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As the Republican presidential candidates continue to debate their very different stands on such issues as taxes, trade, and abortion, NPR's Brian Naylor explores the question of what makes a Republican. A century ago, the GOP advocated abolitionism, isolationism, and protectionism. Since then, the party has been committed to business and an enemy of big government -- but Republicans disagree about a wide range of social issues.

ebola virus, which infected a village in Zaire nine months ago and killed 300 people.

David Crump, Director of Field Studies at Orielton Field Center in Milfordhaven, Wales, about the impact on the environment of oil which spilled off the coast of Wales on February 15... 20-million gallons have leaked from the super tanker, Sea Empress, after it went aground in mid-February.

Noah speaks with Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab about the consequences of the bombings for PLO chairman Yasir Arafat. Kuttab says the bombings have placed Arafat in a delicate political position, in which he must balance Israel's demands for a crackdown on the militant Hamas organization and appearing like he is more concerned about Israeli security than the rights of his own people.

NPR's Joe Palca reports that researchers think they have figured out the function of the "breast cancer gene." Scientists have found evidence that the gene produces a protein that controls cell growth. And in experiments in the laboratory and in mice, the protein appears to shrink breast cancer tumors, suggesting it may provide a new way to treat breast cancer.

NPR's Joanne Silberner reports that a dispute has erupted in the medical community about how aggressive doctors should be about testing cholesterol levels. The American College of Physicians, which represents family doctors, today issued new guidelines for cholesterol screening that calls for less aggressive testing than the current federal government's recommendations.

Linda Wertheimer speaks with NPR'S Don Gonyea about the assisted suicide trial of retired pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Today the judge issued new instructions to the jury, which legal experts say could make it easier to convict Dr. Kevorkian.

Minnesota Public Radio's John Biewen has a profile of a working poor family. Many political leaders now say curing poverty is beyond the ability of government; poor people simply have to go to work. But millions of the poor already work. One in six Americans is poor, or near poor, despite having one or more family members in the workforce. The proportion of workers earning poverty-level wages has grown by 50-percent in the past 13 years.

Daniel Pinkwater is paging through National Geographic and comes across a picture of a remote Chinese village that has bagel s. And bagels that he says look pretty good. He mourns that fact that you can get good bagels in China, but not where he lives just a hundred miles north of New York City. He is stuck with the frozen erzatz kind.

NPR's Phillip Davis looks at the struggle over a valuable part of the broadcast spectrum. The TV industry wants the part that could be used for new digital television broadcasts to be assigned to them free-of-charge. The government is considering making companies buy the right to use that slice of the public airwaves.