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South Korea is sending a special envoy to its communist northern neighbor to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons program. And South Korea's president-elect Roh Moo-hyun is proposing a summit with the north's reclusive leader, Kim Jong Il. NPR's Eric Weiner reports.

Health care workers in Connecticut are set to be the first U.S. civilians to receive smallpox vaccinations. It's the first step in a new federal program aimed at protecting Americans against a biological attack. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

Richard Reid, the al Qaeda follower who tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes, is sentenced to life in prison. Reid gets the maximum sentence after declaring himself a soldier of war. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.

Economic growth comes to a near standstill in the fourth quarter of 2002, as the gross domestic product rose by an annual rate of just 0.7 percent. Concerns over a possible war in Iraq and rising oil prices prompt many businesses to hold off on new spending. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

U.N. weapons inspectors discover empty chemical warheads in southern Iraq, and for the first time visit homes of two Iraqi nuclear scientists in Baghdad, removing documents from one. Meanwhile at the United Nations, there's disagreement over the timetable for weapons inspections to conclude. Hear NPR's Kate Seelye and NPR's Vicky O'Hara.

Government lawyers on the Enron Task Force are stepping up prosecution following the holidays. The so-called "superseding indictment" could bring additional charges against Enron's Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow. It could also name new defendants. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.

The Supreme Court upholds a 20-year copyright extension passed by Congress in 1998. An Internet publisher challenged the extension, which lengthens copyrights to 70 years after the creator's death, arguing it threatened the public domain. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and Rick Karr.

U.N. arms inspectors search two outbuildings of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's primary palace. Meanwhile, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency consults with Russian officials on Iraq. Hear NPR's Michele Norris, Rajiv Chandrasekaran of The Washington Post and NPR's Lawrence Sheets.

As Secretary of State Colin Powell prepares to present to the U.N. Security Council the U.S. case against Iraq, President Bush will meet with Italy's prime minister and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister for the "final phase" of diplomatic consultations. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten and Joseph Cirincione of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

A U.S. Army helicopter with several Americans aboard crashes near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, and some casualties are reported, a senior American official says. Meanwhile, the Pentagon for the first time discloses that some U.S. military forces are on the ground in Northern Iraq. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.