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Over the past decade the states have added safeguarding the environment to their to-do lists. Now, states struggle with the worst fiscal crisis in 50 years, and they're being forced to make tough choices and review priorities. Environmental protection moves pretty far down the list. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

Everyone who has ever pondered whether chicken wings serve a purpose beyond deep fat fryers and bleu cheese sauce will be bowled over by the apparent benefits of wing flapping in flightless birds. NPR's John Nielsen reports on a study in this week's Science magazine showing how true flight may have evolved from these beginnings.

President Bush's tax-cut plan revives debate about the fairness of the nation's tax system. By eliminating tax on stock dividends, the plan would give big savings to the wealthy. But supporters say an across-the-board cut would not be fair to those who are taxed at a higher percentage rate. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

In Beijing, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly continues efforts to end the impasse over North Korea's nuclear program. The United States wants China, North Korea's closest ally, to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions. Anthony Kuhn reports.

Commentator Frank Deford says there is nothing super about the Super Bowl anymore. The game should be called the "Mediocrity Bowl."

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) recently introduced the Universal National Service Act of 2003, calling for mandatory military service. Commentator John Ridley agrees and says if the military comprised only rich white males then war would only be a last resort.

Human rights groups fear the aftermath of a war in Iraq could create a climate of revenge among Iraqis who have suffered under Saddam Hussein's government. Some Iraqi exiles downplay the issue, but other observers say the Bush administration must be prepared to address post-war vendettas. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

NPR's Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg talks with Princess Mary Elettra Elena Anna Marconi about the work of her father, inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Tomorrow marks 100 years since he sent the first radio telegram.

He is a former congressman and now general secretary of the National Council of Churches, and a United Methodist minister. He is also co-chair of the Win Without War coalition. Last year he led a delegation of clergy and lay leaders to visit Iraq.

The Federal Reserve has just released its analysis of the nation's wealth. The net worth of the typical family, according to the report, rose more than 10 percent in 2001. As in past years, though, the gap between rich and poor widened. NPR's Robert Siegel talks about the Fed's report with Nancy Kimmelman of SEI Investments in Oaks, Pa.