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Recently a commission in Germany reached agreement on a Holocaust Memorial that would be built in Berlin. But now, many of Germany's conservatives, including Chancelor Helmut Kohl, say they're not happy with the design. And that's an opinion echoed by Germany's small Jewish community. Deidre Berger reports on the controversy.

Hard-line Israeli conservatives rallied in Tel Aviv today in the largest demonstration in Israeli history. They want to oppose any concessions by Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Camp David Peace Talks. NPR's Linda Gradstein reports, that's the opposition is not necessarily the majority sentiment in Israel.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports on reaction to the appointment of former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft to be Attorney General. Conservatives say Ashcroft is the perfect nominee for the job. At least one liberal group, People for the American Way, say having Ashcroft as Attorney General is a setback for civil rights.

Uproar among many conservatives over President Bush's choice of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court adds to the long list of political troubles dogging the Republican Party. The Iraq war, gas prices, hurricanes and ethics scandals are making Republicans worried about next year's elections.

Exit polls are showing Lee Myung-bak, a conservative former mayor of Seoul, winning South Korea's presidential election. Voters overlooked fraud allegations in hope that the former Hyundai CEO will revive the economy. Lee, of the Grand National Party, received 50.3 percent of the vote.

Christian conservatives who say that servicing a same-sex wedding violates their religious beliefs cite New Testament verses that suggest it is sinful not only to engage in homosexual behavior, but also to "approve" of it. Moderate theologians say such a literalist reading takes the lessons of the Bible out of context.

President Obama ruffled conservative feathers when he bowed to the Japanese emperor during his trip to Asia. Bowing is the standard greeting in Japan, as it once was in the United States. Slate magazine's Andy Bowers explains the history of the gesture and why it feel out of favor in the U.S.

The most popular branch of the Smithsonian will be closing after Labor Day to undergo a planned two-year renovation. The American History Museum wants to update the building's infrastructure and create a better display for the Star Spangled Banner. A painstaking 8-year conservation project on the flag was completed Wednesday.

Fresh off victories in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum campaigned in Texas on Wednesday. He told a small group of pastors, some of them former supporters of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, that he is the true conservative left to challenge Mitt Romney.

ICE seems to be changing from aggressive immigration enforcement on city streets to an apparent return to operations that rely heavily on local law enforcement. But even in Florida, where sheriffs are required to cooperate with ICE, some conservative sheriffs have concerns about pursuing immigrants with no criminal records.

Voters headed to the polls in 10 states on Tuesday. Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center talks to Robert Siegel about the race in Ohio. He shares a picture of who turned out to vote — what issues were on their minds, as well as how conservative and religious they see themselves.

Charles Krauthammer once was a psychiatrist and a self-described "Great Society liberal." Now he's a Pulitzer Prize-winning, nationally syndicated conservative columnist. His new book, Things That Matter, presents a selection of his writings from three decades spent observing politics and culture.

Linda talks with Janice Harris -- a suburban mom, a P.R. consultant, and a "swing voter" -- about President Clinton's appearance last night at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. Yesterday, we heard Linda's conversation with Janice Harris and several of her friends about their expectations for the Democratic convention and what they wanted to her from the podium.

Commentator Paul Durrenberger reflects on a conversation about business ethics he overheard on the bus. Two business students discuss what they are learning in their ethics course -- sometimes you'll have to do the wrong thing, but you ought to think about it first. Durrenberger wonders if the students misunderstood the lesson, or if this is what our society teaches.

Satirist Harry Shearer imagines a telephone conversation between Ross Perot and Bob Dole. Perot suggests to Dole they team up to beat Bill Clinton, who Perot thinks will be coronated if they don't. There are two problems between the two: Who will head the ticket, and how do they get rid of their current running-mates? (IN STEREO)

A bar conversation in Dublin about Ireland's status as the home of "the world's loudest bat" intrigued Abinadi Meza. If humans could hear the bat, it would be like a jumbo jet taking off next to our ears, the claim went. It was enough to send Meza out with electronic gear to try to find the bat, and capture its sound.

Otis Taylor brings his banjo to the studio for a concert and conversation. We'll hear tracks from his new CD, White African. Taylor plays guitar and ukelele in addition to banjo. His music is often described as minimalist, and his lyrics are often stories of race and racism. He's been compared to John Lee Hooker.

Diane Johnson often writes about American heroines living in France, but when she began her memoir, she found herself drawn back to her native ground in America's heartland. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Flyover Lives "lets scenes and conversations speak for themselves, accruing power as they lodge in readers' minds."

Tapes of more than 1,600 phone calls to New York police and firefighters on Sept. 11 are released under court order. Most are brief conversations from firefighters to emergency responders. The release -- the second this year -- follows a long court battle pitting the city against some Sept. 11 families and the New York Times.

Robert Siegel continues his conversations with residents of one small street in New Orleans East. He chats with Keia Wyre, who lives at 37 Honeysuckle Lane. She's staying with her mother in Hampton, Va., while she tries to find out what insurance and FEMA will pay her for her water-damaged home.