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There have been touching moments — sometimes away from the headlines, and the front lines — that have moved the world this year.

Film Director Arthur Penn. At the age of 77, he's just been hired as executive producer of the TV show Law and Order. The appointment is seen as a breakthrough for the elderly in Hollywood. Penn's films include Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, The Miracle Worker, Alice's Restaurant and The Missouri Breaks. His film career lost steam in the 80s, and he went to Broadway. His shows included Two for the Seesaw and The Miracle Worker.

At the Olympics in Sydney, the fabled American women's soccer team lost the gold medal game in overtime to Norway. Marion Jones easily won her second gold medal, in the 200 meter dash. Her win was widely anticipated. But as NPR's Howard Berkes reports, there was a major surprise in the men's 200 meters. Konstantinos Kenteris won the gold medal, becoming the first Greek ever win a sprint medal. It was the first time the US didn't take a medal in the event since 1928.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau has died, at the age of 80. Trudeau was prime minister for nearly 16 years, beginning in 1968. His party lost power in a 1979 election, but quickly regained it less than a year later, and Trudeau re-took his post until 1984. He was known as one of Canada's most colorful politicians. Robert talks to Jeffrey Simpson National Affairs Columnist stationed in Ottawa, Canada for "The Globe and Mail" newspaper.

NPR's Tom Goldman reports on a day of startling upsets by US athletes at the Olympics in Sydney. First, Rulon Gardner, a Greco-Roman wrestler of modest prior accomplishment, defeated the Superman of his sport, Alexander Kareline of Russia. Three-time gold medal winner Kareline had not lost a match since 1987. Later in the evening, the American baseball team shut out Cuba in the gold medal game. The favored Cubans had won the last two Olympic titles.

Central states cry foul over federal attempts to save prairie dogs and their habitats. Nebraska and others say the prairie dog is a pest, not an endangered species. Prairie dogs have lost 99 percent of their original range in North America. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

TV personality Tom Arnold hosts FOX television's The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Arnold is probably best known for his marriage to Roseanne Barr. He was a writer, actor and executive producer on Roseanne, and starred in three tv shows of his own including The Jackie Thomas Show. He has a new memoir, How I Lost 5 Pounds in 6 Years (St. Martins Press).

United Airlines, struggling with massive debt and unable to reach key union concessions, will probably file for bankruptcy protection on Sunday. Continental, Northwest and American airlines all fought against United's bid to secure $2 billion in emergency funding from the federal government, and could pick up United's lost business. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.

The United States lost nearly one million manufacturing jobs in 2002, but the foreign-car industry continues to grow. Foreign automakers work to build or expand a half-dozen U.S. plants primarily in the Deep South, where the cost of labor is relatively low. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

A week after it posts the largest loss in corporate history, AOL Time Warner works to get back on its feet. But the media giant, which lost nearly $100 billion last year, faces large debts left over from its earlier mergers. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.