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President Bush nominates Jim Nicholson as secretary for Veterans Affairs, after the retirement of Anthony Principi. Nicholson is a Vietnam vet and former chairman of the Republican National Committee. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

President Bush delivers a $2.57 trillion budget to Congress that would eliminate or reduce spending on dozens of government programs, including education, farm subsidies and health care for veterans. Former Congressional Budget Office Director Robert Reischauer discusses the president's 2006 spending plan.

Commentator James Woolsey, a former director of the CIA, is in favor of Congress's creation of a new intelligence director, but he's concerned the reorganization will give Americans a false sense of security regarding future terrorist attacks.

Fans of the hit independent film Sideways are flocking to Santa Barabara County to trace the footsteps of the movie's characters, who search for the meaning of life and a good glass of pinot noir. The restaurants and wineries featured in the film are becoming cult destinations.

Spooked advertisers are steering their more controversial ads away from the Super Bowl and featuring them online. While the broadcast line-up will include family-friendly spots with patriotic themes and the Muppets, the Internet has become the destination for those seeking edgier advertising.

In the first of a series to help with the mad dash of holiday cooking, Alton Brown, host of The Food Network show '"Good Eats" and author of "I'm Just Here for More Food," offers some baking tips. He explains the secrets and science behind a perfect pie crust.

Melissa Block talks with David Margolick, author of the forthcoming Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling and a World on the Brink, about the death of former heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling. Audio provided courtesy of Cayton Sports Inc.

The trek of millions of Monarch butterflies from their breeding grounds in North America to central Mexico is one of nature's great mysteries, scientists say. But many in the area taken over from November to March see it as a mixed blessing.

In the United States, men generally earn more money than women -- about 25 percent more, on average. But that’s not the case in rural King County, Texas, where women make about 30 percent more than men. NPR’s Howard Berkes recently visited King County to examine the reasons behind the gap.

NPR's Melissa Block talks with six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong about his plans for the coming year, the controversy over doping in cycling, and what the success of the "Live Strong" bracelet campaign has meant to him.