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NPR's Don Gonyea outlines the content of President Bush's speech, which emphasized his proposal for $1.6 trillion in tax cuts over ten years. The president promised to protect Social Security and proposed more spending on defense, education, and conservation.

NPR's Phillip Martin reports on the struggle for understanding between the African-American community and the growing number of black African immigrants in Nashville, Tennessee. This story is part of NPR's ongoing series, The Changing Face of America.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that opposition leaders in Ukraine are claiming the country's president ordered the decapitation of a dissident journalist. They hope the controversy building around their president will lead to his resignation or removal. But to date, the opposition hasn't been able to muster enough support to pose a threat.

Kelley Griffin of Colorado Public Radio reports on a controversy over a grade school science fair project in Boulder. School authorities banned a project using black- and white-skinned Barbie dolls to test views on race.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports the judges hearing Microsoft's appeal of its antitrust case raised serious questions about the government's plan to split the company in two. The seven-judge panel suggested they may send the breakup order back to a lower court to be reconsidered. The appeals court panel also expressed concerns about the way the district court judge handled the case and comments he made to reporters while the trial was still in session.

Ted Clark reports on Colombian President Andres Pastrana's visit to the White House today. He and President Bush talked about drugs, Colombia's civil war and expanded trade which could improve the country's economy and ease the conditions which lead to the drug problem and the war.

Linda Wertheimer talks with John Huntington, professor of art history at Ohio State University, about the decrees by Taliban clerics in Afganistan to destroy all Buddha statues in the country. The professor describes the statues, and talks about why they are important. Pictures of Buddhist art in Afghanistan may be found at kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu

Today, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that 12.7 percent of high-schoolers in grades 9-12 have tried the drug Ritalin at least once in their lives without a prescription. Every three years the department surveys thousands of Massachusetts students about substance abuse; for this survey, for the first time, they asked about the drug Ritalin - which is widely prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, ADD and ADHD. Robert Siegel travels to Boston and to one its suburbs, Newton, Mass., to talk with high-school students about their experiences with Ritalin. Robert also talks with substance abuse counselors, child psychologists and psychiatrists about this phenomenon. Ritalin abuse is not as alarming to the health care professionals Robert met as the rising use of ecstacy or the persistent use of marijuana and alcohol. But many said that they have concern about the overdiagnosis of ADD and ADHD, and the overprescription of the drug to treat it.

More things happen in one day in New Orleans at Mardi Gras than happen all year in a typical Ohio town. Commentator Andrei Codrescu hires an actual person from Ohio to chronicle all the things that happen in the French Quarter.

Consumer confidence is at its lowest level in more than four years, according to a report released today. Consumer sentiment is seen as the critical factor when it comes to whether the economy will regain its footing or plunge into recession. The report shows that consumers are increasingly fretful about layoffs and the faltering stock market. Other data released today, on sales of homes and orders for other expensive durable goods, confirms that businesses and consumers are cutting back on spending. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.