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In part two of the series Prison diaries, correctional officers at Polk Youth Institution tell their stories about working in the penal system. They present a mixed picture of their work, their relationship with the prisoners and of the satisfaction they get from the job. Some guards talk about the importance of appearance and attitude; to wear the uniform with pride and without fear. Some of the guards feel the prison is too luxurious; that there are too many amenities for the inmates: "they eat well, are clothed and overall get better treatment inside then outside." For others, it was a shock to see so many young, black faces behind bars. Being confined for eight hours takes its toll on some of the staff as well. Some say it is a dangerous job: "us versus them." Few of the guards last more than 3 years. Many leave sooner. The job is something they find hard to shake at the end of the day.

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on the withdrawal from consideration of George W. Bush's nominee for Labor Secretary. Linda Chavez's nomination ran into trouble after it was revealed that an illegal immigrant once lived in her home and did some chores. Chavez held a press conference this afternoon, announcing her decision to withdraw, but highlighting her intent to help people, and introducing several of the immigrants who she has helped establish themselves in the U.S.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on today's Supreme Court decision limiting the scope of the federal Clean Water Act. The court split along its familiar ideological lines, 5-4, in ruling that the Army Corps of Engineers can't use the law to forbid the building of a landfill in a migratory bird habitat. The area, near Chicago, contains abandoned gravel pits that flood with water and attract birds for nesting and breeding. The court majority ruled that Congress intended the Clean Water Act to apply to large or navigable bodies of water.

NPR's Brenda Wilson reports on 11-year-old Nkosi Johnson, South Africa's youngest AIDS activist. At last summer's International AIDS conference, Nkosi made a moving speech, a plea really, for acceptance of people with AIDS. Now, he's in a coma, dying of the disease. But his courage and activism have left a mark on the country.

Naval veterans sailing a 1942 ship known as a Landing Ship Tank, or L-S-T, from Greece to Mobile, Alabama, are near their destination. The ship will be used for a museum in Alabama. Its crew is made up of 32 Navy veterans who had served on this type of vessel. Noah talks with Bob Jornlin, Captain of the U.S.S. LST-325 Memorial, for an update on the story. (4:30) A log of the ship's crew can be found at: http://www.palosverdes.com/lst887/lst325.html; And http://www.uslst.org is the website of the U.S. LST Association.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that AOL and Time-Warner completed their merger today shortly after the FCC gave its conditional approval. The deal combines the nation's largest internet service provider with the second largest cable operator. It is valued at more than one-hundred-billion dollars. In a prepared statement, the newly merged company said its "scale, scope and reach" would enable it to capitalize on the digital revolution. Analysts say declining ad revenues may hurt the new company in the short run, but were mostly upbeat about its long-run chances.

Noah talks with James G. Wright, Assistant Metro Editor for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, about aluminum plants on the West Coast, which have discovered they can make more money by shutting down production and reselling the electricity they bought from the Bonneville Power Authority in Washington State. Wright says this is because they locked in the price of electricity with the B.P.A. years ago when natural gas was very cheap. Their contracts allow them to resell the electricity back to B.P.A.

NPR Film Critic Bob Mondello says he's trying hard to keep Hollywood titles straight in his mind this year.

NPR's Rob Gifford reports that the second most senior figure in Hong Kong's government has resigned. Anson Chan was appointed by the outgoing British administration, before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. She was known as a ardent supporter of democracy and civil liberties. However, she denies she left her post because of any disagreement with the Beijing-appointed chief executive of Hong Kong.

William Hewlett, co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company has died at the age of 87. Karen Lewis is company historian for Agilent -- a company that spun-off from H.P. She talks to Noah Adams about how H.P. got its start.

Later this month and new online service called Questia will debut. It will provide a library containing 50,000 volumes of literature, scholarly journals and texts. The company hopes to eventually reach 250,000 volumes in the next three years. Questia is targeted mostly to students and will allow them to cross-reference, footnote and do a bibliography all online. Robert talks with Troy Williams, the CEO and President of Questia Media, about the new company and what it has taken to get started.

Mona Simpson is the author of three, large sprawling novels, one of which, Anywhere But Here, found its way to the movie screen. Her new book, Off Keck Road, is a slender novel that our reviewer Alan Cheuse says has reach beyond its length. (1:45) Off Keck Road, is published by Knopf.