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Pope Benedict is visiting the United States for the first time as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. R. Scott Appleby, a professor of religious history at the University of Notre Dame, says the pope's message to America's "Cafeteria Catholics" will likely be a positive one, rather than focusing on differences with the Vatican.

Israel Wednesday again closed the border crossings into the Gaza Strip in retaliation for rocket attacks from Gaza into the southern city of Sderot. Hamas called the move a violation of a truce, but urged Palestinian factions to hold their fire.

The Supreme Court is wrapping up its term, which means blockbuster decisions coming down all at the same time. The justices issued two major rulings early Wednesday. They ruled against the death penalty for people convicted of child rape. And they reduced punitive damages against Exxon for the Valdez oil spill.

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has ended his hopes to become the country's next leader. Just days before a special runoff election, Tsvangirai cited fatal intimidation tactics allegedly by supporters of his opponent, incumbent President Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe freelance reporter Jeffrey Barbee explains the recent developments.

Iraq's oil ministry has just opened the doors to several major western oil companies. It's been more than 36 years since companies like Exxon have had access to Iraq's oil fields. And down the road, Iraq's reserves could dramatically increase the world's oil supply.

Pope Benedict XVI told U.N. delegates that strengthening human rights is the key to solving the world's problems Friday.

Intelligence officials Thursday showed members of Congress videotape and other evidence to support their case that Syria was building a nuclear reactor with help from North Korea. The site was bombed by Israeli planes last year.

In his first visit to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI has addressed the issue of clergy sex abuse several times. Canonical law expert Nicholas Cafardi says he sees signs that the pope may be weighing changes to church law that will make it easier to deal with the abuse problem.

Tuesday night saw the end to a dramatic six-week competition for the Democratic presidential candidates to secure Pennsylvania votes. Renee Montagne talks with NPR National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson about what Hillary Clinton's win in the Pennsylvania primary might mean for Barack Obama's campaign.

Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan told the House Judiciary Committee Friday the White House could have avoided a lot of criticism and loss of faith by being more open about its reasons for invading Iraq.