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NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the progress being made by the White House and Capitol Hill in attempting to end the appropriations process and send lawmakers home to campaign. President Clinton's signing of the Interior Department's appropriations bill meant that money spent on conservation projects will double next year. But the House also voted to override the President's veto of an energy and water bill, meaning that much contentiousness remains before the 106th Congress comes to a close.

NPR's David Welna reports on the alternative budget being proposed by congressional Democrats. Objecting to President Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut, Democrats on Capitol Hill call for $900 billion in tax cuts, with more relief to those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder. The action comes as the House Ways and Means Committee took up the Bush proposal.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on President Clinton's last economic report to Congress, which he sent to Capitol Hill today. The president rejected fears that a recession is coming. Speaking to reporters at the White House today, he said he hopes the Bush administration and Congress will work to pay off the national debt and will resist big tax cuts or spending increases.

NPR's David Welna reports on President Bush's newly revealed Social Security Commission. The panel is supposed to develop a Social Security reform plan by next fall. Democrats on Capitol Hill were unenthusiastic about the announcement, claiming Bush stacked the deck against them by loading the commission with members who all favor personal retirement accounts.

Steven Bochco is co-creator and executive producer of Over There, a new FX drama about U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Bochco has won 10 Emmy awards for creating and producing Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue.

The Bush administration sends Gen. John Abizaid and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to reassure Congress of progress in Iraq. Their appearance at Capitol Hill comes amidst increasing anxiety by lawmakers over the growing cost of the U.S. occupation in Iraq. NPR's David Welna reports.

The American Friends Service Committee assembles nearly 800 pairs of combat boots on Capitol Hill, demonstrating the sacrifice of U.S. soldiers. The Quaker organization placed the boots in rows to commemorate the American soldiers killed in Iraq. NPR's David Welna reports.

Numerous levees have already failed to hold back floodwaters in parts of the Midwest this week. The federal government says many more are likely to be topped. Engineering experts agree the nation's levee system needs a second look. Adriene Hill of Chicago Public Radio reports.

The Senate has started debate on a resolution that would ask Attorney General Janet Reno to begin the process of seeking an independent counsel to investigate campaign fundraising abuses of the last election. Democrats are pushing for an inquiry that includes G-O-P fundraising, just as they did with the congressional investigation. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold talks with Linda about this issue and other events on Capitol Hill this week.

Linda talks with Frances Hill, a law professor at the University of Miami Law School, where she specializes in tax laws concerning charitable and political organizations. They discuss which laws were allegedly broken by House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his organizations. They also talk about the potential legal consequences for the Speaker, and how the IRS could decide to aggressively audit and fine the colleges that utilized the Speaker's college telecourse.