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NPR's Emily Harris reports that descendants of Thomas Jefferson are publishing a report that attempts to disprove Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings, one of his slaves. They're trying to counter recent DNA tests which tied a descendant of Jefferson to the family of Hemings.

Film critic HENRY SHEEHAN reviews Bridget Joness Diary.

NPR's Kate Seelye in Beirut reports sectarian tensions are rising again in Lebanon as the country marks the 26th anniversary of the start of its long and bloody civil war. A debate over Syria's continued military presence has exacerbated tensions between Lebanon's Christians and Muslims.

The numbers are hard to estimate but as many as 25,000 or even more transgender people live in the United States. For those males redefining themselves as women the voice can be a difficult part of the transition. From member station KUOW in Seattle Cathy Duchamp reports on a voice therapy program designed to help them sound more feminine.

the lead singer of the punk band The Ramones. He died on Sunday at the age of 49. He had lymphoma. From their start in 1974, the Ramones combined fast, deafening guitar with precise drumming to create a hurricane of sound. Their songs had titles like Beat on the Brat, Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment and Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.

Robert Siegel speaks with Daoud Kuttab, director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University, and columnist for the Jordan Times and the Jerusalem Post. Also joining the conversation is David Landau, senior editor of Ha'aretz newspaper in Tel Aviv. They discuss how Israelis and Palestinians view the political stances of the two sides, and why there has been such a failure in negotiations.

NPR's Barbara Bradley reports on a federal judge's ruling that felons have a constitutional right to DNA evidence testing. The Virginia case involves James Harvey, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for a 1990 rape he says he did not commit. He asked the state to do DNA testing on items of evidence, but Virginia refused. The judge ruled that the state must do the tests, as part of Harvey's right to due process. The ruling is believed to be the first of its kind in the federal courts.

Jerome Vaughn of member station WDET reports on the surprise announcement today that Detroit's mayor Dennis Archer won't seek a third term. The popular Archer told reporters he won't seek re-election because of the demands of the office. "I have no life," he said.

NPR's Adam Hochberg reports that the 2000 census reveals a boom in growth in America's coastal areas. Demographers say the population explosion is driven by relatively cheap housing prices, desire to live near water, and technological advances that allow telecommuting. Environmentalists worry that the development boom threatens fragile coastal ecological systems.

The Bush administration plans to uphold regulations issued in the last weeks of Bill Clinton's presidency requiring thousands of more businesses to report their releases of toxic lead into the environment. NPR's John Nielsen reports on the details of the announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator, Christie Whitman.