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The Congressional Budget Office forecasts a deficit of $368 billion for the current fiscal year, a $20 billion jump from its prediction last fall. The numbers do not include the additional $80 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that the Bush administration has said it will seek from Congress.

The Bush administration joins the British government in condemning an Irish Republican Army offer to shoot some of its own members as punishment for killing a man in Belfast in January. The family of the dead man rejected the offer and said fear of retribution is preventing witnesses to the killing from coming forward.

A man who killed himself during a routine traffic stop reportedly left a note claiming responsibility for the murders of the husband and mother of federal judge Joan Lefkow. The man, identified as Bart Ross, had lost a legal case before before Lefkow.

Israel frees 500 Palestinian prisoners, making good on promises made to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas last month. The mass release comes one day after the Israeli government gave final approval to dismantling Gaza settlements.

The Israeli cabinet approves the dismantling of 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said the Gaza pullout will begin in July and take 12 weeks.

Actor Ossie Davis has died at 87. He was found this morning in a hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called Retirement. The cause of death was not immediately known. Davis was a distinguished presence on stage, on screen, and as an activist taking on racial injustice.

A grounded freighter continues to spill heavy fuel oil into a pristine Alaskan wildlife area as poor weather conditions hurt cleanup efforts. Six people remain missing. NPR's Elizabeth Arnold reports.

President Bush delivers a $2.57 trillion budget to Congress that would eliminate or reduce spending on dozens of government programs, including education, farm subsidies and health care for veterans. Former Congressional Budget Office Director Robert Reischauer discusses the president's 2006 spending plan.

The U.S. trade imbalance with the rest of the world, especially China, is forcing American manufacturers to find ways to boost their exports in order to stay afloat. NPR's Adam Davidson visited two factories in Erie, Pa., that are focusing on niches that cheap labor in China cannot easily fill.

For the first time, scientists successfully use gene therapy to regenerate hair cells in the inner ear and restore hearing in deaf guinea pigs. The results suggest it may someday be possible to use a similar approach to treat deafness in humans.