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NPR's Deborah Amos reports on reconstruction and pacification efforts by U.S. forces in and around the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The regional commander, Gen. David Petreaus, is a former economics professor with a doctorate in international relations who has taken an innovative approach to nation-building.

Singer and composer Randy Newman's wry and sometimes raw musical commentary has become a big part of the American cultural landscape. In his new solo CD, The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. 1, Newman revisits some of his biggest hits.

California governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger says one of his priorities is to tackle the state's budget deficit. He says he will have the state's financial records audited. NPR's John McChesney reports.

For the past three years, All Songs Considered, NPR's online music show, has showcased the talents of both established artists and new voices. A newly released CD collects compelling music from the wide range of genres — from Latin jazz to electronica and Afropop — heard on the show. NPR's Scott Simon talks with All Songs host Bob Boilen.

Members of Iraq's American-appointed governing council are unhappy about the way the United States is awarding contracts for reconstruction. They say the process excludes potential Iraqi contractors, who would charge much less for the work, and favors huge American companies and their foreign sub-contractors. And council members say the process is riddled with bribery and kickbacks. NPR's Guy Raz reports.

For the latest installment of the continuing series "What Are You Listening To?" NPR's Steve Inskeep hears from Shannon Bentz, a biology lab coordinator in Tempe, Ariz. Bentz suggests a sampler of jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, homemade electronica and a little bit of Tiki kitsch with Arthur Lyman.

NPR's Deborah Amos has the second in a two-part series of reports about postwar developments in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Unlike central Iraq, Mosul is relatively calm, and U.S. forces in the city have made a successful start of reconstruction in the region.

NPR's Scott Simon concludes a three-part series of discussions about the Democratic candidates by talking with NPR's Mara Liasson. This week, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, the Rev. Al Sharpton, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

A new poll for NPR shows that among likely voters, a majority believe the country is on the wrong track. Americans also say they are less confident in President Bush's job performance. Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg and Republican pollster Bill McInturff asked people for their views of President Bush, the war in Iraq and the state of the country. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi is this year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Ebadi is honored for her work on behalf of democracy and human rights, and her special focus on the problems facing women and children in Iran. Hear Dan De Luce of World Radio News.