indian-born astronaut was not only a hero in her native country but an inspiration to all those girls who thought of her an older sister. It was mission specialist Laurel Clark who took Houston's wake-up call on the last day of the shuttle Columbia's 16-day mission. Cmdr. William McCool, 41, the space shuttle's pilot, had the hopeful, confident smile of someone who always knew where he was headed and how to get there. 'As you look back at your life,' Michael Anderson said shortly before the launch of Columbia last month, 'there are just a million different things that have happened, just in the right way, to allow you to make your dreams come true. When the seven astronauts on Columbia's final mission spent 12 days together in the mountains of Wyoming in August 2001, it was David Brown who was always bringing up the rear because he was unaccustomed to the outdoors.

There are algorithms, impossibly abstruse mathematical models, all kinds of things NASA's legions of experts will be looking at to understand the causes of the tragic failure of Flight STS-107 over the dusty ranchlands of east Texas. One key question is whether any of the critical insulating tiles were dislodged or damaged during Columbia's liftoff on January 16. There will be other questions, of course, besides the technical ones. Did repeated budget cuts at the agency--NASA has been forced to pare its budget 40 percent over the past decade--result in undue safety and maintenance cutbacks? Did agency executives, eager to please a stingy Congress, pledge to do unreasonably more with less? Management of outside contractors, long a failing at the agency, will be examined. There will be time for all of those questions and more. Now, however, it is time to mourn seven heroes who vanished one winter morning in that eerie blue sky. INSET: FINAL JOURNEY.

Looks at how authorities tracked down and arrested alleged snipers John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo. The killing spree in suburban Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia; The history and pathologies of Muhammad and Malvo; How they transformed their car into a killing chamber; Attempts by criminologists to explain the crime in light of past serial killers; Frustrations of Police Chief Charles Moose; Phone calls made by the snipers; Muhammad's .223-caliber Bushmaster assault rifle; Uncertainty of motive.

Focuses on the sniper who has terrorized the suburbs of Washington, D.C during fall 2002. Details of the shootings; Randomness of the victims' selection; Panic of residents; Efforts to understand the psychology of the serial killer; Outlook for the investigation.

Focuses on employees at the U.S. Pentagon in Washington, D.C., a year after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Role of Staff Sergeant Christopher Braman in saving people and recovering bodies; How the Pentagon has changed; Observation that people are more conscious of the need for time with family and friends; Restoration of the building; The painful adjustments of Brian Birdwell and Louise Kurtz, who were burned in the attack; Account of Craig Sincock, whose wife Cheryle was killed.

Reports on the state of the United States at the one year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Connection with the world; Worries about another terrorist attack; Concern that Americans are again becoming polarized; Increased security at airports and other public venues; Attempts to balance national security with civil liberties.

Focuses on rebuilding efforts at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. after a hijacked plane crashed into it on September 11, 2001. Reactions to watching American Airlines flight 77 crash into the building; Dedication of a memorial at the site.

Discusses the rights and legal aspects of prisoners in the United States, in light of the arrest of Jose Padilla, who is suspected of planning to detonate a radiological bomb in the U.S. Intervention of U.S. President George W. Bush to keep Padilla in custody; Efforts of the U.S. government to prevent terrorism in the U.S.; Mention of the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Discusses how the U.S. is on edge due to intelligence reports that warm of potential terrorist strikes. Compilation of intelligence about potential terrorist plots and activities by the Central Intelligence Agency's team at the Counterterrorism Center; Ominous warnings that have been released; Question as to how much is speculation and how much is based on solid intelligence regarding operations and plans; How the White House is being criticized for both withholding and giving out too much information.

Reports on the sex-abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, after documents obtained by a court order suggested that Boston, Massachusetts, Cardinal Bernard Law had protected another alleged pedophile priest, Rev. Paul Shanley. Accusations against Shanley of sex abuse and publicly expressing support of sex between men and boys at a meeting of the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA); Calls for Law's resignation; Mention of one of Shanley's victims, Gregory Ford, who says he was raped by Shanley between 1983 and 1989. INSETS: A life destroyed by terrible deeds, by Katy Kelly;The paper trail;A problem nationwide.

Focuses on the impact of the revelation of several child sexual abuse cases involving priests on the morale of Catholics and the operations of the Catholic Church in the United States. Official response of the Church to these cases, including the reassignment of priests to other parishes; Public opinion of priests following these revelations; View of Catholics that the church must undergo reforms, including its policy of priestly celibacy; Changes made to the selection of seminarians. INSET: The geography of perversion.

Focuses on U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. The power that he holds; His 12-nation trip to win Arab support for toppling Iraq's Saddam Hussein; Plans to build the administration's case for its continuing war on terrorism; His role as the leading conservative in President George W. Bush's inner circle; Bush's trust of Cheney.

Focuses on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States Pentagon in Virginia. Personal narratives of survivors and family members of victims; Plans for the reconstruction of the building. INSET: Making the Pentagon whole.

Reports on bioterrorism in the United States. Envelopes containing white power sent to a Microsoft office in Reno, Nevada, National Broadcasting Co. Inc.'s offices in New York, and to American Media Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida; Difficulties in launching biological terrorism attacks. INSET: A once and future scourge.

Reports on the ordinary lifestyles of the terrorists who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. How the terror cells lived unnoticed, sometimes for years, dressing and acting like Americans; Background on the terrorists; Role of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in tracking down operatives which financed them; Announcement of government measures against foreigners suspected of terrorism. INSET: A cell is formed.

Discusses the patriotic and civic spirit of Americans after the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001. How many people are turning to faith and sacred traditions for courage and guidance; Increase in the number of people wanting to enlist in the military; Fears of Americans. INSET: A fervent quest for relics.

Focuses on the terrorist attack on the United States Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the World Trade Center in New York City. Reaction of the country to the attack; Declaration of war by U.S. President George W. Bush; Support which the U.S. has received from other countries; Role of Pakistan in retaliation efforts of the U.S.; Need for the terrorists to be identified; Evidence suggesting that terrorist Osama bin Laden was involved in the attacks; Way that Americans have united after the attacks. INSETS: Anatomy of a collapse;A five-sided nightmare.

Discusses the United States census. Comparison of the story of one family who lived at a New York address in 1900 with those who live there in 2000; Changes recorded by the U.S. census; Statistics on population, minorities, cities, states, immigrants, life expectancy, households and more.

Discusses the decision of Vermont Senator James Jeffords to switch parties, from a Republican to an independent. Impact on United States President George W. Bush and Congress; Reasons for Jeffords' decision; Tom Daschle to be named the new majority leader in the Senate; Challenges that the Bush administration faces with Democrats; Reaction to Jeffords move in Washington, D.C.

Focuses on United States First Lady Laura Bush. Her relationship with her husband, US president George W. Bush; Comparison to former first ladies; Bush's admiration of his wife; Predictions about how she is perceived by the public; What she hopes to accomplish in her role as first lady; Biographical information.

Discusses United States President George W. Bush diplomatic handling of a collision between a U.S. Navy spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. How he adopted a more soothing tone toward China after his initial stern stance; Advice from his father, former president George Bush, to leave the Chinese an honorable way out; Outlook for China and United States relations.

Focuses on Robert Hanssen, senior agent with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who was arrested and charged with espionage against the U.S. for the Russian government. Biographical information; Details on how he was caught; Thoughts on the public image of Hanssen, and how it contradicts charges that he was a traitor. INSET: The Bloch case: shnook or spy?.

Focuses on the confusion that surrounds the 2000 United States presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. Thoughts on the Florida Supreme Court decision to continue to ballot recount process in three highly-Democratic counties; Speculation on whether the court decision will stand; How the Florida justices were all appointed by Democratic governors, with thoughts on the implication for them favoring Gore in decisions.

Discusses the 2000 United States presidential election result in Florida. How Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris formally certified the state count which gave the state to Texas Governor George W. Bush; Legal battle of U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Bush to gain more votes in Florida; Decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments pertaining to the vote certification in Florida.

Discusses the 2000 United States presidential election. Demonstrations in Florida reflecting the feud between Republican and Democratic parties over the state's close vote that resulted in a recount because of Florida law; Demand for recounts and possible legal action because of the punch-hole, or 'butterfly,' ballots used in Palm Beach County; Scenarios for the outcome; Role of television-network projections in the confusion over whether George W. Bush or Al Gore won the election. INSETS: The county that holds the cards, by C. Ragavan, R. Sobel;Will it stop with Florida?, by David Whitman.

Reports on the 2000 United States presidential election between Texas Governor George W. Bush and U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Suggestion that the violence in the Middle East and an unpredictable stock market has made the presidential race important; Details of the electoral vote count and the popular vote count; Strategy of Gore which is to attack Bush's record as governor of Texas; Thought that the candidates should take risks during their campaigns. INSET: Some topics are too dangerous to discuss.

Discusses adolescents in United States society. Trends teen arrests, drug use, pregnancy, and school dropout rates; Example of teens who are choosing to do good with youth volunteer organizations such as the ManaTEEN Club in Florida; Profiles of Kelly Standiford of Maryland, Master Madison of New York City, Stephen Reyes of Texas, Aja Cayetano of California, and Matt Oppenheimer of Idaho. INSET: The Kid's all right...but some are not.