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Enormous deficits loom over the federal budget this year and next. The White House is pressing Senate Republicans to trim nearly $10 billion from spending bills approved last year when Democrats ran the Senate. Democrats respond that the president's proposed tax cuts need trimming -- not federal spending. NPR's David Welna reports.

In New Orleans, opening arguments begin in a class-action lawsuit aimed at making the tobacco industry help smokers quit. About 3 million smokers -- some of whom are not ill -- are seeking funding for medical monitoring, but the industry says it should not be held responsible for those who ignore warning labels. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

Pakistan demands exemption from a U.S. registration program for non-citizens, and Indonesia tells its citizens not to travel here. The program requires visiting males from 25 Middle Eastern and Asian countries to be fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed as an anti-terror measure. The Justice Department says the effort is starting to pay off. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

The Bush administration approves a policy that could make it more difficult for Medicaid patients to receive emergency care. Federal law had required managed-care plans covering Medicare and Medicaid to cover trips to emergency rooms for those patients. The new Bush policy permits some limits on Medicaid ER use. NPR's Julie Rovner reports.

As anti-war protesters arrive in Washington, D.C., for weekend demonstrations, local police are ready with surveillance cameras. Critics say the presence of the cameras will discourage some people from participating. City officials say the cameras are important to manage resources in case violence erupts. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

The military gives small doses of amphetamines to fighter pilots who must endure long flights without sleep. The policy is based on research by the Air Force and Columbia University that shows small doses improve performance. But the use of the drugs has been called into question at a hearing for two pilots who mistakenly bombed Canadian forces in Afghanistan. NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports.

As the Bush administration presses Iraq to divulge weapons secrets or face attack, Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz uses a speech in New York to describe what he calls "real disarmament." He cites South Africa, Ukraine and Kazakhstan as good examples of nations that have openly and voluntarily given up nuclear arms. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

In Beijing, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly continues efforts to end the impasse over North Korea's nuclear program. The United States wants China, North Korea's closest ally, to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions. Anthony Kuhn reports.

The Justice Department reviews a proposed union of two Spanish-language media companies to see if it violates federal media ownership rules. Some consumer groups say Univision's acquisition of the radio chain Hispanic Broadcasting -- a $2 billion deal -- would give the new company unprecedented control of the Hispanic market. NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

The New Jersey Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the state can discourage women on welfare from having another child. The lawsuit argues that a federal welfare law that allows states to deny additional payments for children born into families already on welfare is unfair. NPR's Nancy Solomon reports.