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NASA officials back away from the theory that a piece of foam insulation, dislodged during Columbia's liftoff, caused the space shuttle's disintegration upon re-entry Feb. 1. As NASA continues its probe, engineers draw on risk assessments done after the 1986 Challenger explosion. Hear NPR's Richard Harris and NPR's Christopher Joyce.

Secretary of State Colin Powell addresses the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, seeking congressional support for a possible war with Iraq. Powell's testimony comes a day after he presents the U.N. Security Council with a report detailing evidence against Iraq. NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Michele Kelemen.

Tom Ridge is sworn in as the first secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Ridge begins his job amid complaints that homeland security remains underfunded, and that the government has done too little to secure the nation since Sept. 11. NPR's Pam Fessler reports.

Smallpox vaccinations begin today for medical workers in several states and Los Angeles County. The government's goal is the inoculation of 450,000 health workers against a bioterrorism attack with smallpox. But some are resisting vaccination out of safety and legal liability fears. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

The FBI is looking into a computer virus that struck the Internet overnight, interfering with Web browsing and e-mail delivery. Experts say the virus exploits a bug in the Microsoft system that was identified six months ago, and repaired with a software "patch." NPR News reports.

A Spanish judge orders 16 al Qaeda suspects arrested on Friday to remain in the government's custody. Police say they found chemicals, detonators and other electronic bomb components in searches of their homes. Jerome Socolovsky reports.

NATO votes to block planning efforts for a potential war in Iraq. Members say all diplomatic means should be exhausted first. Elsewhere in Europe, anti-war sentiments grow. Hear NPR's Guy Raz, NPR's Michele Norris, Dominique Moisi of the French Institute of International Relations, and Constance Stelzenmueller, foreign policy editor of Die Ziet.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says that two months of investigation on the ground in Iraq have failed to produce any "smoking guns." Blix is preparing to brief the U.N. Security Council on the inspections process. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

South Korea is joined by China, Russia, Japan and Australia in supporting U.S. diplomatic efforts to get North Korea to suspend nuclear weapons development. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

As Assistant U.S. Secretary of State James Kelly heads to Beijing for talks on North Korea, China offers to host discussions between the United States and North Korea in an effort to resolve the their standoff. Anthony Kuhn reports.