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President Bush proposes the "Terrorist Threat Integration Center," a new surveillance initiative aimed at improving coordination among the FBI, the CIA and other federal intelligence agencies. But some analysts say it won't overcome decades-old rivalries between U.S. spy agencies. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

The government says the nation's gross domestic product grew just 0.7 percent during the last quarter of 2002, a steep decline from the 4.2-percent growth during the preceding three months. NPR's Bob Edwards talks to NPR's Jim Zarroli.

A U.S. Army helicopter with several Americans aboard crashes near the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, and some casualties are reported, a senior American official says. Meanwhile, the Pentagon for the first time discloses that some U.S. military forces are on the ground in Northern Iraq. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

She reflects on the career of author Norman Mailer, who turns 80 today.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews two new series: ABC's Dragnet, and NBC's Kingpin. Both premiere Sunday.

For decades, scientists have searched for plants containing disease-fighting compounds. Some powerful cancer drugs are derived from a flower that grows in the forests of Madagascar. But experts say the oceans, teeming with life, might be a better place to search. As NPR's Eric Niiler reports, researchers are now scouring the seven seas in hopes of finding the next blockbuster drug.

NPR's Bob Edwards speaks to Mathea Falco, president of Drug Strategies, a non-profit, drug policy research institute, about faith-based and other drug treatment programs. President Bush has proposed to significantly increase drug treatment funding.

Troubleshooters are expected to scrutinize the shuttle Columbia's auxiliary power units, which help provide power to the orbiter's steering mechanisms during descent -- a task that requires highly flammable fuel. NPR's Howard Berkes joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about the role APUs play in reentry and why their redesign had been on NASA's to-do list. (This is a repeat from earlier in the show.)

Talk of the Nation/Science Friday host Ira Flatow joins host Steve Inskeep to talk about how NASA has adapted since the 1986 Challenger disaster.

NPR's John Burnett rejoins Steve Inskeep from the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, where NASA missions are directed and its people are considered to be friends and family. The front gate of the space center there has become a place to gather and mourn, as Ground Zero did after Sept. 11.