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The Trump administration has been laying out its priorities for improving life in rural areas. But while the White House wants to boost spending on infrastructure, it is also seeking to eliminate programs focused on growing small businesses. Many who work closely on rural development issues are wondering just how invested the administration in in their concerns.

NPR has learned a federal grand jury in Minneapolis unsealed a roster of indictments Monday charging a handful of men with recruiting young Somali-Americans to fight for a terrorist organization in Somalia. Law enforcement officials revealed details of a more than yearlong investigation into the disappearance of some two dozen young Somalis from the Twin Cities area.

The state is part of New England, but many of its football fans pick the N.Y. Giants over the Pats. "Way back when, they were the only game in town," one fan says of the days before the Patriots came to the area in 1960. But feelings run deep on both sides — and nothing reveals that like a Super Bowl.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Neal Katyal, professor of law at Georgetown University, and former acting solicitor general of the U.S., about the legal issues surrounding the swatting case which resulted in an innocent man being shot to death in Wichita, Kan., in response to a fake 911 call that came from the Los Angeles area.

One of the first areas of the Iraqi army to "stand up" was the First Battalion of the First Brigade, now stationed in Ramadi. A recent visit shows they're still dependent on the U.S. military for food, medical supplies, water and gasoline. And soldiers report that to join the battalion, new recruits must pay a bribe of up to $600.

Daniel talks with Andy Griffith about his latest endeavor in show business...a gospel album. Griffith says it has always been his dream to be a singer and he was actually a music major in college. Although he is close to 70 years old, he claims his voice has gotten better with age. Griffith's new cd is called I Love to Tell The Story. (SPARROW RECORDS)

Steve Inskeep reports from the Pentagon that US officials say they have evidence shedding light on this month's tragedy aboard the Russian submarine Kursk. They say underwater sounds monitored by US vessels indicated one of the Kursk's own weapons misfired, causing the sub to sink, and costing 118 lives. Russian officials have voiced various theories about the cause of the accident, including a collision with another vessel in the Barents Sea.

Alan Cheuse gives his list of picks for the best literature to buy this holiday season. His list includes a new translation of the Odyssey by Robert Fagles; Continental Drift by James Houston; Quicker than the Eye by Ray Bradbury; In Their Own Voices: A Century of Recorded Poetry on CD by Rhino Records; The Norton Anthology of African American Literature; Lost Tales by Gleb Botkin; and The Children's Book of the Virtues by William Bennett.

U.S. Marines consolidate their hold on Saddam Hussein's hometown, one day after capturing Tikrit without much of a fight. But there's been no celebrating -- many of the town's Arab residents are hostile to the Americans. Some still openly voice support for Saddam. Meanwhile, there's trouble just north of Tikrit where Arab fighters have clashed with Kurdish paramilitary forces. NPR's Ivan Watson reports from Tikrit.

All Things Considered book reviewer Alan Cheuse -- also a published author and creative writing professor at George Mason University in Virginia -- presents a list of summer reading suggestions. This year's list is a mix of new editions of old classics and exciting new works by fresh authors. Cheuse says that he asks writers to read from their work so that listeners "might get the flavor of the books from the waft of their voices."

Reed KD is a perfectly orchestrated hybrid of Elliott Smith's soft, introspective voice and Simon & Garfunkel's narrative songwriting. Frontman Reed Dahlmeier's songs are mainly stripped-down, art-folk pieces with intricate guitar melodies and spare, rhythmic riffs. Recorded in closets, bedrooms and living rooms, Reed KD's latest album 'The Ashes Bloom,' is minimalist with a hint of bluegrass, some pop textures and touches of electronic experimentation.

Joan Baez was in her late teens when her performance at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival and her self-titled debut album of traditional folk songs thrust her into the spotlight. Four decades later, the voice on her new CD — the first from her in six years — is huskier, a bit rougher perhaps, but no less powerful. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Baez about Dark Chords on a Big Guitar.

In Huntsville, Alabama, From the Top's gifted young musicians include a bassoonist who tests the limit of her instrument; a pianist with a phenomenal memory; a 13-year-old guitarist with a work especially composed for him, and a teenage soprano who uses her substantial voice for both singing and cheering for her favorite sports teams. And a special guest, the accomplished opera singer Angela Brown, performs with two of the young musicians.

NPR's David Kestenbaum reports on a new set of rules from the EPA that would reduce the amount of arsenic in drinking water tenfold below current limits. Arsenic usually comes from natural sources and doesn't occur in all parts of the country. But the new rules will require upgrades in water systems in thousands of small towns and rural areas.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports there was widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza today, dimming hopes for the cease-fire announced earlier this week. Israeli troops fought gun battles with Palestinians in some areas. In others, the Israelis clashed with rock-throwing demonstrators. At least nine Palestinians were reported killed, and there were injuries on both sides.

Anthony Kuhn reports there was no progress in the first day of U.S./Chinese talks to resolve disputes left over from the April 1 collision of an American surveillance plane and Chinese jet fighter. Beijing wants U.S. surveillance flights in the area to end. Washington says they will not end. Meanwhile, the damaged U.S. plane is still in Chinese hands.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports volunteers have returned to Japan's western coast to resume efforts to clean up one of the country's worst oil spills. Bad weather kept people out of the area for most of the last week. The volunteers are critical of the Japanese governmment's handling of the crisis, and residents of coastal communities are worried about their ability to make a living in the future.

The Conoco Oil company says it wants to drill two oil wells in the middle of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The government said it would honor existing development leases when it created the monument last year and Conoco has held leases in the area for nearly a decade. Environmental groups say they will fight. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

Gary Scott of member station WKMS in Murray, Kentucky reports that fall is the mating season for elk and that the mating call, known as bugling is an important part of the ritual. At Land Between the Lakes a recreation area in Western Kentucky, the bull elk create quite a racket as they bugle to attract female elk, or establish their own dominance and warn away potential competitors.

A new study indicates that kids who get special emphasis on music and arts classes also do well in other areas, such as math and reading. In the study, elementary school students who were given more music and arts classes that encouraged active participation tended to score better on subsequent math and reading tests. Michelle Trudeau reports.