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The U.S. military raid in Pakistan last week was part of an intensified campaign to attack al-Qaida and the Taliban inside Pakistan. NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman talks with host Scott Simon about how CIA officers are being pulled from around the world for this campaign.

Hurricane Ike is expected to come ashore on the Gulf Coast of Texas. It's predicted to be a Category 3 storm, and hurricane warnings are in effect for a 400-mile swath of the coast.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is reported to be in failing health. North Korean officials denied the report, while a U.S. intelligence official told NPR that Kim may have suffered a stroke in recent weeks.

Hurricane Ike is expected to make landfall — as a Category 3 hurricane — late Friday or early Saturday south of Galveston, Texas. Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order and warned of "certain death" for those who don't leave, but NPR's Ari Shapiro says plenty of people remain.

Stock markets in Asia took a big hit Tuesday after Wall Street's 504-point drop on Monday. Most Asian markets were closed Monday for a holiday, so Tuesday was the first time investors reacted to the news of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch being bought by Bank of America.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, is blasting Gov. Rod Blagojevich following allegations that he attempted to auction off the senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Schakowsky, who is also a contender to senate appointment, likens the governor's alleged demands to "wild fantasies."

Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison is back on the literary scene with a new book, A Mercy. Set in 17th century America, the story follows a teenaged girl enslaved during a time when many people, not just blacks, were in bondage. Morrison talks about her book, its characters and whether we're living in a post-racial age.

Technically speaking, the Obama campaign had two crown jewels: a database with the e-mail addresses of 10 million supporters and an online network that mobilized voters. What will become of this machine as the president-elect moves to the White House?

Jan. 1, 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Led by a young Fidel Castro, the revolution wrenched power from the American-backed Batista regime. Today, Cuba remains the only communist nation in the Western hemisphere, making Castro one of the most polarizing figures of modern times. NPR's Tom Gjelten, who spent decades reporting on Cuba, takes a look back.

Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich named former State Atty. Gen. Ronald Burris yesterday as his pick to replace President-elect Barack Obama's vacant senate seat. Some see the move as a slap in the face to critics who want the governor to resign following allegations of corruption.