A powerful leadership group — the Catholic Seven — is stepping forward and heading in a bold new direction: basketball. These schools want out of the Big (football) East Conference.

Frontman Craig Minowa talks about tragedy in his past and how the group's new album, Love, reflects his own healing process.

When Washington State lawmakers proposed a new tax on bikes, the owner of several bike shops protested. He ended up in an email argument with a Republican lawmaker. State Senator Ed Orcutt argued cyclists pollute just by breathing. It is true that a heavy breathing cyclist would emit more carbon dioxide than a person who's just sitting, but Orcutt reconsider his claim and apologized.

Joseph Torsella represents the United States on the United Nation's budget committee. He says it's a tough budget process, and it's complicated by diplomats who show up drunk.

Best Buy is calling its corporate employees back to the office. The move comes after Yahoo stirred debate for ending its work-from-home program. A Best Buy spokesperson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune the hope is the approach will lead to collaboration.

Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show if William Johnson is fired when the new owners take over, he'll walk away with a golden parachute worth $56 million. When you tack on stock payouts and deferred compensation benefits, he could get more than $200 million.

On the opening day Tuesday, Premier Wen Jiabao delivered his version of the State of the Union address. He's due to step down next week. The annual legislative meeting marks the official transition to power of a new leadership team under Xi Jinping.

In the past, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush favored a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but in a new book, he modifies that position to call for requiring illegal immigrants to leave the U.S. and re-apply to enter if they want to pursue citizenship.

In our personal finance series last spring, we met three families who were taking care of school-age or college-aged kids, and caring for an aging relative. It was three generations under one roof. Steve Inskeep reports that one of the people we met in that series, 87-year-old AnnaBelle Bowers, or Snootzie as she was called, died over the weekend.

Over the past several days, rebels in Syria have captured a city of more than a million people in one northern province. It the first time rebels captured a provincial capital. The rebels also have taken a step toward setting up a rebel government in another northern province.

Residents of a village in southern China are demanding democratic elections in a new standoff with authorities. The farmers of Shangpu say armed thugs sent by their own village chief attacked the community to pave the way for a new factory on their land.

Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne have the Last Word in business.

China's annual legislative meeting, the National People's Congress, opened on Tuesday. It marks the official transition to power of a new leadership team under Xi Jinping. NPR's Louisa Lim reports from Beijing.

Renee Montagne has business news.

Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Mara Liasson about the evolution of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's thinking on illegal immigration. In the past, Bush favored a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but in a new book, he modifies that position to call for requiring illegal immigrants to leave the U.S. and re-apply to enter if they want to pursue citizenship.

In our personal finance series last spring, we met three families who were taking care of school-age or college-aged kids, and caring for an aging relative. It was three generations under one roof. Steve Inskeep reports that one of the people we met in that series, 87-year-old AnnaBelle Bowers, or Snootizie as she was called, died over the weekend.

Syrian rebels have made military and political gains over the past several days, capturing a city of more than a million people in one northern province, and taking a step toward setting up a rebel government in another northern province. NPR's Deborah Amos has an update.

Residents of a village in South China are demanding democratic elections in a new standoff with authorities over another government land grab. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from inside the barricaded village.

The continuing resolution allows Congress to carry over the previous fiscal year's budget into the next one. And if Congress doesn't pass one by March 27, the government will run out of money and likely shut down.

Sonali Deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons and parents to the Indian Ocean tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. Her new memoir recounts the events of that fateful day.