NPR People: Audie Cornish

Any day now, bipartisan negotiators in the Senate are supposed to unveil a bill that will rewrite the rules governing Wall Street. And when that happens, a lot of the credit for keeping the talks alive will go to Bob Corker, the junior senator from Tennessee. While he's not the top Republican on the Banking Committee, this is not his first go-round when it comes to bipartisan compromise.

Health care may dominate congressional news, but lawmakers have not forgotten about drafting new rules for Wall Street. Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee are working on a plan, with the hope of unveiling it this week.

Even if Democrats can manage to agree on a health care bill, there's widespread rebellion from the states. More than 30 states are moving to block the federal government from imposing a central feature of the bill: the individual mandate requiring that everyone buy insurance. Legal scholars generally agree that the measure is constitutional. Still, Virginia's pre-emptive law is on the governor's desk.

On Monday, the so-called Credit Card Bill of Rights goes into effect. No longer will banks be able to impose surprise interest rate hikes or mislead consumers about payment dates. But consumer advocates say banks and card issuers are already devising new ways to introduce fees and interest rate changes.

In the nation's capital, African-Americans make up more than 75 percent of the city's HIV/AIDS cases. To combat the disease and its spread, advocates and city health officials have decided to try to improve the link between being tested and being treated. Washington, D.C., and the Bronx in New York will be the site of a pilot research program designed to connect patients with a doctor, and put those patients on anti-retroviral medication as soon as they are diagnosed.

While the Tea Party convention meets, another group of activists is meeting in Nashville, Tenn., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights sit-in movement.

Reporter Helen Thomas is celebrating her 50th year covering the White House. Guest host Audie Cornish profiles the reporter, who has been an almost permanent fixture in the White House press briefing room.

He lived on the other side of the world from Brangelina and Octomom. In a culture where people dream of fame for the sake of fame alone, the reclusive novelist, who died this week at 91, was the anti-celebrity.

National pundits were shocked by the outcome in Massachusetts, but this native of the state knows better than to pigeonhole its voters.

Barry Black is the first Seventh-day Adventist and the first African American to hold the post of Senate chaplain. He's also the man who sits squarely at the intersection of church and state at the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Chris Dodd has taken a leading role in putting together legislation to rewrite the rules governing Wall Street, but his retirement could make things complicated. Some observers say the Senate Banking Committee chairman's retirement improves the chances of a bill passing because he'll want to make sure it's part of his legacy.

The packed legislative agenda of 2009 left little room for immigration issues. But members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus plan to make it a priority in 2010.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke won approval for another term from the Senate Banking Committee today. The committee voted 16-7 to send Bernanke's nomination to the full Senate, where at least three senators have already placed holds on the nomination.

Senate Democrats may abandon a proposed expansion of Medicare from health care legislation. Lawmakers say the move is probably necessary to pass the bill.

The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday hoping to prevent lawmakers from ever having to approve multibillion dollar programs to save Wall Street. The bill creates an agency to protect consumers from abusive credit practices and establishes a council to get a handle on those financial companies considered too big to fail.