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Growing up in a racially segregated neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa, Neal Petersen overcame both physical disability and apartheid to become the first man of African heritage to race solo around the globe in a sailboat. He shares his incredible story with NPR's Tony Cox — a story detailed in his autobiography Journey of a Hope Merchant.

Michael Chertoff, President Bush's nominee to head Homeland Security, has worked for both Republicans and Democrats. And he's been both lauded and criticized by civil libertarians. NPR's Robert Smith reports.

Meredith Ochs reviews a new music CD by Capt. James T. Kirk, also known as William Shatner. The album, Has Been, is a funny and philosophical collaboration between the former Star Trek star and musician Ben Folds, among others.

President Bush's plan to allow private accounts for Social Security may send a lot of business to Wall Street; but lobbyists for reform say the returns for financial firms are not necessarily so great. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

The third solo album of singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers debuted at number one in her native Australia. Now, Wayward Angel is out in America and Chambers recently toured the country to promote it. She performs some songs for NPR's Liane Hansen.

NPR's Kim Masters talks to NPR's Noah Adams about the current corporate civil trial against Walt Disney Company. Shareholders are suing the company over alleged misconduct involving the severance package for former corporate president Michael Ovitz, who reportedly left with a $140 million "golden parachute" after just 14 months as chief executive of the entertainment giant.

Britain's Parliament has finalized a ban on fox hunting in England and Wales. NPR's Noah Adams talks to Jonathan Freedland, a reporter for London's Guardian newspaper, about the ban and the angry reaction from many of Great Britain's hunters.

Critic David Edelstein reviews The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, now in theaters. He calls the TV cartoon that spawned the animated film "a joyful spasm of whacked-out surrealism," but says the film has a much more straightforward plot and some pedestrian characters.

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Marine Corps Col. Thomas Xavier Hammes, a counter-insurgency specialist, about the current situation in Iraq. Hammes is the author of The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century.

Briefing reporters in Fallujah, Lt. Gen. John Sattler says fighting in the city has stopped, though many houses need to be cleared of booby traps. He denies there were heavy civilian casualties in the city and says so far there is no humanitarian crisis there. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.