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Musician Townes Van Zandt died yesterday at his home in Smyrna, Tennessee, at the age of 52. Van Zandt was mostly known as a songwriter, and many of his songs were recorded by country and rock singers. Linda talks to country singer Nanci Griffith about his life and work. He was especially known for his lyrics.

Senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that President Clinton has presented two faces in the past week--that of mellow senior statesman and that of partisan party standard bearer--and he will soon have to choose which face to wear full time.

Robert talks with Mark Johnson-Williams, one of the designers of the Tickle Me Elmo toy. Johnson-Williams tells how the FBI investigated him for 6 months as one of the UNABOMBER suspects.

Reporter Joanna Robertson talks to Robert about the volatile situation in Albania, following a weekend of violent demonstrations that the ruling party blames on the rival Socialists. The government today deployed troops in the capital and in other parts of the country to restore order. The violence began when Albanian investors suffered serious losses in the collapse of two national pyramid investment schemes. Opposition parties are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Aleksandr Meksi (MEHK-see).

It was frigid again today in the Upper Midwest, with high temperatures in much North Dakota not even breaking zero degrees Fahrenheit. Sub-zero temperatures are formidable enough... but weather forecasters invariably follow the temperature with another, even scarier number -- the wind chill. One very cold day, we sent NPR's Joe Palca out to get the low down on wind chill.

NPR's John Burnett reports on the increasing allure that the Orthodox Christian Church holds for American Protestants. One Orthodox congregation in Northern California is representative. Virtually the entire membership of St. Peter and Paul Orthodox church is American converts, attracted by the ancient, rigorous theology and its sheer constancy across the centuries. But ethnic traditionalists worry that even the most devout American converts carry with them the unwelcome seeds of change.

NPR'S Margot Adler reports that there are more tourists in New York City than ever before. Thirty million so far this year, one million just for Christmas week. Traffic too seems more congested. While there are some obvious explanations for the surge...like crime is down and the economy is up... nobody is certain just why the city has become such a tourist sensation.

- Daniel speaks with NPR's economic correspondent John Ydstie about who wins and who loses from the dollar's current strength. The winners, Ydstie says are European exporters; possible loosers, the U.S. auto industry.

Wendy Kaufman reports on near-record snow and ice in the Pacific Northwest that has cut power to hundreds of thousands of people, stranded many more, and brought cities to a grinding halt.

Kathy Lohr reports that it hasn't been a good holiday season for ValuJet. The airline canceled some flights because it hadn't gotten final permission from the government to fly the routes. ValuJet has been struggling ever since the crash of its flight 592 in the Everglades last May, which killed everyone on board. The airline was shut down for 3 months.

Israeli and Palestinian authorities are now poised to sign an agreement for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank town of Hebron. The agreement marks a significant step forward in the Middle East peace process, which has been bogged down since the election of right wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last May. Daniel speaks with Hebron Mayor Mustafa Natsche and an Israeli settler, David Wilder, about their rival visions of peace.

FederalOfficials today launched an all-out attack on state initiatives legalizing the medical use of marijuana and other recreational drugs. Attorney General Janet Reno said she'd enforce federal laws against doctors who prescribe pot for patients. But as Joe Palca reports, the debate over the medical value of marijuana is far from settled.

Commentator Reuven Frank looks at the year in the TV...an industry that keeps on changing, with recent developments in satellite services and multiple channel offerings. but he says most of these changes don't amount to improvements---multiple channels seem to offer multiple opportunities to watch old movies or talk shows -- and all this diversity of programming means television will no longer provide a shared national experience.

NPR's Richard Gonzales reports from San Francisco on a suit brought by a Russian lesbian against the U.S. government after her request for asylum was turned down. The 34-year-old woman argues that she will be persecuted if returned to Russia. She is one a dozens of homosexuals who have been seeking asylum here recently on the basis of their sexual orientation.

John Reznikoff collects hair. The president of University Archives, a company that buys and sells valuable manuscripts, currently has 101 hair locks in his collection that originate from a wide range of celebrities, from George and Martha Washington to Geronimo to England's King Charles I. Daniel talks with Reznikoff, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who is currently allowing some of his hair samples to be used for their DNA in "DNA Jewelry," which Reznikoff is now marketing.

A bomb ripped through an express train carrying at least 1,200 passengers in northeastern India today. Local officials fear that several dozen people may have died in the blast. The BBC's Subhir Baumik has this report.

With the New Year about to begin, two of the most powerful political figures in the country face serious ethical questions. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on the growing scandal swirling around House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the concerns being raised about how President Clinton and the Democratic National Committee raised campaign funds from foreign donors.

Daniel speaks with Tom Rollins, the President of the Teaching Company in Springfield, Virginia. Rollins prides himself for having the best collection of college lectures by America's superstar teachers. Rollins travels to colleges and universities around the country to determine the best lecturers in fields ranging from astronomy and Western Literature to Algebra One.

One of President Clinton's top goals for his second term is to improve the nation's education system. NPR's Mara Liasson reports that in the coming year, the president will push for the passage of a college tuition tax credit and for federal funding of a national literacy program, in an effort to stop the slide of America's elementary and secondary schools.

The conclusion of Bob Garfield's country music odyssey.