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President Bush has chosen Wall Street veteran Henry M. Paulson Jr. to be his third treasury secretary. If confirmed, he would succeed John Snow. The Wall Street Journal's David Wessel tells Steve Inskeep that the Goldman Sachs CEO can make a difference at Treasury by taming the federal budget process and the tending to the value of the dollar.

Divisions among Democrats take center stage as the Senate debates two Iraq amendments to the defense bill. One, from Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), calls for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by a certain date. A competing amendment, also from the Democrats, is an open-ended call for the withdrawal of troops. Republicans stand largely united against the amendments.

Incumbent Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick managed to defeat challenger Freman Hendrix in Tuesday's vote. Kilpatrick won another term despite being accused of using city finances to enrich himself and his family. Steve Inskeep talks with Detroit Public Radio's Quinn Klinefelter about the election.

The Senate continues to debate the contentious nomination of John Bolton as U.S. envoy to the United Nations. Democrats allege Bolton may have mishandled classified information and are trying to delay a vote.

Boeing is paying a $615 million fine for defense contract wrongdoings. At the same time, the company continues to pursue new deals for defense contracts. One watchdog group says the agreement points to anti-trust problems in the defense industry.

Scientists have developed vaccines that protect against the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses. They hope to test the vaccines -- successful in experiments with monkeys -- on humans in two to three years. The viruses are at the top of experts' list of bioterrorism threats.

One brigade slated for deployment to Iraq this summer will instead be staying in Germany, courtesy of the Pentagon's reassessment of troop levels. Will political progress in Baghdad allow the Defense Department to lower U.S. force levels in the weeks ahead?

An unexpectedly steep rise in tax revenues has driven down the projected federal budget deficit this year. The White House says that the deficit will be about $296 billion, much less than the $423 billion predicted six months ago. Steve Inskeep talks with David Wessel of the The Wall Street Journal.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank is prepared to begin raising interest rates this month to fight inflation despite economic uncertainty after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in the "Bridgegate" case. The high court's ruling on the New Jersey scandal could prove more consequential if criminal convictions are thrown out.