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Slate senior editor Andy Bowers explains when exactly the president of the United States can declare a national holiday.

U.S.-led special operations troops in Iraq free four Western hostages who had been kidnapped in April. Although few details were available about the operation, a security source said three Italians and a Pole were released in a raid 11 miles south of Baghdad. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said a number of men were captured during the raid. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and NPR's Emily Harris.

We've heard this week about the G8 summit of world leaders, including many from Africa, and the setting: Sea Island, off the coast of Georgia. It's part of the Sea Islands -- plural -- and it's rich with what's known as black Gullah culture. Reporter Allison Keyes spoke with Emory Campbell of Gullah Heritage Consulting about Gullah history, traditions and language.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to recover from a five-year civil war, one priority is restoring a vital rail link in the central African nation's interior. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.

President Bush says George Tenet has resigned as CIA director for "personal reasons" and will leave the spy agency next month. Tenet has been under intense fire for intelligence failures in Iraq. His deputy will lead the agency temporarily until a successor is found. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

Twenty-five years ago, Babs Reynolds fled her violent ex-husband and escaped to the frigid, remote town of Whittier, Alaska. Having grown accustomed to the harsh conditions, she never expects to leave –- even though her ex-husband has since died. Journalist Jake Halpern talks to Reynolds in the second of a five-part series based on his book Braving Home.

Kentucky family court Judge Michael Foellger is giving some deadbeat dads a choice: Get a vasectomy or go to jail.

Authorities now say that all the missing from the collapse in Changsha had been accounted for, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

In the first of a week-long series on parenting in America, NPR's Tavis Smiley talks to Dr. Alvin Poussiant, a renowned psychiatrist and observer of the black family for many years, about some of the challenges of raising children.

The U.S. military suspends offensive operations in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf. The move is part of a deal, brokered by Shiite leaders, to have insurgent cleric Muqtada al-Sadr withdraw his militia from the besieged city. Sadr's fighters have suffered heavy casualties in recent clashes with U.S. forces. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Peter Kenyon.