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NPR's Kathy Schalch reports on the last days of the U.S.-Canadian softwood lumber agreement. The agreement expires at the end of the month, to the relief of many who argued it subsidized Canadian lumber and hurt American businesses and consumers. Environmentalists hated it as well. But a new agreement regulating lumber trade is likely to create as much controversy as the old agreement.

Commentator John Ridley is a self-proclaimed 'tactionist.' He's on a mission to touch interesting people and things, and gather fascinating stories in the process. Next on his 'touch-list:' a nuclear warhead. Unfortunately, the officials at Los Alamos are unimpressed by his unique hobby.

Host Melissa Block talks with Houston singer/songwriter Eric Taylor, whose country-folk songs have been called "little movies." He's got a new album out, Scuffletown, and he says he enjoys writing songs like stories -- as long as he doesn't give too much away to the listener.

Actress Kate Winslet, 24, became a star with her role in the blockbuster Titanic. Her breakthrough role came earlier, in Heavenly Creatures, a film based on a true story of two young girls who murder one of their mothers. Her other films include Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, and Jane Campion's Holy Smoke. She's currently starring in the film Quills.

Journalist Bill Sloan is the author of –I Watched a Wild Hog Eat My Baby! A Colorful History of Tabloids and Their Cultural Impact—. Sloan is a former tabloid insider having worked for –The National Enquirer,— Montreals –Midnight— (now called –Globe—), and the –National Tattler.— Sloan was also an investigative reporter for the Dallas Times Herald.

Banning Eyre reviews the new CD Oh What a World by Irish singer-songwriter Paul Brady. Brady used to be known as one of the greatest voices in traditional Irish music, but now his reputation as a pop songwriter is quickly growing. He's written songs for Bonnie Raitt, Tina Turner, Carlos Santana and many others, a fact that causes a little anguish for die-hard fans of traditional Irish music. Paul Brady's CD is Oh What a World on Compass Records, catalog number 7-4304-2. Compass Records can be contacted at info@compassrecords.com.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports on the White House meeting today between President Bush and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshio Mori. Both countries are experiencing economic slowdowns, but the two leaders, in a joint statement, pledged to work together and expressed optimism about the future.

With fighting continuing for a sixth day around the town of Tetovo in Macedonia, we examine how and why this fighting began. Linda Wertheimer talks with Steven Burg, professor of politics at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., about the relations between Macedonia's government and the country's large ethnic Albanian minority, and about the rebels' demands.

President Bush's effort to channel more social service money to faith-based organizations has run into problems with some religious leaders. Several high profile spokesmen have said the president's initiative, while welcome, would pose too many risks of government interference in the work of religious charities. But today, a group of African-American ministers came to Washington to proclaim their willingness to work with White House and federal agencies under the program. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr notes some of the foreign concerns on President Bush's mind as he tries to deal with the economy.