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More space shuttle Columbia fragments and human remains are discovered Monday, yet little new information is learned about the cause of Saturday's disaster. Meanwhile, critics express concern over whether NASA's budget cuts and use of contractors may have compromised safety. Hear reports from NPR's Richard Harris, NPR's Howard Berkes and NPR's Chris Joyce.

Investigators continue to gather clues that might help explain what went wrong when the space shuttle Columbia broke up Saturday morning, killing all seven crewmembers. Today's memorial service with President Bush will offer NASA officials rare pause in an otherwise tedious examination of flight videos, computer data, and debris. NPR's Richard Harris reports that while NASA is making strides in piecing the accident together, officials say they're far from any conclusions about what caused the disaster.

NPR's Michael Sullivan has the second of a five-part series on terrorism in Southeast Asia. Al Qaeda's Southeast Asian operations may have begun in the Philippines, but neighboring Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world and it has provided the most fertile ground for militant Islam. Several alleged terrorist groups have been active in Indonesia for years. One of them is the group called Jemaah Islamiyah. Jemaah Islamiyah is believed responsible for dozens of attacks in Indonesia in the past several years including the bombings on the resort island of Bali in October. And investigators say it's clear the group has close ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

NPR's John Nielsen examines the arduous process of finding the pieces of the shuttle Columbia that have been spread across such a large area. He explains the difference between shuttle "forensics" and the investigation of plane crashes.

Host Michele Norris talks with Judith Richards Hope about her book Pinstripes and Pearls: The Women of the Harvard Law Class of '64 Who Forged an Old Girl Network and Paved the Way for Future Generations. Hope recounts the experience of the 15 women in her graduating law class. Each went on to lead a powerful and interesting career.

Retired U.S. Navy flight surgeon and NASA astronaut Captain Jerry Linenger talks about the awe and peril of space travel. He spent five months on the Russian Space station Mir and wrote about the account in his book, Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir." He described the Mir as "six school buses all hooked together." During his time there, he says, he and fellow crew members had numerous brushes with death, lacked adequate supplies and battled constant system failures. Linenger's new book is Letters from Mir: An Astronaut's Letters to His Son.

NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on the future of the NASA space program after the Columbia tragedy, and why it will be much harder to replace the space shuttle than it was in 1986 after the Challenger disaster.

Voters in Santa Ana, Calif., head to the polls in a recall election of a school board member accused of leading the district to violate the state's anti-bilingual education initiative. NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports.

The Justice Department investigates whether a professor illegally discriminated against a student because of his religious beliefs. The Texas Tech University professor refuses to write recommendations, unless students affirm a belief in the evolution theory. NPR's Barbara Bradley-Hagerty reports.

House Democrats made changes to Biden's Build Back Better framework. The $1.75 T bill includes paid family leave, help with prescription drug costs and immigration reforms. Here are the details.

Virginia has trended Democratic as it's gotten more diverse. But this year's race for governor seems set to be close. That's in large part because Democrats are fighting apathy among their base.

The White House proposes major changes to encourage individuals to save more money toward retirement. The plan would replace Individual Retirement Accounts with personal-savings accounts featuring higher allowable contributions. Critics say the proposals would increase federal deficits. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.