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Ready to deploy on dangerous missions with just a few hours' notice, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit represents the Pentagon's "leaning forward" strategy in dealing with terrorists worldwide. There's a new sense of urgency as the unit trains at Camp Lejeune, N.C. NPR's David Molpus reports for Morning Edition.

Republicans say it's now more important than ever to secure the nation's oil supply by opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil development. Opponents counter there's still no evidence that the wildlife refuge contains more than a few months' supply of oil. (4:01)

Journalist Mark Bowden discusses Saddam Hussein, the subject of his cover story for the May issue of The Atlantic Monthly. The story is –Tales of the Tyrant: The private life and inner world of Saddam Hussein. Bowden is also author of the bestseller Black Hawk Down, which was made into a film. His book Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Worlds Greatest Outlaw, about the U.S. government's role in bringing down Colombian cocaine kingpin and terrorist Pablo Escobar is now in paperback. It won the Overseas Press Club Award for best non fiction book on foreign affairs.

Journalist Jeffrey Toobin discusses his profile of Attorney General John Aschroft, published in this week's issue of The New Yorker. Toobin is a staff writer for The New Yorker and a legal analyst for ABC News. His books include Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election (Random House); A Vast Conspiracy; and The Run of His Life.

Republican senators fall well short of the votes needed to keep alive a proposal to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska. Thursday's vote all but assures that ANWR oil exploration won't be a part of the energy bill sent to President Bush. View a map of the area and a photo gallery of some wild ANWR inhabitants.

Kim Stanley Robins's new novel The Years of Rice and Salt (Bantam Doubleday Dell; ISBN: 0553109200) imagines 700 years of history, including China's discovery of the new world. Alternative history has long been popular with writers, but as NPR's Neda Ulaby reports, this form of novel writing is a reflection of the times.

The Gorillaz' debut album sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, and the group was nominated for MTV awards, Brit awards, even a Grammy. Their recent tour sold out premier venues in North America. Not bad for a bunch of cartoon characters. NPR's Susan Stone goes behind the curtain, Tuesday on All Things Considered.

Her new novel is Desirable Daughters. Mukherjee is an Indian-born writer who emigrated to the U.S. as an adult. Her new novel is about a traditional Brahmin family transformed by contemporary culture.

British actress Julie Christie stars as a doctor in the new Hal Hartley film, No Such Thing. Her other films include Doctor Zhivago, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, and Nashville. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in the 1965 film Darling. [The audio for this segment is unavailable due to Internet rights issues.]

Most of America's millions of old computers are shipped to Asia, where rural villagers strip and sell the scrap metal and plastic. The leftover waste -- often toxic -- is piled up around houses and rivers. Environmentalists are crying foul. For Weekend All Things Considered, NPR's Allison Aubrey reports. (5:15)