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Trials begin in three states over a new federal law banning certain types of abortion. Abortion-rights activists oppose the law, saying it erodes a woman's right to choose abortion by threatening all second-trimester abortions. Hear NPR's Michele Norris and NPR's Robert Smith.

Demonstrators gather in Jena, La., for rallies and marches in support of six teenagers charged in the beating of a white classmate. The crowd chanted "free the Jena six," as the Rev. Al Sharpton arrived at the courthouse with family members of the teens.

A former Russian spy who is fighting for his life in a London hospital claims that he was deliberately poisoned by Russian agents because of his criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin dismisses the claims as "nonsense." Litvinenko had been looking into the killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Sen. John Kerry may delay accepting the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for a month after July's party convention. The move would allow him to raise more money. Once candidates are officially nominated, they're each expected to accept $75 million in federal funds to finance the fall campaign. Since the Democratic convention comes five weeks before the GOP convention, advisers say Kerry would be at a disadvantage. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Congress questioned judge Michael Mukasey this week to determine whether he should succeed Alberto Gonzales as attorney general. Mukasey was asked about his beliefs on waterboarding and torture policy in general.

Inflation at the wholesale level surged in November by the largest amount in more than three decades, reflecting higher prices for gasoline and a host of other items. The Producer Price Index, which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer, was up 2 percent.

Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and syndicated columnist Robert Novak testify in the trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. The defense tried to cast Libby as a scapegoat for an administration with multiple people who leaked the name of a CIA agent.

Former Worldcom chief Bernard Ebbers is indicted on charges that he participated in an $11 billion accounting fraud at the company. In the same investigation, former Worldcom chief finance officer Scott Sullivan pleads guilty and will cooperate with federal prosecutors. Ebbers and Sullivan are charged with securities fraud and conspiracy. NPR's Robert Smith reports.

The Snowball Express brings hundreds of widows, widowers and their children to Southern California, where they receive an all-expenses-paid weekend vacation that includes a day at Disneyland. But there are serious questions about the organizer of the so-called Snowball Express, and the integrity of the enterprise.

Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on school desegregation all eight Democratic candidates for president debated domestic issues important to African-Americans. All of them denounced the decision restricting the use of race in public school diversity plans. They did little to highlight their differences.