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President Bush has tapped Laura Bush to lead an effort to help boys do better in school and stay away from street gangs and crime -- a response to grim statistics on the difficulties boys face. NPR's Michele Norris speaks with the first lady about the initiative.

The weekly HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher begins its new season Feb. 18. Previously, Bill Maher created and hosted the late night political round-table show Politically Incorrect.

The University of Colorado is under pressure to fire a professor over remarks he made in an essay on the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Ward Churchill's essay described the attacks as retribution for the United States' foreign policy.

While its eventual fate is an open question, Jonah Staw says his new company may be worth $100 million dollars in three years. NPR's Ketzel Levine talks with Staw about Little MissMatched, the business Staw started after leaving a marketing career.

NPR's Michele Norris talks with Carol Brey-Casiano, president of the American Library Association, about the impact of Google's plan to digitize the resources of five major libraries.

Musician and writer Miles Hoffman says the great composer, born 234 years ago this week in Bonn, Germany, is still revered for his forceful music — and admired for writing a share of it after losing his hearing.

The Bush administration has made Social Security reform a top priority in its second term. In arguing for partial privatization of the system, the president and his supporters warn of dire consequences unless something is done. Bush's critics say he is arguing for overly drastic measures. NPR Don Gonyea reports.

Pulitzer prize-winning author Michael Chabon's new book follows the sleuthing adventures of an elderly Sherlock Holmes. It's called The Final Solution: A Story of Detection. Chabon explains how the Sherlock Holmes mysteries inspired him as a child and how writing a mystery novel is similar to creating his other works. Hear Chabon and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Drawing on the centuries-old tradition of female vocal music from Eastern Europe, the women's ensemble Kitka has won wide acclaim for their lush harmonies. Their latest CD, Wintersongs, features Slavic and Balkan carols and hymns. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with members of the ensemble.

Rock critic Ken Tucker gives us his top picks in pop for 2004. He runs down his 10 best albums, and then talks about some trends of 2004, such as the return of punk, the year of the hip-hop producer, crunk music, and the potential end of an era as iPods and single song downloads replace album purchases. Ken Tucker is also a film critic for New York magazine.