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NPR's Don Gonyea reports on President-elect George W. Bush's day in Austin, Texas, a day that led off with the naming of Paul O'Neill as his choice for Treasury Secretary. O'Neill's close relationship with Fed chairman Alan Greenspan has been cited as a "plus" for the selection. Other Cabinet appointments are expected to follow. Bush also met with a group of ministers to talk about the need for healing after a very contentious election.

From Peach State Public Radio Susanna Capelouto reports that Dekalb County Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown was murdered last Friday. Brown was gunned down outside his home. Weeks before his murder Brown had ordered 38 sheriff's department employees to be fired once he gained office but there is no speculation by police officers about the motive.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on the latest personnel announcements of President-elect George W. Bush, starting with Missouri Senator John Ashcroft for Attorney General. Ashcroft, a strong conservative, was defeated in his bid for re-election last month by the late Mel Carnahan. He's also a former two-term governor and state attorney general. New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman was chosen to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

NPR's John Nielsen reports on the background of Christine Todd Whitman, who has accepted president-elect George W. Bush's offer to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Whitman already has national stature and her acceptance is evidence that running EPA is no longer viewed as a stepping stone to national prominence. And she's neither friend nor foe to an environmental community that has been skeptical of the GOP agenda.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports from Paris that French authorities have jailed a son of the late president Francois Mitterrand on suspicion of illegal arms sales to Angola. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, once his father's adviser for African affairs, is being investigated for influence peddling, complicity in arms trafficking and money laundering. The jailing of Jean-Christophe Mitterrand has raised questions about France's long and complicated history of ties with Africa.

President-elect Bush named businessman Paul O'Neill as his Secretary of the Treasury. O'Neill is the chairman of Alcoa, the world's largest aluminum producer. Bush said he selected O'Neill because he shares his commitment to tax relief. Bush was also expected to announce today that Don Evans, his campaign chairman, would be the nominee for commerce secretary. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports on how brick-and-mortar stores like Williams Sonoma, Barnes and Nobel, and Target are using the Internet to augment their business. Though last season saw dismal on-line services by these types of companies, they've since applied their merchandising and promotional know-how to their own web-sites. Now Internet-only companies are looking toward the traditional retailers to find ways to improve their businesses.

Scott Horsley of member station KPBS in San Diego reports Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson has ordered power companies to sell electricity at "fair prices" to utilities in California. It's hoped the move will decrease the risk of forced blackouts throughout the state. But experts warn the move is only a temporary fix for a complicated problem, and unless long term solutions are found, power deregulation in the state may become a thing of the past.

A federal judge in Michigan has upheld a policy at the University of Michigan that allows the use of race in considering applications for undergraduate admissions. The ruling is one of several around the country in recent years -- including one in Washington State last week -- that may set the stage for the U.S. Supreme Court to once again take up the issue of affirmative action at colleges and universities. NPR's Anne Hawke reports.

David Willey reports from Palermo, Sicily, that delegates from around the world signed a treaty this week on combating trans-national crime. The treaty pledges the signatories to take measures against money laundering and includes protocols against the smuggling of immigrants and trafficking in women. The conference was held in Palermo -- the birthplace of the Cosa Nostra mafia. The city has now taken great strides to root out organized crime.