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Iraqi school children went back to class Wednesday. Some returned to schools renovated and re-equipped by the U.S. military and the occupation authority. But other schools have yet to be re-fitted, and many have not yet received promised new textbooks devoid of praise for Saddam Hussein. NPR's Deborah Amos reports.

Bush administration officials say if multinational forces are not promised soon to serve in Iraq, the Pentagon may have to call up thousands of fresh National Guard and Reserve troops. Meanwhile, families of reservists are launching online petition drives and other grassroots efforts to bring their loved ones home. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook and NPR's Greg Allen.

Oil wealth has long generated dreams of prosperity, but in the lands of production, the reserves have often brought political and economic instability. In the final part of a Morning Edition series, Sandy Tolan and collaborating reporters look at the jungles of Peru, where residents doubt a gas pipeline project's promise to be environmentally responsible.

Oil wealth has long generated dreams of prosperity, but in the lands of production, the reserves have often brought political and economic instability. In the second of a three-part series for Morning Edition, Sandy Tolan and collaborating reporters look at Ecuador, where citizens wonder what happened to oil's long-promised benefits.

The former mayor of Tehran, a hardline conservative with relatively little political experience, will be the new president of Iran. The margin of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory surprised many and is seen as a major setback for moderates. He promises a "modern, advanced, powerful and Islamic" nation.

Campaigning Wednesday, both President Bush and his Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry, offer their visions for securing the future of Social Security. But experts say neither plan will do all the politicians promise. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

The state of the world can bring many people down with the montage of bad news dominating the media. But in the book The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, editor Paul Loeb and contributing writer Martin Espada tell us why the promise of hope continues to sustain us. They talk to NPR's Tony Cox.

Nearly 30 artists are featured in Convergence, a new exhibit of Lebanese art currently on display at American University in Washington, D.C. The works articulate painful memories of the country's 15-year civil war — but also emphasize Lebanon's hopes for a promising future.

President Obama promised to pursue "every single legal avenue" to block payments of bonuses to AIG executives. But Columbia professor Charles W. Calomiris believes the country must "put the national interest" above "desires to punish financial institutions."

Chocolate is a wonderful thing, but how can it help combat global climate change? Cacao trees — the source of chocolate — grow well in rainforests, and rainforests store carbon. So researchers are working to help preserve the forest and to grow more chocolate.