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The president's record on keeping his campaign promises over the last four years: 47 percent, according to the watchdog PolitiFact. A boon to Obama's promise-keeping came from the passage of big-name programs like the economic stimulus package and the education program Race to the Top.

Commentator Captain Rosemary Mariner calls for a return to the concept of "vertical accountability" in the military. Recent allegations of sexual misconduct in in Army training schools violate one of the most basic moral concepts in the military; if these are allegations are true, we should be disciplining people at the top of the pyramid, not the bottom.

Linda Wertheimer speaks with Tim Wirth, Undersecretary for Global Affair at the State Department, about the decision to put environmental issues at the top of the department's diplomatic agenda. Wirth says that cleaning up the environment and controlling population growth around the world are prudent political and economic policies.

As Secretary of State, Retired General Colin Powell will shift from being an advocate for the military to becoming the nation's top diplomat. NPR's Tom Gjelten looks at Powell's past recommendations as one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about military intervention in hot spots around the world.

NPR's Jack Speer reports President Bush is naming former Goldman Sachs investment banker Stephen Friedman as his top economics adviser. Friedman is being appointed to the White House job despite an aggressive campaign to torpedo his candidacy by some conservative Republicans.

Investigators looking into the space shuttle Columbia accident say NASA workers made safety a top priority, but may have become so comfortable with successful missions that they didn't keep track of small issues that can turn deadly. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Numerous levees have already failed to hold back floodwaters in parts of the Midwest this week. The federal government says many more are likely to be topped. Engineering experts agree the nation's levee system needs a second look. Adriene Hill of Chicago Public Radio reports.

President Bush's top strategist, Karl Rove, agrees to testify a fourth time before a grand jury investigating the unauthorized release of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to reporters. This time, federal prosecutors will not grant Rove immunity -- which could pave the way for an indictment.

R&B singer Luther Vandross is continuing to recover from the stroke he suffered earlier this year. His latest CD, Dance With My Father, debuted at number one earlier this summer, and remains in the top 10. Writer Sara Bardeen has a review of the CD.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick accepted a plea agreement, stepped down from office and will serve jail time. He pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction charges stemming from a scandal involving a cover-up of an alleged affair with his former top aide.

Diamond has sold 128 million records and written and recorded 37 Top 40 songs. But in the early 1960s, rock historian Ed Ward says, Diamond was writing songs for other musicians while struggling to get his own career off the ground.

Insurgents fire grenades at an Iraqi civil defense facility as Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, visits. Abizaid was not hurt in the attack, which caused no American casualties. The attackers escaped. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and NPR's Eric Westervelt.

One of the top priorities before Congress adjourns for the holidays is a bill that would prevent more than 20 million middle-class Americans from having to pay the alternative minimum tax in 2008. The Senate recently approved a repair to the rule, but neglected to pay for it with spending cuts.

Calling to mind early Radiohead, the Irish band Bell X1 crafts melodic, radio-friendly pop. Flock topped the Irish album charts in 2005, but it's only just been reissued in the U.S., with an ambitious tour to follow. Hear an interview and performance.

Oldham's new Beware sensitively explores new depths of human emotion through a swirl of guitars, vocals and fiddle. With his own brand of heartfelt and softly sung tunes, Oldham once again tops his previous work with an album that's almost frighteningly beautiful.

The top military commander in Iraq has recommended a temporary freeze on U.S. troop reductions in Iraq after July. Gen. David Petraeus made the comments to senators Tuesday on Capitol Hill. Today, Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker return to brief members of the House.

Americans remember The Four Tops for "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)." But Italians may know it by a different name: "Piangono Gli Uomini." A new compilation spotlights the Italian, German, French and Spanish versions of classic R&B songs.

President Bush says it is "vital" that Congress quickly confirm the changes he has made to his national security team. With new commanders and new policies in the works for Iraq, the White House seems to be clearing the decks at home as well, with a number of top-level personnel changes.

After the biggest international opening weekend for any American comedy in history (more than $93 million), the picture is proving to have legs. For two weeks in a row, it has topped foreign box-office charts — trouncing Shrek, Spider-Man, even Harry Potter.

The Senate Banking Committee grills top regulators and several of the nation's largest lenders about problems with sub-prime mortgages — and what regulators did and did not do to address them. About 14 percent of outstanding subprime loans are now delinquent by 30 days or more.