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NPR's Tom Huizenga reports on Buffalo Philharmonic music director Joann Falletta's rediscovery of American composer Frederick Shepherd Converse. Converse, born on this day in 1871, was best known for his orchestral tone poems written around the turn of the century. Falletta has brought his music back to life on a recent CD called Converse: The Mystic Trumpeter (Naxos 8.559116).

The 108th Congress convenes with a new Senate majority leader, Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN). Frist, who replaces Trent Lott of Mississippi, is considered a White House favorite, but others criticize his voting record and views. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

California lawmakers scramble to save the state's coastal commission, which regulates development and environmental resources along the coastline. An appellate court ruled its makeup unconstitutional last week. Carrie Kahn of member station KQED reports.

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund urge developing nations to turn their water utilities over to private companies. Opponents say water is a basic human need and should not be sold for profit. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

NPR's David Welna reports on budget negotiations in Congress, where President Bush is trying to push through his 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax-cut plan. Lawmakers are said to be working towards a bipartisan compromise that would give Mr. Bush less than he asked for, but one that -- according to one senator -- both sides could "live with."

Kate Seelye reports from Kuwait City on the 10th anniversary of Kuwait's liberation from Iraqi occupation. Attending the two-day celebration are former President George Bush, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and retired General and current Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

New York City has been touting its hotline for domestic violence victims who need emergency shelter. But those who call the hotline can wait weeks before a space opens up. As Beth Fertig of member station WNYC reports, victims of domestic violence are a significant share of the rising homeless population in New York City.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Rotterdam where Dutch prosecutors today opened their case against nine men accused in the deaths of 58 illegal Chinese migrants last year. The victims suffocated in a sealed truck crossing the English Channel in a ferry. The case has highlighted the growing traffic in human beings, who are smuggled into Europe from Asia, the Middle East and Africa by criminal gangs.

NPR's Emily Harris reports on a software development company, Disappearing Inc., that's producing a program to create self-destructing e-mail messages. The life-span of the e-mail can be set by the user, and their automatic deletion can help to reduce the huge archives of e-mail that most companies amass.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that environmental groups and organized labor have suffered some setbacks in recent weeks -- as the Bush Administration has moved to block or undo Clinton era regulations. President Bush wants the federal government to do a much better job examining the costs and benefits of proposed regulations. The man he selected as the chief regulatory gatekeeper for his administration is an expert in the field of risk analysis.