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As the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, debate over abortion continues. Abortion rights opponents stress abstinence-only education and point to Uganda, where emphasis on abstinence has lowered a 30-percent HIV rate to 5 percent in a decade. NPR's Brenda Wilson reports.

Theresa Schiavone reports on the public television documentary, Two Towns of Jasper, which examines the racial divide in the Texas city where the 1998 racially motivated murder of James Byrd Jr. occurred. Two New York filmmakers, one black and one white, made the movie as a way to reconcile their differing views about race relations. During the Byrd murder trials in 1999, Marco Williams, who is black, interviewed black residents of Jasper; Whitney Dow, who is white, interviewed white residents.

His book The Ice Beneath You is based on his experiences as a young army private in Somalia in 1993, and his difficult return to civilian life. Hubert Selby Jr., the author of Last Exit to Brooklyn, said of Bauman's novel, "Beautifully crafted, structured, and simple... It is a pleasure to read the work of a real writer." Bauman is also a folksinger and songwriter with a CD, Roaddogs, Assasins & The Queen Of Ohio.

The Sundance Film Festival is going on through Saturday in Park City, Ut. Sundance has been widely credited with bringing independent films to mainstream audiences. Commentator Jake Tapper is in Park City this week, covering the festival for the Sundance Channel's nightly show. He says that one thing that distinguishes an independent film is that it is highly personal -- about the filmmaker's own revelation or catharsis. But just because an idea or subject is important to a filmmaker does not mean that the rest of the world will be moved by it.

Trombone star Fred Wesley, Jr. is best known for his work as a sideman with James Brown in the 1960s and 70s, but Wesley is also a legendary R&B, soul and funk veteran, whose musical career spans five decades. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Wesley about the twists and turns of a long and storied career, which he explores in an autobiography called Hit Me, Fred, and subtitled "Recollections of a Sideman."

Thirty years after the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, the abortion debate continues. The White House focuses on curbing abortions abroad and on giving stronger legal rights to fetuses, while Democrats blast the Bush administration on its abortion rights record. NPR's Julie Rovner and Mara Liasson report.

The 108th Congress goes to work with a number of fresh faces in the crowd. In an occasional series charting the course of Congressional "freshmen," NPR's Andrea Seabrook visits with Republican Thaddeus McCotter, representing Michigan's 11th District. McCotter's conservative pedigree goes hand-in-hand with his love of rock 'n' roll music -- see photos of family, staff and new Capitol office.

Last week we asked listeners to phone in their questions concerning the standoff between the U-S and North Korea. Today we answer some of those question with the help of Ambassador Wendy Sherman who is the former special advisor on North Korea during the Clinton administration. She's now a partner at the international consulting firm -- the Albright Group. Also joining the conversation: Donald Oberdorfer, a professor at Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He's also the author of "Two Koreas: A Contemporary History." (12:30) Oberdorfer's book is published by Basic Books, 1999.

Drugmakers spend billions of dollars each year trying to persuade doctors to prescribe their medicines. One company currently is in federal court, charged with illegally marketing its drug Neurontin for uses not approved by the FDA. And a family in Minnesota is asking why doctors prescribed the epilepsy drug to treat their son Dustin for manic-depression. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

Autism is a disease that often drives people apart. It separates children from parents, and can leave parents feeling abandoned by researchers who offer no cure and little hope. But the MIND Institute, founded by fathers of autistic sons, is trying to change that by making parents key players in the search for a cure. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.