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Earlier this month, the United Nations voted to condemn the United States' economic embargo against Cuba for the 11th year in a row. The United States will undoubtedly ignore the resolution, citing Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism, where basic rights such as freedom of expression are not respected. Last May, island dissidents demanded such rights via a first-ever citizens petition, but Castro's government has still not responded. And now the dissidents themselves are beginning to quarrel among themselves. Gerry Hadden has the story from Havana.

President Bush today signed the law creating a vast new federal department to oversee security efforts within the 50 states. The new entity will include nearly two dozen agencies and more than 170,000 employees -- and it will take time to achieve the information sharing and coordination that are its main goals. NPR's Pam Fessler reports from the White House.

Latino students make up the largest minority group of America's school-age population -- and there's broad consensus in research and policy circles that public schools are not doing a good job of meeting their needs. In the first of a five-part special report on U.S. Latinos and education, NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports from Gainesville, Ga., on one community's efforts to educate the area's burgeoning Hispanic population.

Police in Columbus, Ohio, spent Monday reviewing video footage, trying to figure out who was involved in a riot Saturday night. The disturbance broke out after the Ohio State football team secured a spot in the national championship game. It was just one of three violent incidents following college games this weekend -- others occurred in Berkeley, Calif., and in North and South Carolina. Robert Seigel speaks with Ohio State University President Karen Holbrook about her school's response to the incident.

The latest James Bond film, Die Another Day made a reported $47 million at the box office over the weekend. If your $8.50 was among those millions, you saw Pierce Brosnan in the starring role. And if you watched closely, you also might also have caught a glimpse Richard Cohen -- an experienced fencer brought in as an extra. Richard Cohen is the author of then new book BY THE SWORD: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions. (Random House)

Tom Ridge, President Bush's choice to head the new Department of Homeland Security, now faces the daunting task of integrating nearly two dozen different organizations. Ridge has been seeking the advice of corporate leaders who've dealt with large mergers. Robert Siegel talks with one of them. He's Norm Augustine, former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports on the Total Information Awareness program. The project is intended to develop a method of tracking individuals' transactions for clues to a planned terrorist attack. The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is in charge of the project.

Supporters of two Illinois National Guard pilots accused of manslaughter in a friendly-fire incident say the government is bowing to political pressure from Canada, whose soldiers were fired upon in Afghanistan by U.S. planes. Four Canadians were killed and eight wounded. Charges are rare in friendly-fire incidents, even when those incidents result in death. Reporter Kelly McEvers has more.

Shipping companies and West Coast dockworkers reach a tentative agreement on a six-year labor contract. If ratified, the settlement would end a bitter labor dispute that shut down West Coast ports for 10 days this fall. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Tree sitting has become an increasingly common form of environmental protest. In southern California, a professional tree sitter is occupying a 400-year-old oak, trying to stop the bulldozers. In northern California, a whole sub-culture has arisen to serve the dozens of people sitting in trees. Reporter Jason Margolis climbed a tree near Freshwater, Calif.

Reversing a policy it has enforced for more than a generation, the Federal Election Commission says candidates for federal office may pay themselves a limited salary from their campaign funds. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Federal authorities charge three men with running an identity theft scheme in which credit information was stolen from more than 30,000 victims across the country. Authorities say financial losses of more $2.7 million have already been substantiated. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.