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Iraq's new interim president and vice presidents nominate Shiite politician Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister. Jaafari is a leading member of the Shiite alliance that won a slim majority of seats in parliament in last January's election.

Some Catholics have called for the immediate canonization of Pope John Paul II. But according to the rules, that can't happen for at least five years. Father Richard McBrien, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, describes the road to sainthood.

As music director of Weekend Edition Sunday, NPR's Ned Wharton supervises music continuity for the show and keeps tabs on what's new and noteworthy in the music world. He looks at a pair of CDs designed to be appreciated with visual components.

Donald Kroodsma is a renowned specialist in the interpretation of bird songs. His new book, The Singing Life of Birds, describes how birds communicate and why. But Kroodsma is also the subject of another book — about those who listen to birds.

NPR's Liane Hansen interviews author and journalist Jay Rayner about his new book Eating Crow, a political satire about a restaurant critic whose review results in the suicide of a prominent British chef. When the critic is made to apologize to the chef's family, the world takes notice.

Temple Grandin is one of the nation's top designers of livestock facilities. She is also autistic. Grandin's new book is Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior.

The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln, a recently published book by author C.A. Tripp, argues that President Abraham Lincoln had intimate relationships with men. Two Lincoln scholars debate evidence for and against the notion that Lincoln was gay.

In his book Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America, author George Edwards argues the system may be outdated and irrelevant in today's political climate. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Edwards about how the Electoral College impacts voting in the United States.

Thousands of U.S. troops launch a much-anticipated offensive against Iraqi insurgents in the town of Fallujah, west of Baghdad. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Philip Reeves.

India's ruling Congress Party is led by an unlikely pair. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a former finance minister and a reclusive workaholic, while Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, is considered the real power. Despite skepticism when they took office, Singh and Gandhi have proven effective leaders.