The secret packages were part of a highly classified effort to help American POWs escape from their German captors. Inside there were baseballs, pipes and cribbage boards that contained compasses, saws, escape maps and radio transmitters.

It's a move that might be inspired by the Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives. The popular daytime soap opera All My Children is looking for an Iraq war veteran to play the role of a, well, Iraq war veteran.

Reigning gymnastics world champion Shawn Johnson finally won a gold medal at the Olympics after three second-place finishes. She won the balance-beam competition, completing a series of athletic flips and twists that gave her the edge over teammate Nastia Liukin.

This week, an American team will compete in the gold medal match in women's beach volleyball — and they won't be wearing very much. A former Olympian reveals why.

Listeners commented on Monday's story about Cindy McCain's half-sister and Friday's interview with a man who has taken in three sex offenders to live in his home. There is also a correction to Monday's story about Fort Hunt, Va.

The presidents of about 100 U.S. colleges are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age to 18. John McCardell, the former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, says his group, the Amethyst Initiative, is against intoxication but supports responsible, adult behavior toward alcohol.

Russia says it's starting to pull troops from Georgia, but there is little evidence so far of any significant withdrawal. Many Georgians believe Russia's occupation is aimed at destroying the country's infrastructure.

The Chicago public schools were once considered the worst urban school system in America. Now, they are perhaps the nation's biggest laboratory for school reform. The city has turned over large parts of the system to groups of education entrepreneurs.

Last fall, U.S. troops raided the Iraqi village of Jaisani, south of Baghdad; 26 people were killed. The U.S. called them "criminals." Now, the Iraqi government says those killed are "martyrs" and has asked the U.S. military command to apologize.

Olympic photographers rely on talent, technology and strategic positioning to capture images that become signature moments of the games. Making those pictures happen in a fast-moving track event is a special challenge.

The departure of Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan has thrown light on one of the major issues that forced him to resign: the judiciary. Many are asking whether the government will reinstate dozens of senior judges sacked by Musharraf.

Barack Obama and John McCain are running campaign ads during the Olympics. Evan Tracey, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, says Obama is highlighting his image as a different kind of politician. McCain is using the games as a stage to attract new voters.

Hollywood has always recognized the potential drama inherent in elections — think The Manchurian Candidate. Bob Mondello and Michele Norris talk about the intersection of ballot box and box office.

A day after John McCain spoke to the group, Barack Obama addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Fla. He told McCain to stop questioning his patriotism and character, and he hit the Arizona senator on his support for Iraq and Pakistan.

Sixty years ago, a string of scandals emerged around "fixed" TV quiz shows. When the popular program Dotto was suddenly pulled from the air, answers were difficult to come by. The scandals changed the business of television in the U.S.