In the race for the presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama maintain command, but their strategists are the ones plotting their campaigns. Tad Devine, an unaffiliated Democratic consultant, talks about strategy on the campaign trail.

The Bush administration has added fewer plants and animals to the endangered species list than the last two administrations. But this year, the government may start protecting a group of species that has been ignored previously -- those on the endangered species "candidate list."

This week, a fishing trawler sank in the Bering Sea, killing four men and leaving another missing. One of those killed was the fishing boat's captain, who lost his life helping his crew get to safety.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr discusses the top stories of the week, including the Iraqi security forces' battle with Shiite militiamen in Basra, the Democrats' fight for the presidential nomination and the Federal Reserve's struggle to turn around the economy.

Cargo pilots haul everything from whales to video games in planes that harken back to another era. Freelance journalist Michael Walker, who recently wrote a profile on the subject for Men's Vogue, talks about this intense, often bizarre line of work.

Ascension Solorsano de Cervantes was the last known member of the Amah Mutsun tribe fluent in her people's language. Now, an opera singer and a composer have written what they're calling an "ethno-historical cantata" based on her oral history.

Citigroup executive Robert Rubin evaluates proposals made by the top three presidential candidates and others to fix the housing and credit crises. The former Treasury secretary is supportive of the idea of renegotiating loans, especially for people whose houses are worth less than their mortgages.

The latest figures show an uptick in existing home sales for the first time since July 2007. Is the market beginning to turn around? A realtor and a buyer in Tucson, Ariz., looking at homes share their impressions.

The primacy of the Euro has luxury stores and chic boutiques along Rodeo Drive teeming with happy shoppers from Europe. It's a boon for an economy still reeling from the crisis in the housing market.

North Carolina is filled with perennial college basketball powerhouses. And then there's tiny Davidson College, known more in the state for its academics than its sports prowess. But this year it's Davidson making its mark in the tournament, outlasting even big-name schools like Duke.

Private equity firms that want to buy Clear Channel Communications are suing Citigroup and other major banks, saying they've backed out of a deal to finance the purchase. In the current credit crunch, the banks once eager to lend money for private equity deals now appear skittish.

Recycling newspaper and plastic can only go so far toward achieving a "zero waste" world, a recycling activist says. The next step, he says, is getting industry and government to work together to make going greener more profitable.

Congress returns to Washington, D.C., next week facing a big task: how to deal with an economic crisis that extends from Main Street to Wall Street. The Bush administration is resisting promising money to homeowners caught in the mortgage crisis. But Democrats in Congress, including both presidential candidates, disagree.

Iraq's battle against militia groups this week may help to answer a critical question: whether Iraq's central government is taking charge -- or whether it doesn't have the power to do so. Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, who was in the country as Iraqi forces prepared to attack militias, says he's not sure how well the operation was coordinated.

Three Mile Island has been synonymous with the 1979 accident that caused the partial meltdown of one of its reactors. The company that owns the working reactor has applied for a license extension that would keep the plant running until 2034.