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Linda Wertheimer talks with Steve Saltzburg, professor of law at George Washington University School of Law. He specializes in criminal law and procedure and was a Department of Justice official from 1988-89. Saltzburg talks about what Congress can do as a result of the hearings on the Rich pardon. He says, despite the fact that Congress has no power to overturn the pardon, Congress can turn over any evidence of laws broken during the pardon process to the Attorney General for possible prosecution, and may consider introducing a constitutional ammendment. Saltzburg believes that Congress is more likely to suggest that future presidents should follow the normal procedures for review of pardon requests by the Department of Justice.

Robert Siegel and Linda Wertheimer read some of our listner's comments sent to us.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports French voters will cast ballots this month for mayors and city councilors under a new law requiring political parties to field equal numbers of male and female candidates. The idea of mandating gender parity on party lists originally met resistance. The French public, however, has now embraced the idea enthusiastically. Until now, France has had the lowest rate of participation in politics of any European Union nation.

NPR's Ted Clark reports that President Bush today certifies countries as being cooperative in the war against drugs. Countries that are not certified could face sanctions. Some members of Congress propose to alter or even drop the certification process on grounds that it is condescending to other governments and fails to produce the desired result. The Bush administration says the process should be re-evaluated.

This year, for the first time, all California eighth graders are required to take algebra. As NPR's Mandalit Del Barco reports, the move is part of a national trend toward having younger students study the subject, which is considered a "gatekeeper" course for access to higher education.

Robert Siegel talks with Robert P. Moses about Radical Equations, his new book that translates algebra into common English. Moses is using this method with African American children in the South as part of a contemporary civil rights movement based on education.

NPR's David Welna reports on the alternative budget being proposed by congressional Democrats. Objecting to President Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut, Democrats on Capitol Hill call for $900 billion in tax cuts, with more relief to those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder. The action comes as the House Ways and Means Committee took up the Bush proposal.

Banning Eyre reviews A Lo Cubano by the Cuban hip-hop quartet called Orishas. While spin-off releases related to the Buena Vista Social Club are captivating music fans outside Cuba, on the island of Cuba, the Orishas are big. This band is now based in France, though they insist they are not in political exile.

Commentator Robert Franklin says that the pardon controversy has demonstrated to the whole country what the African-American community has always known: You are only entitled to as much justice as you can afford. Money and celebrity tend to distort the process of distributing justice.

Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Melissa Block about this week's testimony in the trial of four men accused of conspiring with Osama Bin Laden to blow up the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. An FBI agent has testified about his interview with one of the defendants -- Mohammed Sadeek Odeh. Odeh was a member of the group headed by Osama Bin Laden, who is accused of masterminding the attacks. The FBI agent said Odeh told him that he wasn't directly involved in the bombings, but that he felt morally responsible.