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A major environmental lobbying group has broken ranks, issuing a report that calls the Endangered Species Act a failure. The Environmental Defense Fund says the law hasn't protected species on private land and that the law needs to be overhauled to extend its reach to these areas. But other groups don't want Congress to tinker with one of environmentalism's monumental achievements. And as NPR's John Nielsen reports, ranchers and farmers are also opposed to any changes.

by the resort of Vail to double in size by buying up three nearby mountain ski regions in Colorado, giving it 43 percent of the state ski business. This worries competing resorts as well as skiers who suspect it might mean monopoly pricing.

on Radio Station WSTA on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Randall lives on Water Island, which has been under the control of the U.S. Department of Interior. Next week, the title will be transferred to the government of the Virgin Islands.

The FCC today took the first step in a series of actions commissioners say will eventually save consumers billions of dollars in international telephone fees. Today's order will allow American phone companies to negotiate rates directly with foreign carriers. In the weeks ahead, the FCC is expected to announce another policy change that would limit the fees U.S. companies pay their foreign counterparts. NPR's Phillip Davis reports.

The Justice Department has turned down a third request for an independent counsel to investigate possible campaign finance violations involving former Democratic fundraiser John Huang. But NPR's Barbara Bradley reports that the Attorney General is referring the case to an internal Justice Department campaign finance task force. The Justice Department says the case does not meet the criteria of the Independent Counsel Act: It doesn't involve high administration officials and it doesn't create a conflict of interest for the Justice Department. Senator John McCain made the request, and says the decision not to appoint an independent counsel may make congressional hearings necessary.

The state of Virginia executed more people than any other state in the last year. The reason? Virginia has a new law that limits death row appeals. Laura Womack of member station WAMU reports.

Instead of fighting off rebel assaults, the Zairean army is looting and pillaging and generally contributing to the country falling apart.

Federal officials are warning people in California and other states that have legalized medicinal marijuana-smoking that the federal ban is still in effect. NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports that state proponents of decriminalizing marijuana say they hope the feds will decide not to enforce it. They say that's what happened in the days when states were repealing their liquor prohibition laws, but the federal ban had not, and the practical effect was to decriminalize alcohol.

NPR's Elizabeth Arnold talks with Robert about the year ahead for the 105th Congress. This new Congress is expected to have more willingness to compromise with the White House. The Senate is also expected to play a greater role in achieving Republican political goals, now that the House membership has become more bipartisan.