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Store shelves these days are packed with products claiming to be "eco-friendly." But it's hard to know exactly what that means. An exhibition in New York tackles that question with the help of 10 top designers. The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum — together with the Nature Conservancy — asked the designers to create surprising products out of renewable materials from 10 different areas in the world.

U.S. officials disclose they're holding a man they believe to be al Qaeda's top operative in the Persian Gulf region. Authorities say Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is suspected of planning the U.S.S. Cole attack in Yemen, was arrested "in recent weeks" and is being held at an undisclosed location. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

The latest Apple commercial features an ultra-thin laptop and a fresh hit song, "New Soul," by Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naim. Her just-released self-titled album features songs written in three languages. The added exposure for "New Soul" has helped Naim become the first Israeli solo artist to crack Billboard's Top 10.

For all its success, Death Cab for Cutie hasn't lost track of the accessible emotions that first attracted a devoted following. Ben Gibbard's vocals, always faintly familiar in a boy-next-door way, observe love and life with a resigned delicacy, and the band's songs are poetic and yearning but never over-the-top. Hear the band perform a session on World Cafe.

Hayes Carll made a stir in Americana music with his self-released 2004 album, Little Rock. Music critic Robert Christgau says that Carll has matured some since then, and that maturity sounds good on him. Carll is good for a laugh, but Christgau says his sensitive side puts his new album, Trouble In Mind, over the top.

With an unforgettable voice, good looks and the spirituality of gospel music roots, Sam Cooke soared to the top of the pop charts. On Morning Edition, NPR's Bob Edwards reports on how Cooke bridged the gap between rock and soul to become a music legend. Hear samples of newly reissued Cooke songs and the story of Cooke's triumphant return to New York's famed Copacabana nightclub.

Luke Gorski continues his trek to visit each of the 66 state parks in Minnesota this summer. Luke checks in with KAXE's Heidi Holtan and John Latimer to update his journey as he ventures into the northern-most reaches of Minnesota, including a stop at some parks that are near and dear to the hearts of our listeners. Click the player at the top of the page to hear Luke's full report.

Novelist Robert Stone may not have the name recognition of some of his buzzed-about contemporaries, but his works have won top honors in the writing world. Critic Rosecrans Baldwin thinks Stone's latest, Death of the Black-Haired Girl — full of characters whose evil-doings are "a pleasure to watch" — might give him a shot at mainstream acclaim.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told Congress Tuesday that he's confident he now has both the strategy and resources he needs in Afghanistan. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, initially wary of a troop increase coming before a crackdown on corruption, said he's satisfied that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed the right intentions.

Fans and fellow musicians are mourning the death of entertainer Mel Tillis. Tillis died yesterday after a long illness at the age of 85. He had three dozen Top Ten country hits of his own and wrote dozens more for others, including a monster hit for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition: "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town."

With all the attention on the impending presidential election, it seems like no one's talking about Ron Paul anymore. His candidacy for the GOP nomination has been dead for months. But his passionate, young supporters are still organizing — this time, around local candidates in several states, including Iowa. Their dissatisfaction with Mitt Romney could have implications for the top of ticket, too.

The saga of slugger Barry Bonds is being watched closely by sports fans -- including young baseball players who dream of someday playing in the big leagues. To many of them, Bonds represents a tangle of fame, glory and bad press. As Bonds approaches Babe Ruth's home run mark, NPR's Tom Goldman discusses steroids and stardom with top high school prospects.

Cameroon-born Collinet began his radio career in the 1960s, introducing American soul singers like James Brown to African audiences. Collinet became a famed broadcaster in Africa and a top expert on African Pop music. He speaks with host Michel Martin about his upbringing, worldview, and why black Americans have been slow to embrace Afropop.

San Francisco based Wells Fargo won its three-month effort to takeover another California based bank today. First Interstate agreed to be acquired in a stock transaction valued at $11.6 billion. If the deal is approved by regulators it will be the largest merger in U.S. banking history. The deal is expected to eliminate as many as 7,000 jobs, half of them in the Los Angeles area, as hundreds of First Intersate branches are closed.

Robert talks with Edward Wessex, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth, about his new project Crown and Country III. It's a 6-part series that begins airing this evening on public television. Edward Wessex wrote, produced and directed the series which explores British sites and their relation to the monarchy through the ages. (7:30) Find more information on the internet at http://www.pbs.org/whatson/press/fall/crown_city.html

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on President-elect George W. Bush, who today resigned from the only political office he has ever held -- governor of Texas. The emotional speech by Bush ended 6 years at the helm in Austin and comes less than a month before he is to move to his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Meanwhile, jockeying continues to go on behind the scenes for filling the remaining Cabinet slots.

NPR's Peter Overby reports on today's budget surplus forecast by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO is projecting a surplus of more than three-trillion dollars over the next decade -- or 5.6-trillion if you count the Social Security surplus. Republicans say that means there's plenty of room for a big tax cut. Democrats argue that the projections of a huge surplus may be overly optimistic in the long term. They are supporting smaller tax cuts.

NPR's Margot Adler reports on a recently completed study by two Columbia University anthropologists who examined the difficulties of finding a job at fast food restaurants in the inner city. They concluded that these jobs, while low paying, are coveted and that there are not enough of them to go around. 6:00 8. Profile of Minister - Daniel travels to the southwestern African country of Namibia and meets Libertine Amathila, the Namibian Minsiter of Housing and Local Government. She is the most politically powerful woman in the country and may be the first woman to run for president in Africa.

The Supreme Court sided with gay rights activists today by throwing out a Colorado constitutional amendment. The measure had said that laws could NOT be enacted that protected homosexuals from discrimination. The justices ruled against the amendment by a 6-to-3 vote. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports that the majority opinion said the amendment would have denied gays a political right enjoyed by other people...the right to seek protection against discrimination.

This review originally aired on Weekend Edition on September 6, 1987. In the ephemeral world of pop music, the five years between Thriller and it's follow-up, add up to light years. The musical question is whether Michael Jackson's star still shines. Is Bad the new album, bad or good? Milwaukee, Wisc. high school student and music reviewer Geylin Polivka says the album suffers from overproduction and an overuse of synthesizers.