NPR News

Queen Elizabeth pays a state visit to the Republic of Ireland this week. The four-day trip is the first by a British Monarch in 100 years. Relations between the two nations have been tense since the Republic's 1921 independence and partition from the north and the decades of intermittent violence. Liane Hansen speaks with Irish journalist Conor O'Clery about the Queen's visit.

May is the month when teachers win awards and have their appreciation week, but tight budgets and campaigns against public employees have lots of teachers feeling anything but appreciated. NPR's Matt Colburn reports.

This past week was an eventful one for the Republican 2012 presidential hopeful field. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Ron Paul announced that they would run, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee announced he wouldn't, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tried to tackle his health care dilemma. NPR's Mara Liasson brings us up to date on the 2012 candidates for the Republican presidential nomination.

"Cut spending!" has been Congressional Republicans' battle cry this year. They have indeed managed to cut far more in the budget battles than Democrats might have wanted, but when it comes to the biggest chunk of spending that lawmakers actually do have a say over, the Pentagon budget, it's a different story. NPR's David Welna reports.

The longer the conflict in Libya drags on, the more important oil becomes. The U.S. and Europe are squeezing Moammar Gadhafi by preventing him from selling oil, and at the same time, they've given the rebels the green light to export oil from their territory. But, as NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Libya, the rebels aren't getting the boost from oil they'd hoped for.