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John Roberts held forth on a range of topics Tuesday -- but refused to detail his views on cases that may appear before the Supreme Court. Robert Siegel talks with law professor Douglas Kmiec of at Pepperdine University and Jeffrey Rosen, legal affairs editor at The New Republic.

For the second time in a month, Senate Democrats block the confirmation of John Bolton to become U.N. ambassador and are urging President Bush to consider another candidate. The president left open the possibility that he'd bypass the Senate and appoint Bolton during the July Fourth congressional recess.

Sidney Bechet played soprano saxophone in the early decades of jazz, before John Coltrane popularized the instrument. A new anthology, Mosaic Select: Sidney Bechet, offers listeners a chance to hear Bechet's music, transferred and restored from rare recordings from 1923 to 1947.

Alan Furst has a new historical spy novel called The Foreign Correspondent. His first one, Night Soldiers, came out in 1988, and he's written eight more since then. Critic at large John Powers, who says he always snaps up a new one, explains Furst's appeal.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who flooded into the Italian capital to watch the funeral of Pope John Paul II were unable to squeeze into St. Peter's Square. Many went to ancient Rome's Circus Maximus instead, watching the ceremony on giant TV screens.

John Allen, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, discusses the growth of the global Catholic church and what the election of a non-traditional, non-European pope would mean for the papacy. More than two-thirds of the world's Catholics live in Africa, Latin America and other countries in the developing world.

John Negroponte, President Bush's nominee for the new position of National Intelligence Director, testifies at his Senate confirmation hearing. Negroponte may face tough questions about his actions while serving in Central America during the Contra War, but he is expected to win easy confirmation.

The ceremonies surrounding the death of Pope John Paul II, his funeral and the election of his successor Benedict XVI have played out according to a script written centuries ago. But the new pontiff strayed from the script Saturday, speaking to reporters before his inaugural mass tomorrow.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he'll try to persuade Democrats to allow a confirmation vote on John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. But Democrats say they'll continue to filibuster until the White House provides documents regarding Bolton's days at the State Department.

Jesse Sheidlower, editor the Oxford English Dictionary and a Slate contributing writer, discusses the history of the word "hip." He challenges an assertion made in a new book by author John Leland, Hip: The History, that the word "hip" comes from Africa.

Critic-at-large John Powers comments on the history of roles for offbeat women in Hollywood. Powers recently saw the hit film The 40-Year-Old Virgin and got to thinking about the actress Catherine Keener, who co-stars.

Senate Democrats close ranks to delay a vote on John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Democrats say they will allow Bolton to face a vote, but only if the Bush administration provides access to classified documents.

This year's Pulitzer Prizes are announced Monday. Among the winners: Samantha Powers for her book on genocide called A Problem from Hell, Jeffrey Eugenides for his novel Middlesex about a hermaphrodite, and composer John Adams for his Sept. 11th-inspired music On The Transmigration of Souls. NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

Day to Day television critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews the new ABC show Jake in Progress starring John Stamos. Wallenstein takes on those who think the program is the male answer to the ribald HBO hit show Sex and the City.

Critic at large John Powers has been watching the HBO show Entourage -- about a handsome young movie star and his buddies -- and has some thoughts on the way the rich and powerful are often protected from reality.

Fuel cell technology isn't new, but the notion of automobiles running on hydrogen powered fuel cells has always been more wishful thinking than reality. Now, several of the major car companies are spending serious money to develop fuel cell vehicles. NPR's John Ydstie reports in Part Four of All Things Considered's oil series.

A severe drought, coupled with mismanagement by Mexican water authorities, has debilitated the once-mighty Rio Grande. While diplomats fight over the scarce water, downriver farmers in Texas and Mexico grow increasingly desperate. For All Things Considered, John Burnett reports.

Just hours after John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, the actor showed up at the doorstep of Dr. Samuel Mudd, seeking help for his broken leg. Soon after, Dr. Mudd was sentenced to life in jail. To this day, his family is fighting to clear Mudds name. Cindy Johnston reports.

Wilco's new album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot takes the erstwhile alt-country band even further from its roots. Frontman Jeff Tweedy talks with John Ydstie on All Things Considered. And Meredith Ochs reviews a new anthology of music from Tweedy's old band, the legendary Uncle Tupelo. (8:15) The CD is on Nonesuch Records. See http://www.wilcoworld.net/.

In 1924, a star-studded cruise on William Randolph Hearst's private yacht ended with a murder, and became a true Hollywood scandal. Now that scandal is the subject of a new film by Peter Bogdanovich. NPR's Bob Mondello has a review of the film, and Bogdanovich talks with All Things Considered guest host John Ydstie about Tinseltown history.