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A series of questionable shootings and a corruption scandal are bringing Miami police criticism from the city's black and Cuban-American communities. Law enforcement officials face federal probes and new scrutiny by citizen panels. Phillip Davis reports.

Fossil hunters have found the earliest known common ancestor of a group of mammals that includes humans. About 125 million years ago, the chipmunk-like Eomaia scampered around bushes, eating insects and dodging dinosaurs. NPR's Richard Harris reports for All Things Considered.

In a special five-part series for All Things Considered, NPR's Guy Raz travels the length of the fabled Danube River -- from its source in Germany to the Black Sea -- and reports on how the river both unites and divides each of the nations that touch its banks. Monday's report begins in Germany, where even the origin of the river itself is cause for dispute.

Catholic worshippers across the country express their feelings about last week's meeting between American cardinals and Pope John Paul II. Some parishioners are satisfied with the Church's statements on sexually abusive priests -- while others feel more should be done. We hear voices from Washington, D.C., as well as reports from Missy Shelton from member station KSMU in Springfield, Missouri, and Bellamy Pailthorpe from member station KPLU in Seattle.

French film director Laurent Cantet. He's made two feature films, both of which focus on the world of work, and the toll that work can take on our lives. His first film, made in 1999, was Human Resources. His newest film Time Out is about a middle-aged, mid-level executive who loses his job, but doesnt tell his family. The film has just been released here and has received critical acclaim.

Pole-vaulter Kevin Dare, a Penn State sophomore, died while competing at a championship event earlier this year. Ed Dare discovered that his son's death was not an isolated event and is pushing for safety reforms in the sport. NPR's Tom Goldman has the story on All Things Considered.

Novelist Carol Shields won a Pulitzer Prize for her best-selling novel, The Stone Diaries. Her books are often about middle-class people leading quiet lives. Her other novels include Larrys Party, which won Britains Orange Prize, The Republic of Love and Swann: A Mystery. She also wrote a biography of Jane Austen as well as plays, poetry and story collections. In 1998 Shields was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is now in a late stage of the disease. Her new novel, Unless (Fourth Estate), was written after her diagnosis.

Satirist Al Franken has a new book that spoofs how-to-succeed books. His new book is Oh, The Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or, Failing That, Happiness (Dutton). Franken is former co-producer of Saturday Night Live where he created the self-help guru Stuart Smalley. He's also the author of Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations.

Writer Richard Lourie. His new book, Sakharov, is a biography of the Russian scientist, dissident and Nobel peace prize winner Andrei Sakharov. He's considered one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. Sakharov created Russia's H-bomb, but later confronted his country over issues of nuclear responsibility and human rights.

Actor Bill Paxton makes his directing debut with the new psychological thriller Frailty. He also co-stars in the film, along with Matthew McConaughey and Powers Boothe. Paxton previously starred in Twister, A Simple Plan, One False Move and Apollo 13.