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Iraqi expatriates living in the United States are excited to finally cast ballots in their native land's election. But turnout is slow on the first day of voting.

Daniel Serwer, vice president and director of Peace and Stability Operations for the U.S. Institute of Peace, explains the complex process of electing a 275-member national assembly for Iraq. The assembly's first job will be to write a constitution by Aug. 15, 2005.

A new book, The Sinatra Treasures, celebrates the life of the legendary crooner with never-before-seen photographs, music and pull-out mementos from the Sinatra Family archives. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with Frank Sinatra, Jr. about his father.

NPR's Tony Cox speaks with Michele Cecere, team leader for CARE in the Darfur region of Sudan, and Salih Booker, executive director of Africa Action, on the recent treaty aimed at ending Sudan's bloody civil war. They also discuss the ongoing genocide in Darfur and the effect the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster could have on other humanitarian crises around the world.

NPR's Emily Harris reports on a new restaurant in Berlin, Germany, that caters to anorexics called Sehnsucht -- German for "longing." The owner touts the eatery as a great way to meet others who share similar eating disorders -- and word has it the food's not bad, either.

President Bush is sounding alarm bells about the fate of the Social Security system, claiming the senior safety net will collapse soon and younger workers should instead divert some of their payroll taxes to private investment accounts. NPR's Madeleine Brand talks with Ed Andrews, economics correspondent for The New York Times, about whether there is a Social Security crisis.

Jesse Sheidlower, editor the Oxford English Dictionary and a Slate contributing writer, discusses the history of the word "hip." He challenges an assertion made in a new book by author John Leland, Hip: The History, that the word "hip" comes from Africa.

Day to Day producer Rob Sachs profiles comic strip writer Lalo Alcaraz, who inks La Cucaracha, a nationally syndicated strip that focuses on Latino issues. The profile is part of the Day to Day occasional series "My Fellow Americans" -- audio portraits that capture the quietly extraordinary lives of everyday people.

NPR's Tony Cox speaks with CNN correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault, reporting from the network's Johannesberg, South Africa bureau, about the impact of the announcement by former president Nelson Mandela that his son has died of AIDS-related complications. South Africa is ravaged by AIDS, and the announcement could have a huge impact in a nation where families feel ostracized for admitting a family member is stricken with the immune system disease.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has resigned from President Bush's Cabinet, according to State Department officials. Powell is said to be planning to stay at the agency until his successor is confirmed.