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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez fires four dissident executives at the state oil monopoly as he tries to break an 11-day strike paralyzing the economy. Venezuelans opposed to Chavez clamor for new elections, while oil and gas supplies run thin. NPR's Gerry Hadden reports.

President Bush is set to announce a plan to vaccinate all Americans against smallpox. The general population won't be offered the inoculation until 2004. Meanwhile, soldiers and "first-response" personnel prepare for early inoculations. NPR's Joanne Silberner reports.

A 12-day-old general strike in Venezuela turns violent again as supporters and critics of President Hugo Chavez battle in Caracas. Detractors say Chavez has impoverished the country. The leftist leader fired four dissident oil executives Thursday, increasing tensions. NPR's Gerry Hadden reports.

The European Union welcomes 10 new members at a summit in Copenhagen. The agenda is crowded, including debate about financing the expansion and whether Turkey, with its new Islamist government, will ever be allowed to join. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

A South Korean envoy meets with Chinese officials to gain support in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue. Experts say they're baffled about what the North hopes to gain through its nuclear brinkmanship. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

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.

As the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, debate over abortion continues. Abortion rights opponents stress abstinence-only education and point to Uganda, where emphasis on abstinence has lowered a 30-percent HIV rate to 5 percent in a decade. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports.

The United States lost nearly one million manufacturing jobs in 2002, but the foreign-car industry continues to grow. The boom of foreign automakers in the South has brought prosperity to the region and introduced a new workplace culture. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

Public housing authorities are being hard hit by strains on state budgets. Now, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development warns local governments that less funding is in the pipeline to local housing authorities. It's unclear how much funding will be cut. NPR's Janet Babin reports.

The Securities and Exchange Commission approves new rules to assure that accounting firms maintain independence from companies they audit. The rules stem from legislation Congress passed last summer in the wake of accounting scandals at companies such as Enron and WorldCom. Critics say the new regulations aren't as strict as they should be. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.