What happened to all the tough reform talk prompted by those ethics scandals at the beginning of the year? An earmark reform bill is making its through Congress today. Hillary Wicai looks at whether it has any teeth.

Some CIA officers have a private but government-sponsored insurance plan that pays legal expenses if they're accused of abusing or torturing prisoners. Host Kai Ryssdal talks to Washington Post reporter R. Jeffrey Smith about the story.

In the five years since the Sept. 11 attacks, access to personal data has changed dramatically. Host Kai Ryssdal and guests look at the implications of this shift for businesses and consumers. . . . And, Annie Baxter reports that new government data gathering regulations are shaking out some of the banking industry's smallest players.